Does your beach read list need a supplement of super spinster? Are you tired of books where a woman's only purpose is romance, taking care of other people, or recovering from lost love? Our goals as females are not just to love and nurture. The way our books would have it, we "eat", "pray", and "love" across the world only when love has betrayed us, not just because we want to, or we seek new "adventure" because the last "adventure" (loser ex-partner) dumped us. What happened to stories of women who take care of business and don't need to be in love to be complete? When I pick up an adventure novel or a mystery, I expect the woman to handle the problem. Nancy Drew and Miss Marple always did. But, more and more, I find my toes curling in anger around the beach sand when, at the climax of a novel, the woman turns fearfully to the man and says, "Oh, no! Now what do we do?"
How many people do you know who, in crisis, look for the nearest man to fix it? Not many, I'll bet. You look for the lady with the purse full of the tools that could solve the problem--phone, food, bandaids, pepper spray, etc. What do we teach children to do when something goes wrong? Go find another mom. In my experience, women look at the problem and just handle it, and you'd better get out of the way while they're at it. (Reese Witherspoon's video on this concept summarizes this societal, mostly Hollywood issue. Check it out here: "What do we do now?" Reese Witherspoon's Fiery Speech)
In the spirit of powerful literary spinsterhood, I asked my friend, the Ace Bookworm, to review three adventure stories with heroines who enjoy a bit of romance but do not allow it to distract from their greater goals--protecting an intergalactic library, researching dragons, and killing zombies in post-Civil War America. Now that's more like it.
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
In The
Invisible Library, we meet librarian Irene just as she's finishing up a job
for The Library, an organization that exists outside of worlds and collects
literary works (mostly fiction) from any and every world in the multiverse.
After
completing a dangerous mission and ready for some well-earned time off, Irene reports
the success of her mission to her superior, but unfortunately, her boss has
another job for her right away. This one is very important though Irene isn't
told why. She is also assigned an apprentice, Kai, who isn't all he seems.
Their
search for the book throws them into the center of the politics of the world
they're visiting, including secret societies, vampire murder, and fae/human
conflict. And when Irene receives a message that the mysterious rogue librarian
Alberich may be after the same book she is, she wonders just what she's gotten
herself into.
Irene is
dedicated wholeheartedly to her job and is not one to slack off. Spinsters may
find themselves commiserating with her annoyance at being propositioned by
several men during the first two books in the series right in middle of very
important missions. Irene is very matter of fact about her stance that while
she isn't opposed to a dalliance with an attractive man (and in fact finds
herself attracted and considering it), her work comes first, especially when
lives may be at stake.
The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan
The Memoirs of Lady
Trent is a five-book
fictional autobiography series following the life and research of Lady Isabella
Trent though (spoiler alert) she doesn't take the title of Lady Trent until
near the end of the series.
Isabella,
born in Scirland (a fictional approximation of Victorian England), tells the
story of her life through five volumes, each dedicated to a particular research
mission turned adventure. From her childhood catching small, insect-like
dragons in jars to her grand adventures to the mountains, desserts, and seas of
the world, Isabella brings readers along for her greatest scientific
discoveries.
While
Isabella marries not once but twice, through the series, she is a “spinster”
(independent-minded woman) through and through. She is not the type to play
second fiddle to anyone, especially not a partner. Romance is welcome but not
necessary in her life. Her true driving passion is the study of dragons. Even
her first marriage, which is partially facilitated by her father (who
understands Isabella's character best of all her family), is a marriage of
peers as much as is possible in the Victorian time she lives in.
In her
research career, Isabella is met with several challenges due to her gender,
which she faces down fearlessly. One constant is the challenge of traveling and
joining expeditions as a woman. Isabella musters support from several men in her life who use their privilege to enable her
to continue her work. This, combined with her stubbornness and
dedication to her field of study, enables her to go places that she may not
otherwise have had access to.
In the
second book, we meet Natalie Orscott who is a spinster in her own right.
Natalie follows in Isabella's footsteps into the realm of the sciences. Natalie
shows up occasionally through the other books, always unmarried, and at one
point expresses her disinterest in companionship altogether (members of the
LGBTQ community will enjoy this little bit of Aro/Ace representation).
As a whole, The Memoirs of Lady Trent is a great
series that any spinster with a secret (or not so secret) love of dragons would
enjoy.
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Dread Nation takes two great YA
trends and combines them into something both fun and thought provoking. Not
only is it a historic retelling of post-Civil War America from the perspective
of a young woman of color, but it also includes zombies.
The concept
is simple. The Civil War was derailed when the dead started to rise from the
battlefields. In post-war and post-rising America, only a few cities on the
East coast are safe. Guards and patrols are everywhere. These patrols are
manned largely by Native and African Americans who are trained at special
schools in the art of killing the dead.
Jane
McKeene is a student at one of those schools, and she hates it. She just wants
to finish school and return home to Kentucky where her mother, a wealthy white
woman, is hopefully waiting. But when a friend asks for help investigating
families who have gone missing in Baltimore County, Jane gets caught up in a
conspiracy that not only derails her education but also puts her life in
danger.
Jane is a
spinster part by choice and part by necessity. She has very little interest in
pursuing romance with anyone in or around Boston. She just wants to get back
home. But at the same time, she doesn't have time for romance. Who would when
the dead are walking and your city is one of the few on the continent that is still
safe?
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| Matilda from Roald Dahl's book by her name. |
For more book reviews by The Ace Bookworm, click here: The Ace Bookworm.
Cheers,
The Super Spinster
