welcome to temptation by jennifer crusie

Janice Radway contended that the genre is bad for women, blinding them to the difference between fantasy and reality. ĭuring the 1980s and 1990s, literary critics frequently dismissed the romance novel genre, often for contrasting reasons. 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. Crusie had never explored that genre, and she was convinced she would find it difficult to wade through those types of books.

It was a New York Times besteller and was number two on 's list of top contemporary romances of 2000.Īs research for her doctoral dissertation, Jennifer Crusie determined to read 100 romance novels. The book was well-received reviewers highlighted its humor, dialogue, and more daring sex scenes. Using a protagonist who is also a con artist, Crusie highlights the inherent con in romance novels - that two extremely different people who have known each other for only a short time could live happily ever after. Sophie's movie, which includes scenes taken from her courtship with Phin, provides an opportunity to explore the boundaries between private acts and public events. Through imagery and plot points, Crusie shows the shift in the power dynamics between the couple change as their relationship progresses, resulting in a more equal balance of power. The novel examines perceptions of reality versus fantasy and concludes that embracing a fantasy may lead to greater self-awareness. 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.Ĭrusie, who has often defended the romance genre against critics, wrote the novel to deconstruct the complaints levied against the genre. 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 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. Welcome to Temptation is a contemporary romance written by Jennifer Crusie and released in 2000.

Welcome to temptation by jennifer crusie