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The Flame And The Flower (1972)

The Flame and the Flower (1972)

Book Info

Genre
Series
Rating
3.58 of 5 Votes: 6
Your rating
ISBN
0380005255 (ISBN13: 9780380005253)
Language
English
Publisher
avon

About book The Flame And The Flower (1972)

This is another book I could not put down...Before I get into the "actual" review I must say that this was the first book that ever introduced me to the historical romance world. I can never forget it and as we speak I smile, remembering the way I came upon it. My mother and I were in discussion and she had had this tattered paperback Avon novel in her hands. The cover kept bounding in and out of sight, captivating me. Every so often she would chuckle and finally becoming overbearing...I inquired as to what it was about. She then proceeded to tell me about the struggles of the humble heroine and her complicated relationship with the tyrant that was her husband... Kathleen E. Woodiwiss was a woman blessed with the talent for wielding words. She is by far the number one expert when it comes to historical romances (with adult content). She has been my go to author for deeply versed and intriguing story lines with characters that will melt your heart and a captivating world you'll never want to leave. If you can't tell already...I love her books. Now without further ado...The most unlikely pair of individuals come together in a story of love and life but not without the trials and tribulations of people determined to drag them down. Deeper than that is the complex characters of the male and female lead, whose internal monologue and perspective throughout the book make the cake all the more sweeter. From humble beginnings to a new world at large filled with a promising life and new sense of self...watch how the flower conquers the everlasting flame... Characters:Heather: humble, reserved, passionate, easy-vexed, lovable, kind...--Heather's struggles were realistic and simple in execution but had me rooting for her all the way. Woodiwiss has a talent for engaging the reader and enabling them to feel apart of the world that she weaves...and although the heroine has blunders, her compassion and strong-willed love for the dashing and somewhat difficult hero "makes" you understand her character.--Brandon: larger-than-life, dashing, charming (for the most part), brooding, introverted, witty...Where do I start with this one-of-a-kind hero. For the most part, Woodiwiss has a way of writing her hero's and makes the reader want to enact in a battle of wits with them (flaws and all). I admire her technique in writing her hero's that have true and realistic flaws. Thus in her signature style, Woodiwiss creates a hero that renders one speechless. Again. Her simplistic style of prose throws you in the best way possible and with the lack of sugar coated words and irrelevant charades, she creates something worthwhile. Secondary character(s) to look out for: Jeffrey--second brother (novel of his own)***Kathleen hits the mark each time when she talks about the complex and layered emotion called LOVE without the sap of some other novels that I've since then read. Nothing compares to her mastery...(((OLDER REVIEW))) The novel itself (since it was my first endeavor into this genre) gripped at my heart and it was so detailed that I could imagine every single thing. There were moments that I cried and then there were moments when I smiled. This book kept me up at nights and I just couldn't put it down, even when my eye lids grew heavy. I laughed and jumped with joy when ever Heather threw a snappy remark toward Brandon and I loved how she could just make him feel the way he felt for her. And in each page, when the perspective shifted, explaining how they both felt...I could just feel their love for each other come alive and off the pages. This book will forever be in my heart because it shows you what love can do that to two people determined and set against each other. This actually showed you that weakness is power in a woman. We don't have to always be a tower of strength, that sometimes, just sometimes we can crumble and show people that we are just as human as everyone else. Woodiwiss did not stop there either and enabled the reader to view the internal struggles of the hero as well and the weakness in a man compelled by love. It showed how hard it was to hate someone when all you really wanted to do was love them and be loved in return. There truly is a thin line between love and hate...

I read this book years ago when I was a teenager. I had borrowed all the Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novels from my mother's shelf and she had stolen them from her mother. Kind of creepy, yes, but I read my grandmother's literary porn. As a teenager I may have actually given this book three stars. I actually enjoyed reading Brandon's dominating ways and Heather's bodice-ripping adventures. Though, despite my youngish years, I still found their first encounter "disturbing" and Brandon's subsequent treatment of Heather over the first year of their marriage as disgraceful.I haven't read this book in a few years but I find myself continually puzzled. Granted it was the first of its kind and it spawned a new genre, but I kind of wish it hadn't.These "alpha male" romantic heroes really get on my nerve. When dissected, they're often nothing but spoiled, selfish little bullies. The illusion that their poor behavior is because of raging lust and that once their issues with the heroine is resolved they turn into sweet puppies is actually misleading and sick.No. Spoiled self brats continue to be spoiled selfish brats. Men who require the whole world, and their women included, to bow to their whims and serve their needs should not be romantic heroes. Men like this in real life are abusive, controlling assholes! Maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of the Romance genre. Sure, I love romantic books - I really enjoy reading them, but I have read a select few and to me they have often seemed more like a How To Guide: How To Have Your Very Own Abusive Relationship.And people wonder why women end up in abusive relationships when they're told that the very controlling behaviors exhibited by men in these novels are sweet and caring gestures. No. They're controlling and manipulative. It's not just the Romance Genre though that is guilty of this. It's a sickness that has pervade other types of fiction *Glares at the Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Genre*I would much like to read a novel where the male character is a responsible adult capable of monitoring his temper on occasion and not throwing a temper tantrum every time he doesn't get his way. I would like to read novels where the heroine isn't a victim of every situation - she's someone that takes charge of her life and sticks up for herself.In my mind, Brandon Birmingham needs to go sit in the corner and think about what he's done.Kathleen E. Woodiwiss can join him too.

Do You like book The Flame And The Flower (1972)?

I'm afraid I didn't like either of the characters in this book. He was a jerk who RAPED her at their first encounter -- repeatedly -- and she was a mouse with no backbone. Mostly, I didn't like him. He never redeemed himself for what he did to her in any way and I have no idea why they fell in love. She'd been running from another rape attempt when she fell into his clutches, but apparently that rape attempt was not ok...because he wasn't good looking? I'm not sure what differentiated the two. Our dear ship captain, being wealthy and attractive, can get away with rape? I might even have forgiven the first time because he thought she was a prostitute and there was a legitimate misunderstanding happening, but after that he knew exactly what he was doing. He was an awful, awful person with a horrible temper and no redeeming qualities. I was also really sick of hearing about how attractive Heather was, probably because I was given no other reason to like her. Upon reaching his home, people said at first sight that she was a fine wife for him. Just from seeing her. Ok...but she's done nothing except be a passive little mouse who's let other people live her life for her. In fact, I generally felt that too much emphasis was placed on what people looked like and not enough on what they acted like. More than one woman was insulted for being large or fat, unlike our dear, perfectly proportions little Heather. Granted, her aunt was horrible to her, but that doesn't make it ok to criticize her fat bottom. It didn't do anything to Heather -- her foul mouth and angry hands did. I don't recommend.
—Christine

What I learned from this book: 1. rape is ok if you're a hot, sensuous man. 2. beauty= good, ugly= badI am reading my way through Romance Readers Top 100 and I finished Shanna first and then The Flame and the Flower. I really enjoyed Shanna's story, protagonists and flowery language. I read The Flame and the Flower next and am frankly mystified as to why it holds such a special place in so many readers hearts. Is is because it was one of the first romance novels you read? My principal misgiving about the book will be pretty obvious: The hero's repeated rape of the heroine in the beginning of the book. Not just the rape, but his cavalier attitude about it. Literally *laughing* in her face after learning about the terrible mistake that brought her to him and telling her to face the reality, the harms been done, now she'll have to be his mistress, time for some more rape, but don't worry baby you'll get used to it, btw don't attempt to leave because now you're my prisoner. Then when he gets called out on his actions and has to marry her he verbally abuses her and rails, "i have a fiance! what am i supposed to tell her?!" Seriously? Not once throughout the book does he evince any sort of remorse for his heinous treatment of her in the beginning. Yeah, sure, they fall in love and his promises that she would eventually beg for it from him come true, and he lavishes affection on her, great. Besides realizing that he could, gulp, love a 'slip of a girl' his character doesn't really grow in my opinion. He spends the first half of the book being such a jerk that I hoped she would run off with the brother. Finally, hero and heroine start having sex and everything is great between them. I've actually been sucked in at this point and am manipulated into being happy for them. But wait--- now there's a crazy rapist/ murderer on the loose. Unlike our hero he's evil because he's disgustingly ugly (also he kills people). Evil guy tries to rape/kill our heroine and the hero saves her. HEA ruined by this interchange 3 pages from the end: "If you had killed Mr. Court, do you think I would have blamed you? My Lord, the man deserved it!" (interesting... so HE deserves to die for wanting to rape her, but it's ok for the hero to rape her) After this follows a revelation about "Lady Cabot's" and some chuckles about what it would have been like had she worked at the brothel. Still the worst is yet to come--- "I'm glad that bastard who thought of putting you there met his end. Otherwise I might be tempted to go back and wring his blasted neck. He got what he deserved for trying to rape you."She looked at him slyly. "You were the one who raped me. What were your just desserts?"He grinned leisurely. "I received my just rewards when I had to marry a cocky wench like you."Nice. Not only does he never feel any remorse, or apologize, but the whole thing is a joke by the end?! On a side note I also find it really obnoxious how Louisa is compared to Heather and found lacking, not so much in character, but in physical beauty which REFLECTS that lack of character. There are countless examples in the book, the most annoying of which I found to be when Louisa barges in on the happy couple while Heather's top is undone because she was just breast-feeding her son. Brandon's reaction to this is to remember how Louisa's boobs are getting saggy cuz she's so old and how she's nowhere near as hot as Heather so where does she get off with that attitude? Good thing you're into raping nubile teenagers Brandon, or else you might be shackled into marriage with someone only 3 years younger than you! I'm not trying to attack some people's favorite author, but I sincerely want to know *why* this book is so beloved.
—Christine

The book that started it all. Anyone interested in writing romance novels (or fans of same) should read this book. It's not Woodiwiss' best, and contains a number of elements that would be considered serious taboos in today's romance novel world. However, the Flame and the Flower was the first romance novel of the kind we know today -- rather than fading to black or moving behind a closed door, Woodiwiss included sex scenes, with minimal euphemism and a connection to the emotional development of the characters. Before the Flame and the Flower, this did not exist.Does the heroine make me cringe? A little. Am I uncomfortable that the hero and heroine are forced into marriage because a night of what was essentially rape led to a pregnancy? Yes. Do Woodiwiss's later works improve on said issues? Absolutely. But for historical value, this is a must-read.For extra fun if you're a story geek like me, read this and then read the Elusive Flame, which is a story of the Flame and the Flower's son, published 25 years or so later. Extreme similarites (hero is a sea captain docked in London, heroine is in trouble, marriage of necessity/convenience, long sea voyage during which the couple gets to know each other, arrival in South Carolina...), but extreme differences that show the accepted sensibilities of the publishers and readers at the time these were published.
—Lisa

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