 |
Bet Me is a contemporary romance novel written by Jennifer Crusie. It won a Romance Writers of America Rita Award for Best Contemporary Single Title in 2005.
| |
Bet Me is a contemporary romance novel written by Jennifer Crusie. It won a Romance Writers of America Rita Award for Best Contemporary Single Title in 2005.
As research for her MFA dissertation, Jennifer Crusie determined to read 100 romance novels. Crusie had never explored that genre, and she was convinced she would find it difficult to wade through that types of books. To her surprise, she discovered that she enjoyed the genre, so much so that she became a literary critic for the genre and began writing romance novels herself. [1]
She finished her initial draft of Bet Me in 1992. There was no interest from the publishing industry, and Crusie put the manuscript aside. [2] Over the next ten years, Crusie sold several short category romances, and then signed with St. Martin's Press to release longer single-title novels. [3] In 2002, Crusie's editor at St. Martin's Press, Jennifer Enderlin, agreed to purchase Bet Me, provided Crusie rewrote it. [2]
The book was released February 10, 2004. The book was given much support by the publisher, including ads in The New York Times and Glamour . To further support the book, Crusie embarked on a national book-signing tour. [4] At Crusie's insistence, the cover of the book featured a cherry. This was a nod to her online fans, who had named themselves "The Cherries". Critic Kimberly Baldus sees the cherry "as a wink from author to readers and back again, creating a sense of a community forged through shared knowledge and insights about the novel". [3] Crusie herself references the sense of community between readers and authors, describing it as "one of the most powerful aspects of the romance novel". [5]
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2015) |
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie is a contemporary romance novel centered around Minerva Dobbs and Calvin Morrisey. Minerva, or Min, is a pragmatic actuary who doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Calvin, or Cal, is a charming and commitment-averse businessman. Their paths cross in a bar where Cal is bet by his friend David that he cannot get Min to go out with him. Cal accepts the bet, unaware that Min has overheard the entire conversation.
Despite knowing about the bet, Min agrees to go on a date with Cal, thinking she can enjoy a free dinner and prove to herself that she is immune to his charms. The date, however, turns out to be more enjoyable than either of them anticipated. They part ways but soon find themselves thrown together repeatedly due to a series of coincidental and often comical events, including mutual friends and their exes’ schemes.
As Min and Cal continue to interact, they are forced to confront their own insecurities and misconceptions about love and relationships. Min struggles with her self-image and the pressure from her mother to lose weight and conform to societal standards. Cal, on the other hand, grapples with his fear of commitment, stemming from a tumultuous past relationship.
Throughout the story, their budding relationship faces numerous hurdles, including interference from Min’s ex-boyfriend David and Cal’s ex-girlfriend Cynthie. Despite these challenges, Min and Cal's chemistry and growing affection for each other become undeniable. The novel also features a delightful cast of secondary characters, including Min’s friends Liza and Bonnie, and Cal’s friends Tony and Roger, who add humor and depth to the narrative. [6]
In the end, Min and Cal both realize that their initial judgments were wrong and that they genuinely care for each other. The story concludes with them overcoming their fears and embracing the possibility of a happily-ever-after together, despite their earlier cynicism. [7]
In much of mainstream American culture, it is unusual to see an overweight female as the object of romantic of sexual interest. The larger the woman, the more likely it is that she will be ridiculed rather than embraced. Crusie's novels depart from this stereotype; her heroines are not necessarily young and thin and physically perfect. [8] [9] According to critic Kyra Kramer, Crusie's use of heroines who are overweight, such as Minerva, the protagonist of Bet Me, "communicates a compelling feminist message of women’s empowerment and emancipation from some elements of the hegemonic gender ideology". [8] Min is described most often as "chubby". [8] The author never reveals specifics of Min's size. Rather than present her body as an object to be viewed, Crusie focuses on feelings, gestures, and reactions. [9] Secondary characters interpret her size differently; some describe her as fat, some as voluptuous. Readers can relate to the conflicting descriptions, as the characters' debate reflects society's inability to agree on a single acceptable body size. [9]
Although she is not morbidly obese, Min expends significant mental energy worrying about her weight and her desirability. This is exacerbated by her mother, who constantly stresses that Min must be thin in order to catch and keep a husband, just as society reinforces the idea that the ideal woman is thin. [8] Although Min half-heartedly diets in an attempt to fit into a bridesmaid dress, throughout the novel every likable character encourages her to stop trying to change herself. Her attempt to cook low-fat food is a disaster, replaced by a gourmet meal. [9]
The hero, Cal, is described as very attractive, and from the beginning of the book Min doubts his attraction to her. Crusie allows Min to question her long-held beliefs about her own attractiveness as Cal shows that he is not only not disgusted by her body, but he is actually turned on by her enjoyment of food. [8] He validates her desire for enjoyment of both food and sex, offering her the rich foods that she wants but has denied herself, and then, when she gains the courage to ask for what she wants, he provides it without making her feel guilty. [9] Cal helps her to learn to embrace her body. By the end of the novel, Min has chosen to revel in her shape and gather a new wardrobe that flaunts her body instead of hides it. [8]
Min's self-reinvention extends also to her underwear. In one scene, Nanette scolds Min for wearing white cotton underwear, because only sexy, lacy underwear will attract and keep a husband. Crusie appears to give credence to this theory, describing Cal's "light-headed" moments when he catches a glimpse of Min's new red lace bra, before shattering it when Cal tells - and shows - Min that he finds her equally attractive in scruffy sweats as in fancy lace. [10] Despite what her mother has consistently told her, Min learns that a man will love her despite her lingerie and despite her weight. [8] [10]
Cal is also shown as fighting against stereotypical gender norms. His acquaintances believe him to be a womanizer and expect him to continue to act in that manner. Although he finds the bets revolving around his contact with Min distasteful, he is constantly pressured to fulfill them. [11] He also faces pressure from his parents to conform and to join the family law firm. Min stands up for him and his choices. [9] Because they are each supporting the other, each rescuing the other, they become allies. Cal is not her savior; they are equals. [8] [9]
Romantic Times reviewer Jill M. Smith gave the novel 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising Crusie's use of humor and her eccentric characters. [12] Review in both Publishers Weekly and Entertainment Weekly praised the character of Minerva but gently chided the predictability of the plot. [4] [13] Library Journal reviewer Margaret Hanes also noted the novel's formulaic nature but found it was rescued by the well-drawn characters and witty dialogue, resulting in an enthusiastic recommendation. [14] In Booklist, John Charles judged that Crusie appropriately balanced cynicism versus optimism, resulting in a ""wickedly witty" novel. [15]
The editors of Crimson Romance named the book one of the 100 Best Romance Novels of all time for its "memorable characters [and] heartfelt and humorous look at how two different people can find their common ground"". [16] These reviewers enjoyed the subplot surrounding Cal's ex and her view of love through the focus of biology and instinct; [17] Entertainment Weekly, on the other hand, dismissed that subplot as useless psychobabble. [13]
The novel was nominated for the 2004 Romantic Times award for Best Contemporary Novel (with Romantic Elements) [12] and won the Romance Writers of America's prize, the Rita Award, in 2005 for Best Contemporary Single Title. [18]
A romance novel or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primary focuses on the relationship and romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed to the development of this genre include Samuel Richardson, Jane Austen, and Charlotte Brontë.
Nora Roberts is an American author of over 225 romance novels. She writes as J. D. Robb, Jill March, and Sarah Hardesty.
Jennifer Crusie is a pseudonym for Jennifer Smith, an author of contemporary romance novels. She has written more than twenty novels, which have been published in 20 countries.
Historical romance is a broad category of mass-market fiction focusing on romantic relationships in historical periods, which Walter Scott helped popularize in the early 19th century.
Tina Wainscott is an American author of suspense novels and category romance novels.
Contemporary romance is a subgenre of contemporary and romance novels. This era of romance novels that were published after 1945 and the Second World War. Contemporary romance is generally set contemporaneously with the time of its writing. The largest of the romance novel subgenres, contemporary romance novels usually reflect the mores of their time. Heroines in the contemporary romances written prior to 1970 usually quit working when they married or had children, while those novels written after 1970 usually have, and keep, a career. As contemporary romance novels have grown to contain more complex plotting and more realistic characters, the line between this subgenre and the genre of women's fiction has blurred.
Irish Thoroughbred is American author Nora Roberts's debut novel, originally published by Silhouette in January 1981 as a category romance. Like other category romances, the novel was less than 200 pages and was intended to be on sale for only one month. It proved so popular that it was repackaged as a stand-alone romance and reprinted multiple times. Roberts wrote two sequels, Irish Rebel and Irish Rose.
Jeffrey McClanahan is an American novelist from Texas who writes with her sister, Pam Cumbie, under the joint pen name of Dixie Cash. McClanahan is also an “award-winning author of six western romance novels under the name of Anna Jeffrey.” For her 2009 novel, McClanahan has taken on a third pseudonym, Sadie Callahan.
Vision in White is the first book of the Bride Quartet series of romance novels, written by Nora Roberts. It spent two weeks atop the New York Times Bestseller List and reached number 3 on the USA Today bestseller list, marking the first time one of Roberts' books had become a bestseller in trade paperback format. A downloadable casual-play computer game based on the book was introduced by I-Play in 2010.
Bed of Roses is the second book of the Bride Quartet series, written by Nora Roberts. It focuses around the character of florist Emmaline "Emma" Grant.
Celeste O. Norfleet is a contemporary African-American novelist known for romance and young adult novels.
Tessa Dare is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling American historical romance novelist. She has authored fifteen novels and novellas and created five different series. In 2012, she won the Romance Writers of America RITA award for Best Regency Historical Romance for her book A Night to Surrender.
Getting Rid of Bradley is a contemporary romance novel written by Jennifer Crusie and first published in 1994, with a reissue in 2008. The book tells the story of Lucy Savage, a woman recently jilted by her husband Bradley, a suspected embezzler that Detective Zachary Warren wants to locate even more now that someone appears to be after Lucy. The novel won the 1995 RITA Award for Best Short Contemporary.
Welcome to Temptation is a contemporary romance written by Jennifer Crusie and released in 2000. The novel explores the love story between Sophie Dempsey, a screenwriter making a movie in the small town of Temptation, and the mayor, Phinneas "Phin" Tucker. Over the course of the story, they solve a murder and deal with conflict around Sophie's movie, which is alternately a documentary or a porn flick. The lead characters appear in supporting roles in the sequel, Faking It, which centers on Sophie's brother, a secondary character in Welcome to Temptation.
Sherry M. Thomas is an American novelist of young adult fantasy, historical romance, and contemporary romance. She has won multiple awards including the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Historical Romance for Not Quite a Husband in 2010 and His at Night in 2011.
Lorraine Heath is an American author of contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance and young adult novels under multiple pen names, including Rachel Hawthorne, J.A. London, and Jade Parker. She is known for her "beautiful, deeply emotional romances" and in 1997, she received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Short Historical Romance for her novel Always to Remember. As of June 2015, fifteen of her titles made the USA Today bestseller list.
Lord of Scoundrels is a Regency romance novel by American author Loretta Chase. Published in 1995 by Avon Books, it is the third installment of her Débauchés series. Set in 1828, the story follows the Marquess of Dain, an aristocrat known as "Lord Beelzebub" and the "Lord of Scoundrels" for his unscrupulous, immoral behavior. The son of an English father and Italian mother, Dain is hardened due to a difficult childhood and meets his match in Jessica Trent, a 27-year-old bluestocking more than capable of trading wits with him.
Sarah Mayberry is an Australian contemporary romance author and television screenwriter. She has written several novels for Harlequin Mills and Boon, as well as scripts for the television soap opera Neighbours. She was a storyliner for the New Zealand medical drama Shortland Street and co-created the teen drama series Karaoke High with Kirsty McKenzie. Mayberry and her works have been nominated for several awards, and she won the Favourite Erotic Romance accolade at the Australian Romance Readers Awards in 2015.
Jeffe Kennedy is a fantasy and erotic romance author who has published dozens of novels, including the fantasy romance series The Twelve Kingdoms, The Uncharted Realms and The Chroniclles of Dasnaria from Kensington Books. Her novel The Pages of the Mind won the 2017 RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance. In 2019, St. Martin's Press released The Orchid Throne, her first book in a new romantic fantasy series titled The Forgotten Empires.
Flame in the Mist is a 2017 young adult novel by Renee Ahdieh. It is a historical fantasy, based loosely on feudal Japan, about the betrothed daughter of a prominent samurai, Hattori, who having survived an assassination attempt disguises herself as a boy and infiltrates the clan responsible.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)