FACT: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is considered by many to be the epitome of the romance novel genre. So, are contemporary romance novels gross bastardizations of their forebear? Maybe. Are they so much fun to read that we just don't care? Abso-damn-lutely. But in Everything I Know About Love I Learned from Romance Novels, her follow-up to 2009's Beyond Heaving Bosoms: the Smart Bitch's Guide to Romance Novels, Sarah Wendell suggests that it's not just about fun: reading romances is good for you.
Wendell's argument revolves around the idea that reading romance novels offers women (and some men) a safe zone in which to explore their own sexuality. Even more important, reading about fictional women who discover their value instills readers with a sense of their own self-worth. She backs this point up with quotes from scores of readers, novelists and even some fictional characters explaining how their years of reading romance have made them smarter, stronger and braver. At the same time, she doesn't ignore the genre's flaws; as any lover of romance novels will tell you, they can be a bit over the top. Sometimes the plots are unrealistic, sometimes they're frankly ludicrous--and we get that. In fact, we revel in it. More than just propaganda, Wendell's book is an irreverent celebration of the romance genre and the women who write it and read it. --Judie Evans, librarian