the flame and the flower by kathleen e woodiwiss

But no power on Earth can compel him to relinquish his exquisite prize. and to seek refuge in the arms of a virile and dangerous stranger.Ī lusty adventurer married to the sea, Captain Brandon Birmingham courts scorn and peril when he abducts the beautiful fugitive from the tumultuous London dockside. Of course, some part of me never got past the dreamy-eyed teen stage with this book even knowing that it was perpetuating all the awful gender roles typical in a romance novel - dashing sea captain, innocent girl swept up in a grand romance after being coerced into the relationship, a vengeful ex-lover to complicate matters, and utimately, the heroine taming the untameable captain’s heart - I always did have a soft spot for this sweeping, romantic tale.ĭoomed to a life of unending toil, Heather Simmons fears for her innocence-until a shocking, desperate act forces her to flee. So is it weird that this week’s pick is my very first romance novel? I first read The Flame and the Flower in my early-ish teens, and never realized how revolutionary this book was until I took a women’s studies course in college that focused on women as readers… and The Flame and the Flower was on the syllabus! My professor had published a book entitled Reading the Romance, and her field of expertise was studying what the books women read reveal about their lives. Last week, my Flashback Friday pick was one of the first feminist novels I’d ever read. My pick for this week’s Flashback Friday: Other than that, the sky’s the limit! Join me, please, and let us all know: what are the books you’ve read that you always rave about? What books from your past do you wish EVERYONE would read? Pick something from five years ago, or go all the way back to the Canterbury Tales if you want.

Must have been originally published 5 or more years ago.

Has to still be available, preferably still in print.

Has to be something I’ve (you’ve) read myself (yourself) - oh, you know what I mean!.

As a reader, a blogger, and a consumer, I tend to focus on new, new, new… but what about the old favorites, the hidden gems? On Flashback Fridays, I want to hit the pause button for a moment and concentrate on older books that are deserving of attention.

It’s time, once again, for Flashback Friday…įlashback Friday is a chance to dig deep in the darkest nooks of our bookshelves and pull out the good stuff from way back.

The flame and the flower by kathleen e woodiwiss