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?
Created: 04/08/13
Replies: 19
Join Date: 10/15/10
Posts: 3442
Join Date: 08/11/11
Posts: 69
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!
Join Date: 10/15/10
Posts: 3442
Join Date: 06/18/12
Posts: 49
Join Date: 12/10/11
Posts: 13
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.
Join Date: 04/20/11
Posts: 99
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).
Join Date: 04/08/13
Posts: 4
Join Date: 09/16/11
Posts: 165
Join Date: 10/19/12
Posts: 22
Join Date: 04/14/11
Posts: 201
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.
Join Date: 04/28/11
Posts: 71
Join Date: 10/15/10
Posts: 3442
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?
Join Date: 04/28/11
Posts: 71
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.
Join Date: 04/21/11
Posts: 281
Join Date: 05/09/11
Posts: 9
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.
Join Date: 10/20/10
Posts: 4
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.
Join Date: 09/15/11
Posts: 11
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".
Join Date: 04/28/11
Posts: 29
Join Date: 04/18/12
Posts: 12
Join Date: 12/07/12
Posts: 68
Reply
Please login to post a response.