Book sixteen: Getting What You Want

Getting What You Want* (2004)
Kathy Love

Rating: 2.25/5

This book was okay.

Two things annoyed me about it. And if you count the fact that it was printed in little teeny-tiny font, there were actually three.

The first was the repetitiveness of the internal dialogue. The two main characters – who were obviously the romantic leads, given this was a contemporary** romance – had a lot of self doubt going on. So much self doubt in fact, that neither of them felt they were good enough for the other. They had some fairly convincing reasons as to why they felt this way – I just wish I didn’t have to read about them. Over and over again. Sure, it is a mistake to have character acting under motivations, or assumptions, that are not clearly explained to the author. But after the first two or three times, the reader’s got it. Keep saying it over and over again and I’ll start to think the author either thinks I’m stupid, or was just couldn’t think of anything else to say to make up the word count.

The other thing that annoyed me was that a lot of stuff seemed to happen – the required dramatic, oh-no will this keep them apart stuff – but was resolved it all much too quickly. It was like the first series of 24 in a way – almost like she thought this was the only book she would ever write, so she threw in all the drama she could think of. Which was okay, I mean, a dramatic book is better than a boring one. I just think that she didn’t capitalise on the suspense enough. Often time’s things would happen – something that could have started plot enough to finish off the book – but this was resolved in the next chapter, or often times the next paragraph.

It just led to me thinking, “Why did that happen? What was the point?” It was kind of like that scene in Emma where you have to read about Emma and Harriet getting ready and going and calling on her old governess (whose name escapes me right now… umm, Mrs something… damn having no Internet connection), only to get to the door and find out she’s not home. And I was left sitting thinking I’d read all that for nothing***.

Anyway, back to this: it also made me very sceptical of each new plot point, because I wasn’t sure how long they were going to stick around.

Although it did make the ending very hard to predict. I mean, obviously they were going to end up together, but I wasn’t sure which obstacle they would have to overcome.

This is the first in a trilogy about three sisters – I think it is called The Stepp Sisters, or something. I found myself actually more intrigued by the sisters than by the main character in this one, so I think I will read the others soon.

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* Read on Tuesday, 20/3.

** I question the “contemporary”ness of this book though. This wasn’t really a bad thing. Just something I noticed.

It was the clothes, actually. It felt a bit early-nineties, rather than 2004. I’m not sure if she wrote it back then, or if it’s a Maine thing, or if its because I’m not in my thirties, but some things felt a bit dated. Although maybe people in their thirties do wear pearls. I’ve never noticed.

*** As a complete aside, this is probably why my novel by Austen is Persuasion. Every scene in that book is like a knife twisting in your chest. Not a word wasted.

Don’t get me wrong though, I would totally slap Captain Frederick given the chance.