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The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat


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Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

Created: 04/08/13

Replies: 19

Posted Apr. 08, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

The author says the inspiration for this book came from eavesdropping on the women around him, while growing up. Is he able to write convincingly from the perspective of women? Did you find the characters believable?


Posted Apr. 08, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
debracoley

Join Date: 08/11/11

Posts: 69

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

Davina, you took my question! I thought he did a tremendous job. I caught myself looking back and forth from cover to cover checking to make sure the author was indeed a man. To me, he had the "woman
cadence" down pat; consequently, I found myself totally absorbed in these characters. Each woman and her story was very real! I really had hope to be invited to the wedding of the century-what a hoot!


Posted Apr. 08, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

Hi Debra, Sorry for stealing your question :) and thanks for being the first to post to this conversation!


Posted Apr. 08, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
jeffs

Join Date: 06/18/12

Posts: 49

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

I thought all of the characters were well written and believable. I wish the character of Richmond hadn't been such a louse as a husband, he was a seemingly nice person aside from his catting around.


Posted Apr. 08, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
karenr

Join Date: 12/10/11

Posts: 13

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

I thought the author did a very good job in writing from a woman's perspective. His attention to detail in formulating each character's unique mannerisms and personality was believable and credible. If I had not already known, I would not have guessed the author was a man.


Posted Apr. 08, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Lea Ann

Join Date: 04/20/11

Posts: 99

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

He certainly does. If one didn't know the author was a man, one would have no problem assuming the book was written by a woman. Evesdropping obviously was a positive experience for him in getting to know intimately how women often think, talk and support one another (and sometimes undercut one another).


Posted Apr. 08, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
ggg

Join Date: 04/08/13

Posts: 4

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

Yes, and I was surprised he did it so well.


Posted Apr. 09, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Retired Reader, NE

Join Date: 09/16/11

Posts: 165

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

Writing perspective is one of the main problems I had with the book. These women did not seem real to me. They were more like actors playing parts for laughs.


Posted Apr. 09, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
bjm

Join Date: 10/19/12

Posts: 22

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

I think the author did a great job to convince us he could write about women. Yes....I was pleasantly surprised.


Posted Apr. 09, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
susanr

Join Date: 04/14/11

Posts: 201

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

Before I read the book and saw that the author was a man, I believed that the women in the book would be very poorly done. I was very suprised at how well the author did to write from a woman's perspective. Evidently all the evasedropping that he did as a child, helped him learn a lot about life from a woman's perspective.


Posted Apr. 09, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
tillieh

Join Date: 04/28/11

Posts: 71

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

I think so. The book was well written and convincing from the women's perspective.


Posted Apr. 09, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

When we discussed The Healing by Jonathan Odell last year, this same topic came up; I believe it also did when we discussed The World Without You by Joshua Henkin, and it's one that I know also tends to come up when discussing books by book club favorites such as Chris Bohjalian. But I can't recollect anyone ever commenting about how effectively a woman writes from a man's point of view. Is it that I have a selective memory or do we perhaps have different expectations about the ability of men to write female characters versus women writing male characters?


Posted Apr. 09, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
tillieh

Join Date: 04/28/11

Posts: 71

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

Debra: I agree with you wholeheartedly. I also looked back and forth to make sure it was a man who wrote it.

Davina: I think we have different expectations from male authors trying to write from the female perspective. Men tend to be easier to write about because they don't seem to have the same type of emotional responses as women do. I don't think men truly understand women or ever will.


Posted Apr. 09, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Suzanne

Join Date: 04/21/11

Posts: 281

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

Most certainly. I think there are some men, particularly those growing up with many women, who can put their heart and soul into the respect and love for women. I wish I knew more of them!


Posted Apr. 09, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davidv

Join Date: 05/09/11

Posts: 9

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

As was the case with "The World Without You", I am amazed how realistically the author was able to speak from a woman's point of view. It must be very difficult to cast aside one's specific bias, but Mr. Moore seemed to do so with ease. I tried to think how I would do the same and realized it would be next to impossible, even after 45 years of marriage and having raised two daughters. After the first chapter or two I completely forgot that the book was written by a man.


Posted Apr. 10, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
katheriney

Join Date: 10/20/10

Posts: 4

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

I thought just as susanr did that the writer would have a difficult time writing from a woman's perspective and that there would be clear missteps where you could see a man had done the writing, but I was very pleasantly surprised.


Posted Apr. 10, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
sallyd

Join Date: 09/15/11

Posts: 11

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

I have to agree with Retired Reader from NH. I did not find the characters particularly believable. I found them to be somewhat cliched and forced. As Ann writing in a woman's voice, I say " not bad". But as fictional characters with unique, authentic personalities, I say " keep trying".


Posted Apr. 14, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
kateg

Join Date: 04/28/11

Posts: 29

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

I thought the author wrote very well in a woman's voice. I found the characters believable and enjoyed all of their viewpoints.


Posted Apr. 15, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Christie

Join Date: 04/18/12

Posts: 12

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

Yes, for the most part, he does. I think in some parts their feelings could have gone a little deeper, but this was a humorous book so it wasn't mandatory that he do so.


Posted Apr. 19, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
kathleenr

Join Date: 12/07/12

Posts: 68

RE: Does the author write convincingly from the perspective of women?

I thought he did it very well. Congratulations to him.


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