The pro and cons, to be or not to be...

[reviews_and_ramblings]

When wondering why and if I have to continue with this blog, I received an email like this one:

"Greetings and respect from a gay leatherman who finds your reviews truly excellent

Dear Signora Rolle,

I wish to express my sincere thank you and my profound respect for your wonderful and discerning reviews. I use your reviews to select what M/M fiction I will like best and you never, ever let me down.

You provide a wonderful service, taking your passion for M/M fiction and sharing it primarily wih female readers but also with gay men.

I also love the beautiful male images which you have collected.

You are a wonderful person, a wonderful and expressive writer. I both admire and respect you. Thank you so very much."

I received this email weeks ago, and also in a moment when I was a bit down. Then I read it and decided there was a reason for doing what I'm doing. Then again yesterday I wondered again; maybe I should let other people doing that, other reviewers with more experience... why a straight woman should read and review gay romances? but now, when I will wonder again, I have the above letter to give me a reason to continue.

My response to Victoria Brownworth: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1108364.html

Comments

[elizaben.livejournal.com]

Dear Elisa,

I'm very glad I discovered your blog (via Goodreads, for the record) since you're the most enjoyable M/M romance reviewer I've read. I usually don't comment but I always read your entries and I really enjoy them. Your focus on the content enables me to discern what I am going to like from what I'm not, saving me much needed time and money.
Your writing reflects your respect towards both writer and reader and shows your love for the books, which I find very important. And the number of your readers proves that you are doing it right. You should be very proud.

Thanks for all your hard work, I really hope you'll continue it.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

I stopped long ago to try to do "literary" review, I'm not a literary skilled person, and I'm not able to do that. I focus on what I like, notice and want to share of the book. Sometime few things, sometime I write a poem. That is the way to understand if I liked a book.

[elizaben.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think that's what matters. Romances can be anything quality-wise, from literary masterpieces to a poor excuse for cheap p*rn. But their quality isn't my main concern, what I like is reading a story about an interesting relationship with a happy ending. With your reviews, I can know beforehand whether I'm gonna like a book, so I don't spend money and read 150 pages in a foreign language to be disappointed.

I read the article you linked to. With that mentality, you shouldn't read about men, since you're a woman. You shouldn't read romance in general, because in them you find idealized relationships and HEA, which are extremely rare in real life.
IMO, if you want to read M/M, you're free to, and since you read them, it's natural and nice to review them. Frankly, I don't get why everyone and their second cousin feels entitled to an opinion on what we should and shouldn't read. I know that it's a long and difficult conversation the problem of literature reinforcing stereotypes, but ultimately we need to educate the public, not ban everything because someone feels offended in some way.

It's funny, in my previous comment I wanted to add that your blog actually promotes understanding towards LGBT people, but I didn't for lack of space, and now I'm sorry, because I do believe it and the positive things should be heard too. Some people reading and/or reviewing M/M may be condescending or even homophobic, but you have only ever displayed respect and understanding.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yes, I try and want to respect authors and characters and the story they are telling. And also I don't think why, if I read M/M romance, and I'm not gay or lesbian, I need to be accused of having a fetish. Not that having a fetish is bad ;-) I have respect also for that!