I think the problem with AGAIG is that it tried to be a romance without being romantic. it seemed to want to show them as "destined" while portraying the relationship as perfect and meant to be, but platonic. All I could think was that they were going to end up driving each other crazy forever and neither one would really be happy. There was also the undertone that she should be happy that she can settle on him(not choose him, but settle on him) and should just accept him the way he was. Which would be ok, except that it didn't work both ways. She had to change and accept him, but he didn't have to do the same. There's just no way I can convince myself she'll be happy with him.
What you say about the concept is why Kekkon Dekinai Otoko(the japanese drama-which I'm actually not trying to sell you on, it's just pertinent) worked for me. Throughout the drama, you realize that while he's extremely difficult and totally unaware of the feelings of others in many ways, in all the ways that count he's actually a kind and generous man, who, despite his total lack of social skills and finesse and demanding ways, really does mean well and want to help people. The theme is still people having to accept an obsessive compulsive man, but here, it's them invading his life for various reasons and realizing that he's no where near as bad as he seems, and actually something of a sweetie.
In the final romantic conflict, he and his love interest decide to get married, then he ruins it by saying they can't until he designs and builds the perfect house(he's an architect) She sensibly points out that they have years, but he says he has to begin married life in a house he can live in for the rest of his life. He obsesses nonstop about creating the house, and when he eventually designs it, he rushes to propose again. When he does, she realizes that yes, he was an ass and made their entire relationship depend on when he could build the house, but also that he did that because he wanted it to be perfect for her, and that he really was trying his hardest to change for her and be what she wanted. It wasn't about changing the person you love or forcing them to accept you, but about learning to accept the person you love.
The Lindskold started out kinda weak. Most of the focus the first 200 pages or so had Firekeeper and Blind Seer backburnered. While I like the characters and story in the human court, what makes them interesting is Firekeeper and Blind Seer's perspective of them. Around the 200 mark, though, it gets much better as Firekeeper is called back to her homeland and the narrative started switching between her and the royal animals, and the human court, and now that Firekeeper is back with her human friends, it's back to being fairly centric on her(I think Derian is being too prominent, but I accept that there's a good story basis for it...it'sd just that it's a feminist wild girl fantasy...the human stable bow shouldn't be as prominent as her.)
There was a very sweet and romantic moment where Blind Seer told her he was sad that he didn't get to see her in her glorious beauty(I forget his exact wording, but some version of "glory" was involved) at the wedding.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2008-02-07 08:17 am (UTC)What you say about the concept is why Kekkon Dekinai Otoko(the japanese drama-which I'm actually not trying to sell you on, it's just pertinent) worked for me. Throughout the drama, you realize that while he's extremely difficult and totally unaware of the feelings of others in many ways, in all the ways that count he's actually a kind and generous man, who, despite his total lack of social skills and finesse and demanding ways, really does mean well and want to help people. The theme is still people having to accept an obsessive compulsive man, but here, it's them invading his life for various reasons and realizing that he's no where near as bad as he seems, and actually something of a sweetie.
In the final romantic conflict, he and his love interest decide to get married, then he ruins it by saying they can't until he designs and builds the perfect house(he's an architect) She sensibly points out that they have years, but he says he has to begin married life in a house he can live in for the rest of his life. He obsesses nonstop about creating the house, and when he eventually designs it, he rushes to propose again. When he does, she realizes that yes, he was an ass and made their entire relationship depend on when he could build the house, but also that he did that because he wanted it to be perfect for her, and that he really was trying his hardest to change for her and be what she wanted. It wasn't about changing the person you love or forcing them to accept you, but about learning to accept the person you love.
The Lindskold started out kinda weak. Most of the focus the first 200 pages or so had Firekeeper and Blind Seer backburnered. While I like the characters and story in the human court, what makes them interesting is Firekeeper and Blind Seer's perspective of them. Around the 200 mark, though, it gets much better as Firekeeper is called back to her homeland and the narrative started switching between her and the royal animals, and the human court, and now that Firekeeper is back with her human friends, it's back to being fairly centric on her(I think Derian is being too prominent, but I accept that there's a good story basis for it...it'sd just that it's a feminist wild girl fantasy...the human stable bow shouldn't be as prominent as her.)
There was a very sweet and romantic moment where Blind Seer told her he was sad that he didn't get to see her in her glorious beauty(I forget his exact wording, but some version of "glory" was involved) at the wedding.