Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels

Within a few pages of starting this book I was laughing out loud, and it didn't take long before I had to start reading quotes to the other women in the room so they didn't strangle me. By chapter two or three they were all asking if they could borrow my copy; not long after they were writing down the book information so they could get their own. Yes, it really is that good! Whether you're a writer who wants to understand more about the genre, a reader who wants to know how to defend your reading choices against derisive family members, or just looking for an entertaining read, Beyond Heaving Bosoms is drop-dead perfect. It'll also help you find more books and authors who write the particular kind of romance novels you enjoy, and it'll teach you a ton of fascinating facts about the history and present of romance novels. There's enough solid, smart information in this to be an academic piece--yet it's written with such a hilarious sense of wit and irony that you'll never once find yourself drowsing or getting bored. It pokes good-natured fun at our chosen reading material while also taking unabashed enjoyment in it. I can't imagine a better guide to the genre, whether you're a reader or a writer!

I had a great time reading this book, laughing at the standard romance cliches, what works, what doesn't, and making fun, yet with an underlying theme of respect for the huge $$ biz that is the romance industry. Romance has transformed over the past thirty years, and I thought the authors did a great job of marking that transformation. If you're a long time romance reader who loves the genre, is willing to poke a little fun at it, is willing to learn a little about the cultural sociology of romance, and still go back to reading your Georgette, or Nora, or Cassie, or Linda, then this is the book for you, and all those closeted-romance-reading friends and family.

I was vastly amused, really enjoying both the tone and the subject matter. The huge side journey about Cassie Edwards and the games really ate up pages I would have liked to see be about the genre in general, though. I've started buying more copies to give away as gifts to friends, which is my biggest mark of praise for nonfiction.

If you follow me on Twitter, you know I've been reading "Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels," by Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan. I just finished it, and the book is superb. Beyond Heaving Bosoms (known with affectionate familiarity among those who love it as "The Bosoms") is exactly what it sounds like: an examination of all aspects of romance as a genre. Substantively, the book is thorough and thought-provoking. Do readers identify with the hero, the heroine, or both? Why do romance covers typically feature "the clinch," and what does the clinch mean? What accounts for the appeal of romance, a category with sales larger than every other category of fiction combined? And much more. But it's the tone of the book, even more than its substance, that really makes The Bosoms soar. Sarah and Candy manage to be both outrageously hilarious and deeply serious about their subject matter. The combination is rare: it requires the confidence to make people laugh about a subject you also want them to ponder, and the talent to bring it off. The Smart Bitches have both. But the Bitches aren't just smart, funny, and confident; they also have integrity. After exposing a romance writer for plagiarism (see the section, "Be Nice," on page 197), they faced a lot of wrong-headed opprobrium in the romance community. But by fearlessly sticking to their guns, Sarah and Candy did a huge service to the community and to readers and writers everywhere. Salute. Anyone who writes romance and is looking for a better understanding of the elements of the genre would be well served by this book. Likewise writers in other genres interested in improving their writing about sex and romance. And The Bosoms will certainly be a delight for romance readers. I've rarely laughed so hard and learned so much all in the same sitting.

I finished HB last night, and if I wasn't so darn self-conscious, I would have stood up, clapped really loud and screamed Bravura! Bravura! Bravura! I've been reading romances for 30 years, and HB really helped to coalesce so many of the vague ideas and concepts I've had about how romances have evolved since I took out "Shanna" from the library when I was thirteen and read it under the cloak of darkness. The snarkiness was such a perfect antidote to the usual fawning approvals one sees on review sites (SMTB and a few others excepted), and while the language was occassionally over the top, I was never in doubt that the authors loved their reading material. This isn't a backhanded attempt to bring down romance readers, but a celebration of them.