BOOK REVIEW | 'Sugar Daddy' by Lisa Kleypas
- Alex
- Feb 26, 2023
- 25 min read
Updated: Feb 28, 2023
A Contemporary Romance (potentially borderline Women's Fiction)
4.3 out of 5 Stars "Really liked it" I enjoyed this book, it was very well written, but I suspect there may have been some lurking bias on my behalf because the last book I read was of a lower quality than I am use to, so my expectations were probably lowered.
Click on an arrows to open the drop down menu
Dominant Tropes:
Sub-Dominant Tropes:
Worthy of Note:
Media: Kindle
POV: First person
This is another mammoth blog, so I've split it into the following sections.
GENRE TOPICS: ROMANCE VS WOMEN'S FICTION
What is a romance? And how does it differ from Women's fiction?
I recently realised the manuscript I am drafting may well be Women's Fiction and not (to my surprise and shock-horror) a contemporary romance. Why? Because to fit nicely into the romance genre the story must deliver the following:
A central focus on love
An emotionally satisfying and optimistic end (HEA - Happily Ever After)
Now, my WIP will definitely tick both of these boxes, BUT... that first point is a curly one, there's a lot of grey in how 'A central focus on love' can be defined.
The Romance Writers of America clarify: "A romance novel must have a central focus on the development of a romantic relationship between two people." I laughed after typing this quote because my mind instantly thought of all those readers who love reverse harem and tentacle romance - yes! That is actually a thing, my mind was blown too! I tell ya, this literary-learning journey is at times hilarious, and at other times seriously scary. It's like Stephen King decided to create his own 'romantic' subgenre for shits and giggles. Disclaimer I have never read a tentacle romance novel. Surprise surprise that subgenre wasn't part of my English degree curriculum - there was however one Mills & Boon, which I admit I couldn't bring myself to read on principle. At that time I was unbelievably conditioned by my proper English Mother to think M&B was the literary version of TV soap operas - a part of the world we did not venture into for fear of our brains turning to mush. Oh how I have changed. Unashamedly a lover of romance these days and forever more!
I digress - my manuscript will involve the development of a romantic relationship between two people. But first and foremost it is focused on the protagonist developing a loving relationship with herself, importantly first. Because lets be real, without that, what hope is there in a person ever really finding true, wholesome, real, love with another? But let's get back to tentacle romances. No seriously, but still on the point of the swathe of romance subgenres that exist these days. Here's how I look at it. I believe there is a clear, pure, OG category of Romance. This harks back to the beginning of the OG romance genre circa 1740. Samuel Richardson's 'Pamela' - or 'Virtue Rewarded' and of course the solidification of the main genre driven by the Goddess of Romance herself: Jane Austen. There is so much to unpack here. Firstly that the novel considered to be the first romance novel ever, was written by a man. And that the story of 'Virtue Rewarded' seems to me to be a tale manufactured to influence women of the time to remain subservient and do what men order them to do. In return for this obedience those women who comply are offered the reward of being deemed an esteemed member of society. Oh the giddy heights of having one's society look upon oneself favorably. (Disclaimer I have not read this book, and just quietly I don't think I want to, by the sounds of it).
It is my personal opinion that Jane Austen is the godfather (yes godfather!) of the main-original genre of romance. Austen carved out the original, true definition of the Romance genre. It is an exploration of the trials and tribulations of women. It is the idealised hope of true love in a world rife with societal pressure. A world where more often than not the definition of being a woman is at complete odds with being a happy woman. Romance is the bridge between these two things. Original Romance is the delivery mechanism for each era of women, offering moral fables that provide a shining light in a dark unfair world.
Jane Sandwood, in her Donna Hatch blog 'A History Of Romance Literature' suggests "The plots of Austen’s six completed novels explore the dependence of women on marriage for social standing and financial security, and are praised for their use of irony, realism, satire and humor. Of course, they also have strong female characters who conquer adversity before settling down to enjoy a happy marriage. And this my romantic-rebel-loving-fiends is what Lisa Kleypas' 'Sugar Daddy' delivers. All. Day. Long!
THE COVER & ITS PROMISE
Apart from listening to Nat Connor founder and creator of Kindletrends on Sacha Black's Rebel Author Podcast I have not delved into the mysterious world of book cover design. Nat Connor suggest a cover offers a promise of genre topic. This means the cover design is an important trust building exercise with your potential reader audience. You are promising your readers that your book delivers certain elements, HEA anyone? Central focus on love anyone? If your cover promises this, but the content inside does not deliver on that promise, well then - I suspect at best the result will be a reader who won't be back to read your next book, and at worst you'll face a DNF or one star review - hopefully an entertaining one, because at least then you're going to get a laugh out of it.
When I added 'Sugar Daddy' to my initial list of potential Comparative Titles, I noticed the cover on Amazon.com (see image below) and right off the bat I really didn't like it. I felt, it looked cheap and I guess off the back of the last book I read that burnt me good, I was dubious because of the overly cheesy title 'Sugar Daddy'. This title conjured up connotations of a slimy old, rich guy paying for the company (and possibly sex) of a much younger women. I definitely had to look past my better judgment to add this to my TBR list. And I am really glad I did!
Put simply (because of the cover design and title) I wouldn't have picked this book up if it hadn't come up in my comparative title searches. But because this book contained similar tropes to my-yet-to-be-a-book, half-finished, first draft manuscript I added it and have (obviously) now read it. And I am so grateful I did. Turns out my better judgement was well-wrong! I do remember wishing the cover was better and the title for that matter! The moment I decided to add it to my Comparative Title TBR list I also made a pact with myself that as part of my book review - and once I had read the book and understood the content - I would attempt to design a better cover, just for the fun of it.
The cover (and actually the title too) just don't do the content justice. I mean, when I think about the 'layers' of this book (aka Nat Connor's book research philosophy) I don't think the cover or title really deliver an accurate promise of the genre topic.
A quick Google search indicates there are at least three English versions of the cover (see below) as well as other language versions. Does this suggest Lisa and/or the publisher might have realised the cover wasn't working hard enough for the content. I'm not sure why else you would have so many different covers for the same book? Or is that a normal thing? There are definitely different covers for different markets, but why confuse your English reader audience? Anyway, none of them (in my humble opinion) do the writing craft on offer within, justice.
A girl on a swing dominates in the covers, but the word 'swing' features only four times inside and none of those times are in reference to a woman or girl swinging on a swing. I can't remember anywhere in the book a scene where Liberty sat or swung on a swing. I may be wrong on this point. Also the title and the imagery are in opposition with each other. The imagery offers accurate insight into this wholesome tale of adversity, which is at odds with the title. The fact that there isn't really a sugar daddy in this story - well, not one that fit the definition of the commonly accepted idea of a sugar daddy anyway.
When I think of this book I think of wide open, dusty, dry Texan landscapes and armadillo's - which are mentioned 18 times in the book, and are referenced in a meaningful metaphorical way as well as appearing literally throughout the story. Armadillos are Liberty's favourite animal, perceived as a pre-historic pest that evolution forgot by most, she knows better.
"They're the perfect example of persistence in the face of adversity."
Before we get into what the cover should look like (again in my own unpublished, humble, learning opinion) let's take a look at the existing titles also called Sugar Daddy or similar.
I rest my case. Although I do accept that these books may have come out after Kleypas published her version (March 2007). I think Kleypas got stitched up a good one here. Perhaps by some historic-romance loving editor that didn't want her first attempt at contemporary romance to do well for fear of her never writing a historical one again? All I can say is this book should never have been give this title - the writing is quality, offering up various and substantial life-lessons. It does not sit in the same category as the books above. And I recently become aware it is being made into a movie - stoked for the Author - that's awesome!
Finally let's take a look at the other covers from my initial list of potential comparative titles. From this view alone going with photographic imagery is a risk, especially considering the only other book using this type of imagery has received my lowest rating of them all - but that was because of the quality of the content. Sugar Daddy is almost the exact opposite situation.
There's a scene in the book where Liberty is at a fair, and she comes across a little silver armadillo charm, which she acquires and wears around her neck on a sixteen-inch rope chain. The charm hangs at the hollow of her clavicle. Why on earth this visual doesn't feature somehow on the cover is beyond me. And makes me wonder if cover designers read the book before they design the cover, or if publishers offer up creative briefs (something I know a lot about) instead - makes sense as it would make the creative process a hell of a lot quicker.
Sugar Daddy is about Liberty, a young Texan woman who "triumphs over hardship with grace, determination, and humor." Let's take a look at how one could build a visual promise for this rich, well written story. Without further ado, here's my two-hour design-development effort to come up with some concepts to sell this book better, again in my... humble, totally novice, opinion.
Which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments 1, 2, 3? (4 is the actual cover), 5, 6 or 7
Above are my rough and ready concepts, using imagery taken from the interwebs, so I know they can't be used. The idea I'm exploring here is how to bring to life the right kind of promise for the genre topic.
'Loving Liberty' - teal stylised animated couple seems to be in vogue right now.
'Love & Liberty' - pink fun font style with the meaningful armadillo symbol front and centre
'Loving Liberty' - sunset tones, playing with the idea of the big, wide open spaces of Welcome, Texas.
'Sugar Daddy' - The original cover of a girl on a swing.. y'all know what I think about this cover!
'Love & Liberty' - This imagery relates to the Blue Bonnet flower that is referenced by Miss Marva, and are indicated by the protagonist to be endemic in Texas. I have since learnt these too offer symbolism as the flower was given it's common name due to the petals on the flower resembling the bonnet of the pioneer women to shield themselves from the sun. Another ode to how women have struggled throughout the eras.
'Liberty & Other Such Pursuits' - I like this title. The bluebonnet flowers feature again, and this time the HEA is insinuated.
'Love & Liberty' - finally this photographic image with an applied filter is literally the result of me google earthing (is that a thing?) Welcome, Texas. Plonking that little orange man icon on a road that was highlighted and snap shotting this white fence and wide open space of the place where this story is actually set.
Now let's review how my two favorites' stack up against the other potential comparative titles I have on my list.
Based on my tiny sample of comparative novels, I think for this genre and trope(s) publishers need to seriously consider investing in up-beat, happy, animated covers with bright cheery colours. The 'Loving Liberty' teal coloured concept-cover above offers the readers representations of the main female lead, Liberty and a male character that could be deemed as either Hardy or Gage considering both main male characters are tall dark and handsome. The title has two meanings; The literal act of loving Liberty the woman, and also the journey Liberty goes on to find her own freedom and independence in the oppressive society she lives in. I think this cover works the hardest of all my concepts, purely because it's more in keeping with the style of the other covers in the group.
The second hardest working concept - I think - is the 'Love & Liberty' pink one (above). Complete with the image of the meaningful Armadillo charm. This offers a nice mix of an altered photographic image to suggest a serious-tone with the playfulness of the title font explaining this story fits in this genre. Solid design effort, if I do say so myself. haha! That was so much fun to do! Okay, now let's get serious and check out what I thought of this book - for real.
POV & TENSE
I read the first 10 chapters, before I realised the protagonist was speaking in past-tense... So I went back to the beginning of the book and re-read it, with the knowledge that the MFC, Liberty was reminiscing about her early childhood, losing her father in a tragic work accident and providing the context as to why her and her mother were now living in a trailer park, partly due to her father's death, and partly due to her stubborn mother who refused her family's help.
I just thought this was interesting that I missed the past tense situation. So I wanted to note that here.
CONFLICT
"... but as I stood there with Hardy, I understood the folly of trying to substitute someone else for him."
At first glance, without putting too much thought into it and judging this book by its cover 'eeeew and eeeek!'. I would have happily written-off the conflict as Liberty's unrequited love for Hardy, and her coming of age experiences as she attempts to manage and subdue her love (and obsession) for Hardy. An older Liberty reminisces an intimate moment with a young Hardy:
"My palm settled on the hard ascent of his shoulder. His chest rose and fell in an uneven rhythm. As I looked into the beautiful severity of his face, I realized he was giving in to a rare moment of self-indulgence. His eyes were alert but resigned, like a thief who knew he was about to get caught."
"The span of three or four minutes is pretty insignificant in the scheme of things. People lose hundreds of minutes every day, squandering them on trivial things. But sometimes in those fragments of time, something can happen you’ll remember the rest of your life."
And later on in Liberty's journey....
" If a man ever looked at me with interest, spoke to me, smiled, I found myself helplessly searching for hints of Hardy. I didn’t know how to stop wanting him.'
But in my humble opinion this book offers far greater, broader conflict, which again puts into question this books actual genre. This book has substance, and I really enjoyed that substance after the last romance book I read.
The conflict in this book is about women navigating this man's world and making their way through it on their own terms, be that Liberty's mother, Miss Marva, Mrs. Cates - Hardy's Mother a single mother with her brood of children who lives down the way in the same trailer park - of course - as the MFC: Liberty.
The conflict is how that situation is often not the inspirational 'thriving' moment worthy of an Instagram reel, but actually a 'striving', a messy, uncomfortable, shitty situation that's really hard, and not conducive to human prosperity. Yes Liberty gets herself and her baby sister - Carrington, out of that trailer park, but her mother isn't as fortunate. Yes Liberty is the driver of the betterment of her and her baby sister's future, and yes it's a better situation than their past. But her means ensure it's not the romantic rags to riches resolution that we'd love to believe was possible for a woman in poverty, stuck on the bread-line.
This book is far more raw and realistic about Liberty's ability to shift her situation. Liberty claws her way out of the poverty hole marginally via education/training and a change of environment, and even this is achieved with a 'little magic' - I'll leave it there so as on to spoil the surprise. The book investigates the super wealthy 1% and how the 'other' people serve them. It's this subtext that made me question what exactly is the conflict and tension in this book, it has more substance than a basic love triangle. And even though these two groups (the rich & poor) comes together during the story and reach a somewhat amicable harmony together, there is still that tension around power and how the wealthy decide who is allowed, and who is not.
What am I referencing in regards to this juxtaposition of poverty and extreme wealth? Let's take for example the poor, but obviously beautiful Liberty who breaches the playground of the rich and is welcomed, partly because of who her sister is and partly because she catches the eye of Gage. But her arrival differs greatly to how Hardy Cates is 'welcomed' into the wealth-world.
Liberty's mother is the catalyst that thrusts her and her baby sister into a wealthy-world. Liberty is not the driver, she just the happy recipient of the consequences - in other words she didn't work her way there. Unlike Hardy who put in the effort, the hard graft, the hustle, the cunning and by the sounds of it also took a huge number of risks to get himself rich. But the book portrays this success as founded on suspect values, and as such, it's almost like Hardy isn't 'allowed' or welcome, where in actual fact he's done more hard yards than most to get there on his own two feet. Interesting how the beautiful MFC saunters in to wealth, while the hard-grind of Hardy is belittled and marginalised. I've read some of the reviews, there is a lot of hate out there for Hardy, and questions around how he got his own book in the series. I actually think he has a solid story to tell - and I'm curious to know if he is painted as the 'Blue Eyed Devil' villain or if some leniency is taken.
But I guess that's the romance genre eh? There has to be a little lottery magic thrown in for good measure. If we based our stories in reality would there be any HEA? I for one know my story is based in reality - HEA are possible in real life, but man oh man do you have to work for them. Perhaps this is the actual conflict of the book? How a woman and a man can come from the same trailer park, but it is so much harder for a woman to climb out of that poverty without help, where as for the man, it is very much possible. Is that the conflict? Whatever it is - how dem apples for some substance! Kleypas has my full respect, and I only hope one day I can create a book as good as this one.
“Girlfriend, if you’re waiting for a fairy godmother to show up with a dress and a ride, you’re not going to make it to the party.”
Our protagonist replies..
“I’m not waiting for anyone. I can do it by myself.”
#girlpower anyone #hellyus!
PLOT
There are so many inciting incidents in this story, I'm not sure which one is the main one. Without spoiling too much, as I sincerely hope you read this book, there is a poignant death in the story, and I guess this is the moment where Liberty asks herself the question. Are you going to accept this current status quo or are you going to try and build a better life for yourself and Carrington (her sister). It's probably obvious - but she opts for the latter.
THEME
What I really like about Kleypas (and for that matter McFarlane's) book(s) is the life lessons they include and summarise. I think the theme sits firmly in the Romance genre and explores how women need men in this world, and how they also don't. And how men need women, and how they also don't.
This is why I love romance, I love that it can bring this kind of wisdom, this kind of truth to the world, through story.
On embracing fear:
“Being afraid not always bad,” he said gently. “It can keep you moving forward. It can help you get things done.”
On female independence:
"When you grow up I want you to be self-reliant. Because most women aren’t, and it puts them at everyone’s mercy.”
On poverty:
"There is no peace in poverty."
On being beautiful but poor:
"Beauty doesn't feed the pigs. "
On work:
"Hard work is a lot easier to tolerate when it’s something you want to do instead of something you have no choice about."
On lying:
"I hadn’t lied. But withholding information is often the same as a lie"
On relationships:
"If loneliness was a choice, what was the other option? To settle for second-best and try to be happy with that?"
This really spoke to me because it's a major concept I'm exploring in my manuscript and something the protagonist struggles with as she comes to term with the fact she has made a terrible mistake.
On the ramifications of children who grow up fatherless:
"I didn’t know psychology, but I was aware that fathers, or father figures, had a big impact on how children turned out."
On surviving this life as a woman, on the ramifications of broken marriages and the ripple-effect on the children, and on the accountability not taken for such consequences:
"Miss Marva had once described Marisol [her daughter], the product of a brief and long-ago marriage, as a troubled soul, given to addictions and obsessions and relationships with men of low character. “What made her that way?” I had asked Miss Marva when she told me about Marisol, expecting her to lay out logical reasons as neatly as balls of cookie dough on a baking sheet. “God did,” Miss Marva had replied, simply and without bitterness."
And here's a metaphor (I think?) on life philosophy, on working on internal things, on the things no one sees but you:
"A good needlepointer,” Miss Marva said, “makes the back side look as good as the front side.”
This little slice-of-life piece of advice really stuck with me, I'm not sure why, maybe because of the journey I am going on right now with writing. Maybe because I have always believed in ensuring order in the 'unseen' things in life. One's mind is unseen, and I believe there is extreme benefit in making it look as good as possible from the inside, first and foremost for the benefit of its owner. but also so that what shines externally from it is beautiful.
On pity & contempt:
“Pity goes hand in hand with contempt. Don’t ever forget that, Liberty. You can’t take handouts or help from anyone, because that gives people the right to look down on you.”
I have researched 'contempt' quite a lot lately. It also features in the manuscript I am drafting. I recently learnt that the physical manifestation of contempt is eye-rolling. Something I have experienced first hand (on the bloody daily, actually) from one of my (now ex) direct reports in my 'day-job', who ironically was struggling in their role. I've since learnt that eye-rolling is the epitome of passive-aggression and indicates an immaturity and is hugely disrespectful. I had literally googled what does eye-rolling mean after becoming curious if it could be similar to hiccups and an involuntary action. There's some insight into my character, I was attempting to find an answer that would allow me to give this person the benefit of the doubt. Surely they are not, just a rude miserable person. Short answer is they were. There is no evidence of involuntary eye-rolling ticks or dieases. It's an intentional act that I will never again let slide, especially in a professional environment. Now I know why good mother's will always call out an insolent child's poor behaviour with "Don't you roll your eyes at me little miss/mister! Have some respect."
Any who...
Kleypas' vocabulary was also refreshing, and McFarlane's book that I have just finished reading as of two days ago (Friday 17th Feb 2023) was next level again, on the number of words my kindle dictionary was defining for me.
Rankled - was one such word that Kleypas introduced me too in this book. It means: Anger, disappointment and disgust... A great word that I can't believe I didn't already know!
It's not all unicorns and butterflies though. Sometimes the 15 year old protagonist sounded decades older than I feel she should have.
"There are few men who can turn a friendly insult into a good opening line, but Hardy was one of them."
What 15 year old do you know that refers to the opposite sex as 'Men', even if the reference relates to her current trailer park crush Hardy Cates, a 20-something year old. I suspect this is due to me confusing / not being aware of the past tense bits, perhaps the protagonist is reminiscing with age and wisdom on their side? There were a few bits like this at the start of the book that really did read like a much older woman writing, someone attempting to write a teenager - if you will and it didn't fully come off. And as it turns out they were intended to be coming from an older version of the MFC, the problem was that I hadn't noticed the past-tense nature of the prose. This could have been me being dumb. Or perhaps the writing could have made this a little more overt, so as the reader I was able to pick up on this easier.
I'm glad I read this book and then Mhairi's "Don't You Forget About Me" because they both feature the harsh realities of many young women's first sexual experiences. Neither book makes light of what is more often than not a harrowing moment in a young women's life. Luke is the marginalised male who takes Liberty's virginity. I'm not sure if it was my own personal virginial experience that brought this scene to life for me, or if it was just superbly written, either way, I (the reader) was there with Liberty experiencing the discomfort, the physical pressure and the distinct lack of love and connection present. I know this isn't everyone's experience for their first sexual encounter, but it does sadden me that a large number of us end up with this as the memory. I wish it could be different, I wish there could be a solution to this moment that has the potential to be so life-affirming. I wish it could be 'managed' somehow to ensure the outcome works for both parties in mutually beneficial ways. Humans can often be so cruel to one other and not even realise the impact of their actions.
TONE
Kleypas can write! I believe this is her first attempt at contemporary romance, her other books are historical pieces. After the sub-par cover situation, Kleypas' writing ability was the second thing I noticed. Kleypas' style is slower, and more flowery in tone than my own - that is neither good nor bad, just different, just something I noticed. There are glimpses of what I would consider mastery of delicious poetic prose.
"We were walking along the main drive of the trailer park, our sneakers kicking up pebbles and dust clouds. The sunlight bore down on our uncovered heads and burned the thin lines of our parted hair."
I mean, it's simple language right? But as a reader, you're there, aren't you? I was for sure! Concerned my scalp was going to blister and peal.
SETTING
"You’re likely to see strip clubs and triple-X stores cozying up to circumspect office buildings and condos, and shade-tree mechanics and shotgun houses sidled against concrete plazas studded with glass skyscrapers."
I mean, that's a scene setting sentence if ever I read one, I mean I'm standing in the middle of that nightmarish cityscape, wondering why I came here in the first place!
There's just enough setting information to help the reader visualise the desolate barren and dusty trailer park and as the protagonist transform, we are magically moved into a more modern faster paced city scape, and then onto the luscious manicured gardens of the infamous Sugar Daddy.
CHARACTERS
I've learnt a lot about character development with this book. There is substance, and backstory and growth, and realism to the characters.
Liberty's mother Diana Jones:
I can't recall if we the reader ever find out why Liberty's Mother's family was not in the picture? It's a bit of a mystery, along with her choice of low-life men after her good, hard working husband's death. I mean it's interesting right? She obviously chose well the first time, maybe it's because Liberty's father was American-Mexican, perhaps Diana family disowned her due to their own racism? It still doesn't explain why Diana under-values herself and settles for low-life boyfriends. Perhaps it is her desperation to survive that drives the poor partner choices.
"Louis brought out Mama’s worst tendencies. She drank when she was around him, and my mother had never been a drinker. She was physical with him in a way I had never seen before, pushing, slapping, poking, she who had always insisted on her personal space. "
"I don’t know how much of Mama’s relationship with Louis Sadlek was pleasure and how much was self punishment."
I'm still not sure why Liberty's mother is self punishing, I've missed the books point here. Perhaps this get's covered in this series later on? Is this just motherly guilt? Or the fact she can't offer up anything better than a trailer park life for her daughter? Why does Mama feel the need to punish herself?
"Louis, [Diana's boyfriend] doing whatever it took to keep up the appearance of wealth, when in reality he was no better off than anyone else. All hat, no cattle. No one seemed to know how Louis got his spending money, which surely amounted to more than the income from the trailer park. There were rumors of casual drug-dealing."
It seems Mama targeted men who could offer her wealth, she had somehow managed to get into the bed of Liberty's baby sister s father's bed and have some sort of affair with him, and Louis portrayed himself as rich too, and Mama was like the moth attracted to the flame.
It seems Diana gave up on life when her husband died, and Liberty very nearly followed suit.
"While Miss Marva looked after Carrington. “Ain’t you got homework, Liberty?” she would ask, and I always shook my head. I hardly ever did homework. I went to the bare minimum of classes to avoid truancy, and I didn’t give a thought to my prospects beyond high school. I figured if Mama had stopped caring about my good mind and my education, I wasn’t going to care either."
Liberty gave up on life after Hardy left Welcome, a parallel to her mama Diana and her response to the death of her husband.
On Mama's relationship with Louis...
" Often he would park his truck right outside our house and watch us."
" It’s funny how many people still think stalking is a phase of courtship."
"To my mind it wasn’t dating, it was hostage-taking. Their relationship had undergone a sea change though. Louis may have had Mama back physically, but she wasn’t his like she had been before."
We gain insight into Liberty's observations of her mother s relationship with men. Liberty has a streak of strength and deviance that perhaps her mother doesn't. She is her father's daughter.
Hardy, Liberty's childhood love interest:
Hardy another interesting one, obviously he has had to grow up fast, becoming the man of the house, I'm not sure / can't remember where dad went, but he isn't on the scene. Hardy's is your standard rat-bag, sowing his wild oats but also is self aware enough to know he needs to get out of the trailer park so he doesn't end up like his low-life father.
When talking to Liberty one day he declares...
“I’d sell my soul to have you. In my whole life, you’ll always be what I wanted most. But I’ve got nothing to give you. And I won’t stay here and turn into my father. I would take everything out on you—I would hurt you.”
"You’re mine,” he said. “And you’re right about one thing—all that’s ever stopped me from taking you is knowing I could never leave once I did.”
Hardy's wants Liberty, but his drive to get out of the trailer park is a stronger drive - nothing is going to stop him, not even his desire for Liberty.
Miss Marva:
Was alone, living life on her own terms when we the reader are introduced to her. She epitomises living life on her own light... But later she marries and that's how she get's out of the trailer park, only with the help of a man and his wealth (theme or conflict anyone?).
"start living by my own lights, a phrase I didn’t understand."
Miss Marva's advice to Liberty. She didn't understand but it means to be directed by or in accordance with one's own beliefs, convictions, or understanding. To never let someone else try to dictate who you are—you have to live by your own lights. This really resonates with me.
This is a lovely moral to this story. Liberty does this, with grace and honor, where as Hardy steals and cheats to get where he gets, but he gets further alone than Liberty does. She has help.
"Arthur Ferguson was clearly a man who needed taking care of. He had missing buttons on his shirt cuffs. He sometimes skipped meals because he simply forgot to eat. His socks weren’t always matched. Some men just thrive on a little nagging, and Miss Marva came to acknowledge that she probably needed someone to nag."
Liberty - Our protagonist:
"I finally understood what Miss Marva had said about living by your own lights. When you’re walking through the darkness, you can’t depend on anything or anyone else to light your way."
Now this is a great life lesson right here! Only you can create your own light and happiness. No one else can do that for you. I wish my ex knew and accepted this - instead of blaming me for his own unhappy-state. Like I can control what he was thinking and feeling! That's on you ya knob! Okay, sorry (TMI) I'll rein in that, not-worked-through anger of mine, actually I'll store it away for my book!
I liken Miss Marva's advice to advice I received from an old married woman once.
Always keep 15% for yourself.... don't give 100% of yourself to anyone, that's not sustainable, or wise. Keep some of you for you.
Or live by your own lights. Oh I love this phrase! To be independent is to truly SUCCEED in life - or at least as a prerequisite to success. To truly live a free-life you need to ensure your spirit is free to do what needs and wants to do. And as I have figured out, this bit, the bit where you need to spend time figuring out what you actually want in this life, can take considerable time and experimentation. I recently read that one potential meaning of live is to share your life with someone else, but I think this can only been done in a healthy way if we know what our soul needs and wants out of life. So that means the first person we have to share our life with should be ourselves.
As Liberty grows and transforms:
"You have to rely on whatever sparks you’ve got inside you. Or you’re going to get lost."
Life lesson and parallels to Eat Pray Love here. Liz knew she had sparks but she let someone else's spark and idea of happiness define her own. Never a good idea and the ultimate reason she sobs in the middle of the night in her bathroom wondering what was wrong with her. You can subscribe to anyone's concept of happiness, but if theirs doesn't fuel a spark inside you, then you're OVER-SUBSCRIBED. Perhaps that is what my ex did? Perhaps he over-subscribed to my concept of happiness. Nah, I had no idea what I wanted from life at that stage of my life. It's far more likely that I over-subscribed to his. I was (after-all) a shell of a person back then, filled up by everyone's opinions and belief's - I wasn't offerings subscriptions back then. But now I am heh heh.
"I had always followed Mama’s example, taking life as it came. But now I wanted to be different, I had to be."
Liberty realises she can be different to her Mother. Breaking the pattern.
Liberty ebbs and flows as she grapples with her feelings for Hardy and the belief her mother has instilled in her... Only a man can save you.
" I needed Hardy to come back and rescue me, and take care of me. I wanted him to hold me tight, and let me cry in his arms. But when I asked if Miss Judie had heard from him, she said not yet, he’d be too busy to write or call for a while."
This stung me, I had wished and dreamed for a similar outcome once, a long long time ago. Now I realise I was so misguided in that situation, dreaming like a crazed Cinderella. I had willingly given away my power. And thank goodness my family and friends who were stronger than me, were able to steer me with care and love in a direction away from that situation. I now know this mentality is a recipe for a hopeless life - and if I get one life lesson / message out into the world with my book it will be this.
NAT CONNORS 4 LAYERS TO A BOOK
Nat has divided research up into four parts, representing four different areas he thinks are needed to master to be on top of your genre.
The parts start with the ‘innermost’ and most fundamental one – the content of your book – and work outwards through blurbs, covers and genre mechanics. None is more important than any other, and I suggest tackling them in this order so you can see how each influences the other.
4. Genre Mechanics: everything else about your genre that isn’t your book.
RATING BREAKDOWN
ELEMENT | OF A NOVEL | RATING |
Conflict | The lifeblood of a story, creating Tension, launching Plot and evoking Theme. | 4 / 5 |
Tension | Something ominous, simmering under the surface. Comes to fruition beginning of Act 2 | 4 / 5 |
Plot | A strong plot is centred on one moment. Raising a dramatic question to be answered. | 4.5 / 5 |
Theme | An important idea woven throughout the story. Links a big idea about our world with the action of the text. | 5 / 5 |
Tone | The mood implied by the Author's word choice. The way the text makes the reader feel. | 4.5 / 5 |
Setting | Relates to the time and place in which the story is told. | 3.5 / 5 |
Characters | Are they unique, three-dimensional, with depth, personality and clear motivations? | 5 / 5 |
Climax | The most exciting part of the story, when the Conflict is resolved. i.e. when the dragon is slayed. | 4 / 5 |
Resolution | The end of the story, occurring after the climax, when we learn what happens to the characters after the conflict is resolved. | 4 / 5 |
TOTAL | | 4.3 / 5 |
GOODREADS STAR RATING SYSTEM
0 stars = Goodreads doesn't offer up a description for zero star ratings.
1 star = "Did not like it."
2 stars = "It was okay."
3 stars = "liked it."
4 stars = "Really liked it"
5 stars = "It was amazing."
Comments