Thursday, July 12, 2018

191/365/Books

Four years ago, in a discussion with a friend, I learned of the existence of the Amish romance novel. According to Wikipedia, works in this literary subgenre are referred to as “bonnet rippers.” I’ve never read a bonnet ripper, but I did subsequently rent a movie based on one, The Shunning. I don’t remember it vividly—I never remember plot points vividly—but it kept my interest long enough to see how it turned out. Plus, Amish.

7 comments:

  1. This year at the library book sale there was at least half of a table of these romances. How did this ever become a thing?

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  2. Fascinating. I'm not sure I could get into a romance in which the hero is named Jedediah, but I'm willing to give it a try.

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  3. Laughing at everything that's been said. Is there an Amish publisher? And what does the cover art look like: a man pawing frantically at a woman's bonnet, while she makes a token effort to keep the strings tied under her chin?

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  4. Ha, I saw that film. And I downloaded a free Amish romance, but did not read it .

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  5. I had a friend who loved these to the exclusion of all other genres. The covers are mostly attractive young women in full Amish garb staring longingly at the sunset or down at I presume a baby pig or a barn cat at their feet. And they have names like "As the Heart Mends" or "Seek Me First"

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  6. Bonnet rippers! I am laughing too. I don't think this genre has made it to New Zealand.

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  7. Bonnet ripping? I'm afraid I'll never be able to look at the Mennonite (close enough) ladies at the farm market in quite the same way again.

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