The Flower and the Flame by Katherine Woodiwiss
- Katherine Woodiwiss
- Jun 14, 2017
- 3 min read
This historical romance is one of my favorite reads. Katherine Woodiwiss writes a captivating, and passionate story about how love comes in unexpected ways. I have read it multiple times (a habit of mine for every book I love). If you are a fan of romance novels, especially historical forced marriages which often turns out to be a perfect match (as they always do), then you would love this book.
A well written story about how two very different people who met in the most bizarre circumstances, find themselves thrown together in a marriage neither of them desire, yet love somehow finds a way to blossom, grow and thrive into something strong, wonderful and lasting.
Heather, the heroine of the story is an orphan with no dowry, living under the mercy of her weak willed uncle and his vindictive wife. Heather's character was a bit distinct from most heroines of historical romance, I found her a little too submissive to the circumstances she found herself. At first her quiet dignity in bearing Fanny's appalling behavior was commendable (reminded me a little of Cinderella), but when Fanny practically stripped her naked in front of male audiences and she did nothing I was slightly worried about her lack of backbone.
So after serious investigation (a two-minute trip to google) I came to know why. At the time Katherine wrote this novel in the late 1960 to early 1970, as the feminist movement gained visibility in the United States, female sexuality became more open. By 1982, 58% of women had fully or considerably endorsed premarital sex.
This book was known as the first modern "bodice ripper" romance novel, a term for a specific sub-genre of historical romance, with females who fell in love with overbearing alpha males, heroines during this time were usually aged 16–21, with the heroes slightly older, usually around 30. The women were virgins, while the men were not, with features of violent sexual content. The rapist-turned-true-love hero was a standard character. Bodice-rippers and their contemporary counterparts were popular during the 1970s. Despite a major shift in the genre in the late 1980s and early 1990s that saw the near-disappearance of rape and the emergence of much stronger, more modern heroines.
Prior to this time, romance novels were generally very chaste, with minimal physical intimacy between the protagonists. Heroines generally did not have strong personalities, and were more submissive to the heroes. This novel departed from this notion quite early in the book. The sexual encounters were not only graphic, but also sometimes violent and non-consensual which is somehow depicted as an "erotic fantasy" of subjugation. The instances of a girl being forced to marry her rapist because she was pregnant was a prevalent culture in many countries centuries ago, we have similar instances in the Bible, and Africa included. While it was saddening reading how poorly Heather was being treated, it bothered on the realistic harshness rape victims went through as at that era (not only in America, but many cultures).
Katherine's book was rejected multiple times and she was advised to rewrite the book but she refused and it was published in 1972. The book revolutionized the historical romance genre. It was also the first full-length romance novel to be published first in paperback rather than hardback.
Synopsis
Doomed to a life of unending toil, Heather Simmons fears for her innocence—until a shocking, desperate act forces her to flee . . . and to seek refuge in the arms of a virile and dangerous stranger. A lusty adventurer married to the sea, Captain Brandon Birmingham courts scorn and peril when he abducts the beautiful fugitive from the tumultuous London dockside. But no power on Earth can compel him to relinquish his exquisite prize. For he is determined to make the sapphire-eyed lovely his woman . . . and to carry her off to far, uncharted realms of sensuous, passionate love. ...more
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