Site Meter Vamps and Scamps: The Older Heroine... The Not So Petite heroine...

Sunday, April 30, 2006

The Older Heroine... The Not So Petite heroine...


Her size two waist…
Her twenty-fifth birthday…
Her perky boobs…

Do you see these in a book and want to kill the heroine? I do!
Heck, I’m jealous. I need imperfection. I need pain...my pain that I can relate to.

I’m not saying all my heroines need to be tubby or the big 4-0 but I don’t want them to all be in their 20’s and 30’s either. Having the heroine joining Fat Fighters when I joined Weight Watchers was so much fun to write...we suffered together.
Having the heroin deal with her son (the bum magnet) who brings home less than desirable mates is something I can soooo relate to.

What are you feelings on this? Do you want to read about the twenty-somethings? Thirty-somethings? The over forty gang?
Is there one of these groups you won’t read?

Dianne

8 comments:

Jodi said...

I'll read them all, but I love the 30-somethings. I think that's because that's how old I am and can somewhat "relate" to them. I like them having imperfections. Come on, how many perfect people are truly out there? NONE!

Kelley Nyrae said...

I enjoy reading them all. I enjoy the 20 something because like Jodi said I relate to them. That being said enjoy books with older heroines as well and wish there were more out there. I love books where the woman has imperfections. Where she isnt a size zero (which isnt even really a size in my opinion). I love books where the woman has a little meat on her bones and I love the hero who is is sooo attracted to her despite it.

Lucy Monroe said...

I love all the age ranges, but I really have an affinity for the imperfect heroine. The one who is a klutz, or who can't shop at 5 * 7 * 9, or the one who has hair she doesn't know how to tame, or no fashion sense.

And frankly, babe, if you write it, I'm buying it. :)

Stacy~ said...

I love reading about any age heroine, as long as she's interesting (not perfect). I don't care if she's 60, if she's a paragon who's stood the test of time (physically), and has a glowing complexion, her hair hasn't turned gray, no stretch marks, and younger men adore her - guess what, I'm gonna hate her! LOL.

I most relate to women in their 30's, so I enjoy those stories. They've been around the block and done some living, so that speaks to me. Right now I'm reading a book about a 31-yr old woman who divorced her cheating husband and is too skinny (that's not attractive either) so she feels inadequate around her object of lust. But he makes her feel sexy.

I think that I would like to see more of these imperfect heroines being confident with who they are. I have a friend who is rather heavy, but she dresses well, she's extremely intelligent and tells great stories, and men and women enjoy her company, plus she gets her share of dates. She's one of my role models because her "imperfections" don't stop her from living life. Gotta love that. Here's to my friend Liz :)

jennyowl said...

I think I relate better to 20-30s because they are close to my age but that doesn't mean I wouldn't read older couples if it's well written. Perfect characters are just unreal to me, so yeah give them imperfections I can relate to.

DianneCastell said...

The thirty-somethings seem to be the perfect age, they have some experience and not doing the stupid twenty-something stuff.
The imperfect heroing makes the story a lot more interesting. She thinks she's making the right decisions but isn't and it leads to a mess.
Next time we'll talk about the older hero... Give me Indy Jones. I think I've been in love with that guy since I saw Raiders!

Wolfy said...

I know I am chiming in late on this one, but I too like the imperfect heroine. I guess since there is no such thing as perfect, although some seem to think so, I have a hard time to relate to the ones that are just too good to be true.

Michelle B said...

I'm chiming in late as well, but add me to list of those that enjoy the imperfect heroine. I know I'm far, far from perfect and I like being able to picture myself in the heroine's place:)

As for the age of the characters, I've never really paid much attention to age in general. Age is just a number to me. Plus, I have met quite a few people who don't act their numerical age anyway lol. Also, as I'm getting older (the big 3-0 this year!) and still single, it's nice to have hope that I can find love even though I'm no longer in my early 20s.

One thing I will mention is that when there's a big age gap in a romance novel and the author draws attention to it (ie if the hero or heroine has some issue with it), then it tends to stick more in my mind and remove me a bit from the story. Otherwise, I have no issue with the age of the characters.

Michelle