Thank you for posting this! I hadn't read all the comments left to Helen's story, and so I've been kind of baffled by the assertion that people were dissing Xanthe's stories, because I honestly haven't seen anything like that here in this discussion.
The thing is, comparing Xanthe's stories to Helen's really is apples and oranges because they're not the same kind of story, you know? Xanthe's are a very specific kind of romance, where things are kind of idealized and there are heroes and villians and dramatic sweeping plot arcs, and for readers who like that kind of story they are wonderfully well written. Helen's is a completely different kind of romance, more low-key, gritty and realistic, where everyone is painted in shades of gray, and again, wonderfully well written for readers who like that kind of story.
The thing is, they're so different that I think there are going to be significant numbers of people who like one style, but don't like the other. (Of course, that's no excuse for being rude or ugly about it.)
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branchandroot
Duh...
Date: 2006-11-16 04:36 pm (UTC)The thing is, comparing Xanthe's stories to Helen's really is apples and oranges because they're not the same kind of story, you know? Xanthe's are a very specific kind of romance, where things are kind of idealized and there are heroes and villians and dramatic sweeping plot arcs, and for readers who like that kind of story they are wonderfully well written. Helen's is a completely different kind of romance, more low-key, gritty and realistic, where everyone is painted in shades of gray, and again, wonderfully well written for readers who like that kind of story.
The thing is, they're so different that I think there are going to be significant numbers of people who like one style, but don't like the other. (Of course, that's no excuse for being rude or ugly about it.)