Relationships in Novels by Lynn Lovegreen

 This month’s theme is relationships and partners. Other Genre-istas have offered great advice and insights into relationships, so I’ll take a different angle on this. Let’s look at some great relationships that are shown in recent novels.

 

A good relationship shows a partnership of equals, or people who have genuine respect for each other. Even when the two people are not complete equals, the two parties relate to each other, and the one with more authority or status supports the other as much as possible, given the circumstances. Several examples come to mind, but I chose three books that I read in the past year that fit my criteria in different kinds of relationships:

Best Parent and Child Relationship: 

Cordelia and her dad in The Truth Project by Dante Medema

https://www.dantemedema.com/books.html

Best Friend Relationship: 

Anna and Lucy in Dating Dracula by Kinsley Adams

https://www.kinsleyadams.com/dating-dracula

Best Romantic Relationship: 

Lila and Orion in A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

https://www.laurataylornamey.com/books/a-cuban-girls-guide-to-tea-and-tomorrow/

I’m sure there are more great examples of relationships in novels. What books can you recommend?

 

 

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for over fifty years. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult historical fiction is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Lights, camera, action!

When I saw this month’s topic, I instantly thought of on-screen partnerships in film. My favourite by far is the dancing duo of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, who appeared together in ten films. I watch their movies whenever they come on TV because I know exactly what I’ll be seeing -  seemingly effortless dancing and witty dialogue (and gorgeous costumes).  While I enjoy the dreamy ballroom-style dancing, it’s the tap numbers that I find most thrilling, as seen here in this clip from the movie Swing Time.

A favourite film partnership of mine off the dance floor is William Powell and Myrna Loy as they appear in the The Thin Man series. Based on the novel by Dashiell Hammet, the retired detective and his young wife have lots of fun, and drink lots of cocktails, as they investigate a crime. Six films form the series of sophisticated cosy murder mysteries, with a smidgeon of film noir thrown in. And, lest we forget, their dog, Asta, makes frequent appearances.

A non-romantic film partnership (evidently fraught with hostility off-screen) is the pairing of Bud Abbot and Lou Costello in over forty films. My enjoyment of raucous slap-stick humour has a time limit and a frequency limit, but their classic routine, “Who’s on First”, makes me laugh every time.

And finally, we head back to the dance floor for the sibling partnership of the Nicholas Brothers -  Fayard and Harold. This astonishingly talented dance pair began their rise to fame in jazz nightclubs before moving on to stardom in vaudeville and on Broadway. They appeared in over twenty-five films. I can watch these guys dance all day, though I feel worn out after a couple of minutes. Here they are in an excerpt from the film, Stormy Weather.

Do you have a favourite movie partnership that you’ll happily watch over and over again?

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. She spends her days writing spicy romance ranging from contemporary to paranormal. When not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious. She lives in Nova Scotia with her patient husband, two spoiled cats, and five hens.

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