Love Triangles: Romantic plots or annoying clichés? by Jesi Lea Ryan

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True love triangles are probably rare in real life, but they are running rampant in romantic fiction! (Also in real life, triangles rarely end well; in romance, all parties generally get their happily ever after. Mortal of the story: Don’t try this at home, folks.)

Love triangles can be an amazing plot device to create conflict and drama when done right. In literature, they almost always are made up of one girl and two guys. I guess the idea is that a girl with multiple offers is a desirable fantasy, and the man with multiple women is just a man-whore. (I don’t agree, by the way; and I’d love to read an M/F/F triangle if anyone has a suggestion.)

Unfortunately, we can all name the love triangles gone bad. These usually entail a girl stringing along two guys, who are WAY too good for her, across hundreds of pages (sometimes over multiple books) filled with “I love him, but oh, I love him too. Whatever will I do?” Indecisive heroines come across as weak and annoying. Sometimes this involves a girl cheating on one guy with another, which makes me completely ill. It’s one thing if a person is in a bad relationship and falls for someone else, but once it turns into deception, I emotionally check out.

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So while love triangles are among the major reader pet peeves, I wanted to discuss a few love triangles that I thought were done very well.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Katniss/Peeta/Gale): Since this series is not a true romance, the love triangle was more like a subplot, very subtle. By this I mean Suzanne Collins didn’t spend three full books on “OMG, who will she pick?!?” That gets old really quick. Also, Katniss is not some weak, indecisive heroine who strings two guys along for hundreds of pages. As the story progressed, I think the actions which led to the romantic resolution were right for the characters and not forced. She also didn’t treat the guy she didn’t chose disrespectfully. I felt good about the ending for all three characters involved.

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare (Tessa/Jem/Will): Cassandra Clare handled this triangle absolutely brilliantly! Again, Tessa wasn’t a weak or disrespectful heroine who played with these two boys’ hearts. But what really got me in these books was the relationship between the guys, Jem and Will. More than best friends, more than brothers, these two guys were like soul mates. There was a serious bromance going on.

The Trylle Series by Amanda Hocking (Wendy/Finn/Loki): Okay, I’m expecting people to disagree with me here, but dang, I loved the way this love triangle worked out in the end! If you look at the Amazon reviews, you will notice that many, many people disagree with me, but the unconventional way Hocking ended this is exactly why I loved it. (SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read this series, go do so now and come back. We’ll wait.) Wendy doesn’t go with the obvious choice, but makes a mature, adult decision. She got sick of Finn’s whole brooding act and moved on. Good for her! Loki was much more interesting anyway. I thought this transformed Wendy from a child to a woman and showed wonderful character growth.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on love triangles! Like them? Hate them? Which are your favorites and which made you want to hurl the book across the room? If you have any good suggestions, I’d love to hear them. Disagree with my examples above, let’s discuss!

Jesi

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What To Read Next? by Douglas Dorow

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9-DistrictsI just finished a couple of books, and I’m heading to Chicago to pick up my daughter from college. Hopefully, I won’t have to do all of the driving, so I plan to do some writing in the car and some reading.
Yes, I’m a reader. I have been for a long time. And now, after receiving a kindle from my wife a couple of years ago for Father’s Day, I’m primarily an ebook reader.

What did I just finish?

  • First – Steve Jobs – it was my first audiobook. I listened to it primarily in the car commuting or walking the dog. I have to say I liked the audiobook experience. Don’t know if I’d like it for fiction, but for this biography it was good.
  • Second – A book by an author/twitter friend whose book had been on my kindle for a while. I decided to give it a read. I usually read in bed before I go to sleep.

But, what should I read next?

My kindle is full of books. Some I downloaded when they were Free, others are books I downloaded when they caught my eye. Most of them are thrillers. I also have some samples of books, books on writing, some novella series and books of authors I’ve already read and enjoyed. So maybe I’ll like another of their books.

When looking for a book, how do you choose what to check out and read? Do you get recommendations from friends? A book group I visited last summer said they checked out best selling lists in the paper or talked to their librarians.

With a computer and kindle, I find most of my browsing is on Amazon. My exploration for a new book goes something like this:

  • I visit the best seller/top 100 lists of the genres I like
  • I look for titles and covers that catch my eye
  • Price plays a part in my decision
  • I check out new indie authors I’ve heard of
  • Or do I want to see what books some of my past favorite authors may have available?
  • Once I narrow it down to a few choices, I may click the cover to look inside or download a sample or browse reviews for the book.  Though I don’t put too much stock in the number of stars, more on what people wrote about the book.

What to read next?

How do you decide what to read next?

§ § § § § § §

doug dorow profile photoDouglas Dorow, a retired little league baseball player, is now a thriller writer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

You can check out his thriller THE NINTH DISTRICT or learn more about him and his writing at www.DouglasDorow.com. Or come visit:  DouglasDorow@gmail.com  Twitter:  @dougdorow

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