The Vine: February 27, 2009
I recently wrote a blog entry about a book I’ve been looking for, the second novel from a writer whose first book I loved.The entire entry is here.
A couple of years ago, I bought a romance novel that was so incredibly creative (and not at all trashy like my husband had hoped). In it, the main character buys an antique book in which her namesake is a side character. The antique book is a Victorian era novel, and the main character (I’ll call her “Alex,” because I do believe the character’s name might have been Alexandra, but I’m not positive) is in love with the novel’s hero.
She falls asleep while reading and wakes up to discover that she is now in the novel as it’s being written, in the scene during which she fell asleep. She is, of course, cast in the role of her namesake, and so logically she would only have one or two lines and would barely encounter the hero. She watches as a ballroom scene unfolds, then watches everyone relax because the author is taking a break. She keeps trying to guide the story so that she can meet the hero, but it’s difficult, because he knows too well that characters can get written off or just dropped altogether if they become too difficult to work with.
So the whole concept of the characters being alive and being actors for the writer really resonated with me, especially since I’ve been struggling with one of my stories because I’m waiting (okay, I know, it’s been two years since I last spoke with these characters; it’s beyond waiting) for my characters to reveal to me what their back stories are. There’s seriously one last piece I need to fit in, and then it all comes together. Theoretically.
But anyhow, I loved the story. It was so great, that I even emailed the author and told her. And she emailed me back and told me that she had another novel coming out in which the main character falls in love with a villain. Ooh, I can’t wait to read it.
The problem is, I can’t remember the name of the novel or the author. I can’t find the book or the email exchange.
So I went to Borders (where I bought the original book) and looked around in the romance novel section trying to see if I would recognize the book or otherwise hit upon it. No luck. I then tried asking for help, but I knew going in it would be impossible to find a book without more information.
So I turn to you in the hopes that perhaps this might sound familiar, or you might have some advice to offer on how I might find the book.
Thanks,
Nivi
Dear Nivi,
I assume you’ve Googled strings of some of the relevant descriptors here, and haven’t had any luck, but happily, this sounds like the sort of narrative that’s right up the TN readership’s alley.Guess we’ll find out!Readers?
Hi Sars,
I have a fairly easy (I hope) ask the readers question…
I am in Australia, and I recently read (though I can’t remember where) about an American book. The book has been recently published and has a male, African-American author. The author has started some kind of safety net program, across maybe three suburbs. It may have been in Chicago, or DC. The approach involves schools, health care, and a variety of other community services to ensure that the kids in these suburbs get the future they deserve, even though the problems they face are often quite complex.
I have Googled and Googled, and asked people who work in this field and should know…to no avail! Can anyone help me with the title of the book?
Alison
Dear Alison,
We’ll soon see — readers, any ideas?
Tags: Ask The Readers popcult
Alison,
I don’t know if this is what you’re looking for, but your description reminded me of a program I heard on “This American Life” last fall about Geoffrey Canada’s “Harlem Children’s Zone” progam: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1262.
It looks like there’s a book about the program, but not written by Mr. Canada: http://www.amazon.com/Whatever-Takes-Geoffrey-Canadas-America/dp/0618569898.
Alison,
It sounds like a book featured last year on This American Life, called “Whatever it Takes” by Geoffrey Canada. The episode is available here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1262
It is really a great story.
Nivi: I don’t recall the story you’re actually looking for, but if you enjoy the whole “characters as actors” thing you’ll really love the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde.
http://www.amazon.com/Eyre-Affair-Thursday-Next-Novel/dp/0142001805/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235754638&sr=8-1
Nivi,
If none of the Vine readers can help you out, you might try asking around at <a href=”http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/”Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. They might be able to give you a lead.
I am made of HTML fail — let’s try that again: Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Nivi,
I am absolutely unhelpful (I tried a number of crazy google terms and came up blank, other than to have this version of the Vine keep coming up) but I hope somebody knows because that book sounds awesome.
This absolutely isn’t the book in question, but there are a number of similarities in plot, so if you haven’t read it, you might like this: http://www.amazon.com/Mariana-Susanna-Kearsley/dp/0749007060/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235755848&sr=8-7
I don’t have any answers, but I’m dying to know what the first one ends up being, because I want to read it. The only thing I can think of that comes even close is Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series which, Nivi, if you haven’t read those you really should.
I have no ideas about either one but I can’t wait to hear the answer to Nivi’s… Sounds pretty good!
@ Nivi,
I don’t have any answers about the book you’re describing either, but if you (or anyone else reading this post) likes this kind of thing, I am going to jump on the Jasper Fforde bandwagon (although the book he’s releasing this summer is something entirely new!), and also add Cornelia Funke, who is a German author of children’s books–her Inkheart series has characters moving in and out of a fantasy world set in a book and is pretty great.
Nivi, I think your book is Hero Worship by Dawn Calvert: http://www.amazon.com/Hero-Worship-Zebra-Debut-Calvert/dp/082178059X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235758133&sr=8-1
The second book is called His and Hers.
Is it “His and Hers” by Dawn Calvert? Some creative Googling brought it up.
http://www.amazon.com/His-Hers-Zebra-Historical-Romance/dp/0821780603
Wait, no! His and Hers is the follow-up – the book HAS to be “Hero Worship,” by the same author!
http://www.amazon.com/Hero-Worship-Zebra-Debut-Calvert/dp/082178059X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235758334&sr=1-2
Hey, just to plug my future career field into this:
@Nivi: if nothing turns up here, you might want to try asking a librarian. I sent a posting off to Fiction_L, which is a reader’s advisory listserv – someone on there might know. This is the kind of question librarians get all the time.
@Nivi: One place you could try searching is All About Romance (http://likesbooks.com). They have a large archive of reviews of romance novels which can be searched here: http://likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/searchReviews.pl. You can search by the book’s time setting , location and story type. One of the types is Time Travel Romance which fits your description, so if you remember more details about this book it could very well turn up.
This web site might help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metafictional_texts
Just added the two romance books to my amazon wish list. !!
Heh – why do romance novel covers have to be so generic? ‘Studly dude with his shirt off, hair like Fabio’ really does not say ‘exploration of author vs. character connection’ to me.
Nivi’s book reminded me of a tiny bit of two movies:
– Possession (based on the book by A.S. Byatt, which I didn’t read, but I suspect was probably superior to the film); and
– Stranger than Fiction (which I **LOVED**).
So you might want to check those out too.
“Possession” is a hundred times the book the movie was. Northam is a small blandishment, but still: read the book instead, with the movie on mute.
I think making a movie of Possession was probably doomed from the start, since the nature of books as books is such an important part of it. And I say that as a fan of Jennifer Ehle. It’s hard to make engagement with a book seem exciting in movie terms. Just ask Joe Wright. Or, rather, don’t do that.
Ooh! I totally added both of the Dawn Calvert’s to my request list at the library! I agree with @Cat, though–what a dumb cover for a very cool-sounding book. I like romance novels with twists, and this is right up my alley–but I’d never give a book with that cover a second look!
Also, add my voice to the chorus of Jasper Fforde novels. LOVE.
Woo! New books!
There were things about “Stranger Than Fiction” I really enjoyed, but a chunk of the movie was ruined for me by the total lack of chemistry between Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal. I wanted, immediately, to put that in a book as the definition of “do not have chemistry.”
Sars – Northam as in Jeremy Northam? Well that perked my ears right up!
As a Spanish Literature major, I should mention that theme of authors interacting with their characters figures prominently in “Niebla” by Miguel de Unamuno.
I third the Jasper Fforde recommendations — I love his books!
Oh, good Lord, yes re: “Possession” novel>film – and the same goes for “Angels and Insects,” which is actually two separate but linked novellas, only one of which made it into the movie. Byatt in general really grabs me, but those are both incredible; I think of “Possession” as a tour de force. They are also, sadly, prime examples of how most decent novels are just too complex and far-ranging to make into good movies.
It was Geoffrey Canada. Thanks so much!
Can you believe that google actually has “Hero Worship” as a book preview where you can read it? Here it is:
http://tinyurl.com/ahngz8
Nivi (and others): While this does not answer your question (which hopefully was one of the Dawn Calvert books), you may enjoy “The Kugelmass Episode”.
Everyone, thank you so much! The book was indeed “Hero Worship” by Dawn Calvert. I am psyched to hit the bookstore and get “His and Hers”, as well as many of the other suggestions you all have made. Thank you!
Great to read the Byatt love–I highly recommend her Potter Family series, which explores decades, starting with the fifties, through the eyes of the intellectual, slightly cracked Potter family, particularly daughter Frederica. Wish the BBC would make a series of them.
I thought the Angels and Insects movie was quite well done, especially Kristin Scott Thomas’ portrayal of an intense woman determined to get what she wants–but politely.
Wow. I received a google alert on my name and just read this. Thank you so much, Nivi, and all who had such kind words about “Hero Worship” and “His and Hers”! Hope it’s okay to chime in here with a heartfelt thank-you? Both of these books are very close to my heart. Dawn Calvert
These sound like fun books, I’m gonna go out and look for them tomorrow.
I have to echo all of the AS Byatt love.
@Jen S– “Still Life” is on my list of five favorite novels.
Dawn Calvert herself comments?
Cool!
Sars, you and the entire Tomato Nation are made of WIN!
^^^ What Wendalette said!!!! ^^^ Too cool! I heart TN.
@ Jessica: I haven’t read “The Kugelmass Episode” in years and years. Thanks for the reminder – it’s hilarious.
Nivi, I know you found your book, but your description also really reminds me of the Christopher Reeve/Jane Seymour movie, “Somewhere in Time,” which I saw as a kid to long-lasting effect. In a bit of a switch, it’s the man who goes into the past after the lovely woman. I still have a lingering fondness for it, and would definitely watch it if it wound up on Sunday afternoon TV.
Sars, unrelated to this, we flew to FL a couple of days ago for vacation. I was reading the airline magazine and saw TWO articles by you on Brooklyn! Very cool. Congrats!
Wow! TN FTW! Hi Dawn Calvert! Can’t wait to read your books…
Ha – I put a hold on the books, but I’ve heard that interactions with the Chicago Public Library system usually end in tears, so we’ll see. So psyched about books about books.
Yay! An authorial flyby AND the possibilty of SDB awesomeness on my flight this week. Airline info, please, lest my hopes rise only to be dashed?
Also, to add to the character/author intracterion book list: “At Swim-Two-Birds” by Flann O’Brian, which was the pen name of the awesome Irish journalist Myles na Gopaleen. Characters doing odd things everywhere, (including Mad Sweeny and his watercresses and weirdness involving Cu Cullain’s giant buttocks) umpty-umpteen embedded narratives, an often-sauced narrator…it’s a bit of work, but it’s amazing and absolutely hysterical. Dylan Thomas himself said that “[i]f your sister is a loud, boozy, dirty girl” this is the book for her. How could I resist?
I did manage to resist the serial comma after my parenthetical comment about odd characters…my bad.
And also, @Jenertia: that was the first movie that I ever cried at!! I should be embarassed, but I’m totallly not. :)
It’s in the US Airways mag; it was the February ish, though, so it may be gone from seatbacks by the time you fly. The link is here: https://tomatonation.com/?p=2957
OMG, that is too cool… the Author Herself even commented. lol
So, I’ve gone to Amazon and added the books. As well as some of the Thursday Next books.
TN Readers FTW!!
– BaschaW
Jenertia, if you like the movie “Somewhere in Time”, you should check out “Time and Again” by Jack Finney — similar premise — a man hypnotizes himself to travel back to the 19th century. It features the Dakota Apartments in New York City, and weaves actual photos and illustrations of the period into the plot.
What Erin said!
@Dawn, you’re welcome here any time, I’m sure. (They keep letting ME come back, so…) How cool to find THIS place when you self-Google! Can’t wait to read your books!!!
@Jenertia – that movie, yes! Even with the Reeves’ super-high-waisted pants!
Thanks so much for the info! To the hyperlink, and away!!
I’m so glad it was okay to leave a comment! Now I’m definitely wanting to check out some of these books and movies. Going to add “Time and Again” to my Netflix queue – it sounds fascinating. To everyone who gives my books a spin – thank you!!! Hope you like them. I’d love to hear what you think. Oh, and the covers are the publisher’s decision. I’ll have to sell a whole lot more books before I have any input on that!
Jenertia–oh god, I LOVE that movie. My mom and I watched it about fifty times back in the day. The theme song still makes me cry. I’m adding Time and Again too, thanks!
(P.S. re: book covers, this is exactly why I actually changed my career to design them. Nothing frustrates me more than an awesome book with a terrible/misleading cover! Despite the saying, people DO judge…)
Nivi, you should look out for a DVD called Lost in Austen. It’s on a similar theme and I think you’d enjoy it. :)