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"Nathaniel York is too perfect to be realistic."
Dear reviewer,
I am so sorry for the relationships you've had in your life. Nathaniel is based on my relationship with my husband.
Neither are perfect, but both are supportive.
Supportive is a real thing.
Sincerely,
Me
Dear reviewer,
I am so sorry for the relationships you've had in your life. Nathaniel is based on my relationship with my husband.
Neither are perfect, but both are supportive.
Supportive is a real thing.
Sincerely,
Me
Also, SERIOUSLY? This is my least favorite category of negative review.
Men do not have to be tortured monsters. They don't have to be broody. THEY CAN BE SUPPORTIVE.
This is not the same as perfect. Look. I get what fiction has fed you.
Men do not have to be tortured monsters. They don't have to be broody. THEY CAN BE SUPPORTIVE.
This is not the same as perfect. Look. I get what fiction has fed you.
Fiction has fed you a diet of men who are controlling stalkers, and portray that as love.
They offer you men who need to be healed by the love of a good woman.
They think that conflict means fighting and that fighting means passion.
YOU HAVE OTHER CHOICES
They offer you men who need to be healed by the love of a good woman.
They think that conflict means fighting and that fighting means passion.
YOU HAVE OTHER CHOICES
There are men out there who listen. Who support. Who respect boundaries. They are not rare, magical unicorns.
Except in fiction.
You know why I write happy, committed relationships? Because we learn from narrative, and I am sick and tired of people learning that stalking=love.
Except in fiction.
You know why I write happy, committed relationships? Because we learn from narrative, and I am sick and tired of people learning that stalking=love.
PS Also, Nathaniel is not perfect.
1. He's a workaholic. Is there a scene in which he's not thinking about work?
2. He mansplains sexism away more than once.
3. Married to someone with anxiety, so yes, de-escalates conflict but otherwise still gets angry.
1. He's a workaholic. Is there a scene in which he's not thinking about work?
2. He mansplains sexism away more than once.
3. Married to someone with anxiety, so yes, de-escalates conflict but otherwise still gets angry.
PPS The fact that, dear reviewer, you think he is perfect makes me want to have an intervention and urge you to make better choices about who you date.
Try going out with someone who listens. That's basically all Nathaniel's doing.
It's not a super-power.
Try going out with someone who listens. That's basically all Nathaniel's doing.
It's not a super-power.
PPPS For people who are finding this via retweets, the book I'm talking about is #TheCalculatingStars
If you order it from my local indie bookstore, @ParnassusBooks1, they'll ship it to you AND I can sign it for you.
parnassusbooks.net/book/978076537…
If you order it from my local indie bookstore, @ParnassusBooks1, they'll ship it to you AND I can sign it for you.
parnassusbooks.net/book/978076537…
@ParnassusBooks1 PPPPS For people who think that I'm quoting a specific reviewer, I'm not.
It's a paraphrase of a class of comments that I get, sometimes as reviews, sometimes as people writing to me. Sometimes as people tagging me on twitter.
I'm talking about the pattern, not a person.
It's a paraphrase of a class of comments that I get, sometimes as reviews, sometimes as people writing to me. Sometimes as people tagging me on twitter.
I'm talking about the pattern, not a person.
@ParnassusBooks1 And to be super, super clear, I come from theater, so I negative reviews don't bother me.
What bothers me is that readers have been trained to think that toxic masculinity is normal.
What bothers me is that readers have been trained to think that toxic masculinity is normal.
