Men - do you read books written by female authors?

[Stanley Edwards]

Yes. Lots. Probably more than male authors.

When I initially moved to Spain I was staying in an old farmhouse with no TV, no internet, no telephone reception, but the women who owned the house had a huge library. Almost the last book I picked off the shelf was 'Forever Amber'. I ignored it for so long because it looked like a stupid romance thing. It remains one of my favourite books. When I moved to Granada I met the first person IRL named Amber, and felt complelled to order a copy for her It is a stonking read.

In the same library I found 'Hawkwood - diabolical Englishman' by Frances Stoner Saunders. Another historically factual, but theorised/romanticised read. I want a copy of her 'The Cultural Cold War - The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters'.

Many, many more. But these Two I have read remain huge favourites I would always recommend.

 

[Reno]

outline why please Reno I was well impressed and I normally hate books about poshish americans

Edith Wharton was a satirist and certainly didn't write approvingly about "posh" Americans. Her protagonists who successfully navigate the system are frequently hypocrites, shallow, cruel or deceitful and those who don't, are destroyed or damaged by the rigid conventions of their class.

The other American writers I mentioned don't exclusively write about 'posh' characters and the two Southern writers wrote about rednecks and lower middle class people.


:edit: Ooops, I didn't realise you meant The Secret History. I read it when it came out and the plot struck me as cobblers, but it's too long ago for me to remember. She certainly can write, I just found it too contrived and the bacchanalia thing struck me as silly. A trashy thriller, masquerading as literature, I just expected more.

 

[_angel_]

The main character in secret history isn't a proper 'posh' American, he's a scholarship boy. Couldn't get started with the little friend though.

 

[DotCommunist]

poshISH

 

[Orang Utan]

I've read all the Harry Potter books.

But another female writer who's books I've enjoyed is Dorothy Lessing.

Poor Doris. Even people who've read her can't remember her name

 

[colbhoy]

Looking back at my books from 2011 and 2012 reading challenge, I have read one book by a woman (Mo Hayder) - from memory this book was a present otherwise my tally would be zero. I have no idea why this is so, I do not (I think) consciously think "I am only reading books by men". When I was younger I read Enid Blyton and when a bit older loads of Agatha Christie.

 

[Pickman's model]

Mary elizabeth braddon

Leigh brackett

C.L. Moore

ursula le guin

Susan cooper

Rosemary sutcliff

 

[DotCommunist]

Edith Wharton was a satirist and certainly didn't write approvingly about "posh" Americans. Her protagonists who successfully navigate the system are frequently hypocrites, shallow, cruel or deceitful and those who don't, are destroyed or damaged by the rigid conventions of their class.

The other American writers I mentioned don't exclusively write about 'posh' characters and the two Southern writers wrote about rednecks and lower middle class people.


:edit: Ooops, I didn't realise you meant The Secret History. I read it when it came out and the plot struck me as cobblers, but it's too long ago for me to remember. She certainly can write, I just found it too contrived and the bacchanalia thing struck me as silly. A trashy thriller, masquerading as literature, I just expected more.

fair enough. I, being enamoured of fantasy etc, found the bacchanalia angle pretty awesome. But then I like shiny things so there you have it.

Also quite fancy donna

 

[Belushi]

Rosemary sutcliff

I loved her books as a kid.

 

[Pickman's model]

I loved her books as a kid.

yes, so did, and i've been enjoying rereading them

 

[articul8]

Are we talking about fiction specifically, or reading in general?

 

[TruXta]

Not enough really, and like Dotsy most female authors I read are probably writing in the sci-fi/fantasy genre.

 

[Gromit]

I read a Harry Potter book once. I wanted to read the rest of them but then someone told me it was written by a woman so I stopped. Don't want people to think I'm gay or something.

 

[Lock&Light]

Poor Doris. Even people who've read her can't remember her name

Oops!

 

[Gromit]

For those who don't twig my post above was sarcasm.

Honest answer:

I've read many many female authors and enjoyed many of their works...
...but all my favourite authors are male.

I'm guessing that men are better at writing characters that male readers identify with and female writers are better at writing ones that female readers can identify with... due to being able to draw upon their own experiences, thoughts and feelings.

I can't imagine a female writer being able to write a work on what its like being a boy and growing up with a love a football and how that affected his male development as well as Nick Hornby. One might do a pretty damn good job but will it resonate the same as a piece written by someone who truly lived it.

By this reasoning the best books are those written by a male and female team that give both perspectives well.
Which is why the Dragonlance Series is one of the best fictional series ever written.
The authors were Laura and Tracy Hickman, and then Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. Tracy is the man btw.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I have been reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt, which was so good that it kind of took over my brain for a while. Seriously, I was living it. So I recommended it heartily to mr p, whose response was "why the hell would I want to read that?"

I don't think I've ever seen him read any book by a female author, now I think about it, and it's never bothered me before but he would love this one! his loss, I suppose.

So men, would you/do you read books by women?

Yep. Anything from Agatha Christie and Val McDermid to Carson McCullers and E. Annie Proulx. If Mr. P is deliberately not reading books written by female authors, then he's depriving himself of an awful lot of good literature.

 

[Orang Utan]

Maybe he thinks women just write silly stuff about feelings. That's what one of my teachers thought and he was the English literature teacher! The same man read us Jim Morrison lyrics and out me off The Doors for life.

 

[nino_savatte]

oh yeah Atwood is aces. Orynx and Crake is fucked up

Yep, another fan of Attwood here [puts hand up].

I quite like Judith Butler too.

 

[temper_tantrum]

Do you know 'Instance of the Fingerpost?' I know you like Strange & Norrell and in some ways its similar- by a man. You'd like it. I think !

Yes, you recommended it to me! Musta been 2 years ago or so, I think.
It was ok. Nicely plotted. Complex. The central characters didn't quite gel with me, I think. Found it hard to *care*.
China Mieville is an exception to the rule. And Dickens (despite his utter and painful inability to write decent female leads).

 

[Vintage Paw]

For those who don't twig my post above was sarcasm.

Honest answer:

I've read many many female authors and enjoyed many of their works...
...but all my favourite authors are male.

I'm guessing that men are better at writing characters that male readers identify with and female writers are better at writing ones that female readers can identify with... due to being able to draw upon their own experiences, thoughts and feelings.

I can't imagine a female writer being able to write a work on what its like being a boy and growing up with a love a football and how that affected his male development as well as Nick Hornby. One might do a pretty damn good job but will it resonate the same as a piece written by someone who truly lived it.

By this reasoning the best books are those written by a male and female team that give both perspectives well.
Which is why the Dragonlance Series is one of the best fictional series ever written.
The authors were Laura and Tracy Hickman, and then Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. Tracy is the man btw.

Thing is, women read lots of books written by men and have - generally - no problem 'relating' to any of the characters, not in the way you are suggesting, any way. (Not all characters are written to be related to, otherwise you'd be relating with a heck of a lot of psychopaths, sociopaths, etc.) By extension, what you're suggesting is that men only want to read about 'things that men do' and women only want to read about 'things that women do' and frankly that's a load of old tosh and problematic on a hell of a lot of levels.

 

[DotCommunist]

in general what I look for in a really good book is strong characters and tight plotting. Proper authorial voice tends to be genderless- its just craft.

I was wounded hardcore by downloading the Sookie Stackhouse novels- just....what the fuck...so shit

I wasn't expecting Tolstoy but my god, awful awful writing.


Made Anne Rice look like high art. fuck me.

 

[temper_tantrum]

What is Sookie Stackhouse?

 

[golightly]

What is Sookie Stackhouse?

You clearly have an internet connection. Go and knock yourself out.

 

[Firky]

I do, Poot. I do.

But I don't like P.D James, Poot. I don't like P.D James.

 

[temper_tantrum]

You clearly have an internet connection. Go and knock yourself out.

Yeah, I just did. Summat low-rent about vampires.
Thanks awfully for your reply though, everso everso helpful and lovely as it was.

 

[wtfftw]

Novels the successful tv series True Blood is based on.



I've just reread the yellow wallpaper short story mentioned in that other thread linked in this one. and downloaded others.

 

[DotCommunist]

bizarrely enough True Blood is good fun tele- one of those rare occasions where the tele translation is better than the source material

 

[Frances Lengel]

It makes no difference to me what gender the author is. I'm a fan of Edith Wharton, Patricia Highsmith, Tove Jansson, Pauline Kael, Gitta Sereny, Flannery o'Connor and Carson McCullers

I hated The Secret History though.

The first sentence of your post sums up my approach as well. I'm just looking at my nearest bookcase and I can see books by AM Homes, Zoe Strachan, Louise Welch, Catherine O'Flynn, Tana French, Patricia Highsmith, Alison Irvine, Ali Smith, Joolz Denby, Emma Donoghue, Livi Micheal, Marlene Van DeNeerkerk and Martina Cole.

Never read The Secret History though, somehow never fancied it.

 

[DotCommunist]

give it a go, its not disappointing. In quintessentially 'american' writing I've never enjoyed a novelso much save Straubs 'Shadowland'

Ye, the contrivance is there- pulls it off through good prose. If you don't like it and feel robbed of your time I will send you a Kit Kat Chunky in the post as recompense.

 

[temper_tantrum]

Novels the successful tv series True Blood is based on.

Ah right, ta. I don't watch telly so never heard of it ! Vampires are du jour, eh.