mouse's review of Strange and Stubborn Endurance

mouse reviewed Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

Foz Meadows: Strange and Stubborn Endurance (2022, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom)

Not for me

3 stars

This really didn't do it for me! I think part of that is that I'm not wild about romances and this was a romance. A big complaint for me is that the romantic leads behave so constantly and consistently we've-been-to-therapy correctly towards each other that I found their interactions tedious and didactic. It felt moralizing to me ("observe, this is the correct way to handle an emotion"), but I think it was intended to be more of a wish fulfillment love story ("imagine if you dated someone this emotionally mature"). Also everyone is described as being super hot and I did not enjoy that.

The heroes behaved perfectly in every situation and the villains were over-the-top horrible in every situation, and even though the moral stakes were ones I agree with (don't sexually assault people, don't be homophobic, don't murder people), I was put off by the black-and-white-ness of the characters.

While the author has put a lot of thought into gender and sexuality, even if I found it ultimately shallow, I found the near total absence of a critique of power and class to be pretty uncomfortable.

That said, it wasn't hard to read, and if you wanted a comforting romance about healing from assault (which, fair warning, is very graphic, though not imo gratuitous), it might be for you. And I really liked that the protagonists spend the whole book trying to solve a mystery and do an absolutely abysmal job at it.

BeanBlue replied to mouse's status

@mouse This is a solid review! Your reasons for not rating it as high as I will may be why this book was a good fit for me. I am almost done with the book, but am finally (in my late years) learning to process and communicate emotions correctly. A book like this, where the baddies are clearly bad, and the good ones behave in a "we've-been-to-therapy" way was refreshing and helpful. I may revisit the book in another decade and have a more nuanced take, but my "I've been a straight cis male who was raised in a Ralian way but has realized he may not be as straight as he thought" mindset found a nearly perfect read in this book. Everything you say about the book is absolutely right, and is also probably why the book was perfect for me and not for you.

mouse replied to BeanBlue's status

@BeanBlue yeah, I was a little on the fence about reviewing it because almost every time I was annoyed with it, I was thinking, this is probably super great for a reader who wants something different than I do

prevailing replied to mouse's status

@mouse Agreed on all points. While I dislike melodrama and silly misunderstandings, this felt like the extreme side of the spectrum. All the protagonists are nice and perfectly well-adjusted, without negative characteristics of any substance. After 30%, I got bored and skimmed the rest. It went pretty much as expected.

I also noticed the lack of critique of power/class. Rich, pampered characters squabble over their inheritance (and Cae is silently applauded for being indifferent to more power/land-- because he already has a ton) and continue to be rich and pampered. Tiresome.