Posted by The Publisher on September 09, 2000 at 17:27:14:
Hi dear Readers and would-be Readers,
In my earlier post to Chris, I said that Marie de Merle's novel is Literature and not Action Adventure.
Well,I believe I am not being fair to Chris or any of you who've read that post if I do not explain my point a bit more. Further study of course will reveal that Ms. de Merle's novel does have plenty of action-adventure, so my comment would seem like a contradiction in itself.
Before I go on, about ten years ago, author/editor (Simon & Schuster) Michael Korda described War and Peace as a Romance novel. This was applauded by all of us authors who were sick and tired of being type-cast as "Ah, that romance novelist!" and our works being shoved aside as inconsequential. Well, Korda is a male and he put the stamp of approval to the genre called ROMANCE....wow, thanks, Mike!
Anyhow, getting back to Eden's Winter. I said it is Literature because it has depth, width and breadth. You can immerse yourself in the details or the era, and emerge with the feeling that you have actually learned something. Or re-thought, re-considered already familiar aspects of American history. Granted, in this day and age of fastfood and fast reading, this concept might sound a bit alien. Ms. de Merle's novel is not a bodice-ripper, either, though I got nothing against a good bodice-ripper and am known to write books that have plenty of the said... ah-hem, bodice-ripping.
To be continued....
warm regards,
The Publisher