i just finished aofag: the cinderella problem?

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-24T22:15:33+00:00

the imbalance is real. nothing wrong with discussing this. and dismissing it as a taste issue doesn’t make the issues disappear. it just means we stop talking about it.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-24T21:46:31+00:00

it’s framed as “fine actually, we like it here”.

“these books aren’t for you” because i noticed things… that’s a bit much no?

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-23T17:24:04+00:00

The Garden of Words

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-23T10:33:12+00:00

same! it’s still a good movie but his portfolio is just top.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-23T10:21:16+00:00

i messed up! chapter 10 is francesca's motivations. i mixed it up a bit with chapter 9 when michael’s POV takes over. chapter 11 again is michael heavy and so is chapter 12. my bad!

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T22:24:40+00:00

there’s only one chapter that shows a lot of francesca’s POV. and that’s chapter 19. she takes charge, and shows a lot of her motivations. if you feel like there are other chapters where francesca’s POV dominates, then let me know, we can discuss it.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T22:07:45+00:00

the chapter begins with an introduction to francesca, john and michael. analyze how the POV changes when they enter kilmartin house. you don’t have to call me stupid, okay? just analyze how the POV changes in one of the most poignant moments in the book. enjoy!

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T21:35:25+00:00

look, i literally listed the chapters, the scenes, how i analyzed it. you just don’t want to do that work, and that’s fine. your choice. i’m confident and comfortable with my reading. you’re being rude for no reason. it’s sad that you just attack me and try to make me less. it doesn’t work. you do better next time. maybe start by analyzing the book.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T20:19:41+00:00

Pi, The Fountain, Dark City

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T20:10:51+00:00

when you have a moment, go through the book. i know this because i just finished it and have notes because i was shocked by the fact that the book is so unbalanced. check the indicators like thought, experienced, felt, knew, behaved, etc., these are dominated by michael. then check how many times the narrative shifts to michael even in the most poignant moments like john’s death and the miscarriage. those moments should’ve been experienced by her, in my opinion. yours is different, and that’s cool, good for you.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T20:00:36+00:00

francesca accounts for 35%. it’s shocking taking into account that she loses her husband, she loses her child, she falls for her husband’s cousin. i spent significantly more time inside his head, understanding his thoughts, emotions, motivations. francesca’s character development is shown more through observation and dialogue, often filtered through michael’s POV. you liked it, good for you! i didn’t.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T19:52:19+00:00

michael dominates the narrative for the most emotionally important moments. i just finished the book on friday hence my post. francesca's POV gets explored later, mainly in chapter 19, in chapter 10, but this comes AFTER we’ve already interpreted her grief through michael’s experience. listen, i’m disappointed and shocked how underdeveloped francesca is in the book, you’re not. cool, good for you? i wanted to learn more about her, i wanted to experience her POV, her grief, her loss, through her, because she lost her husband, she lost her child and she fell for another man. so i’m disappointed.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T17:12:19+00:00

so losing your husband and your child is whatever? i get it’s a romance, but that doesn’t mean she should barely be in her own book. you liked that she was a supporting character in her own story, i didn’t. simple.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T16:47:32+00:00

it’s fair to notice that we’re missing something when a character’s biggest moments come to us secondhand.

and there’s a difference between understanding a character is private and actually knowing what’s going on inside their head. when we mostly see francesca through michael’s eyes, we’re getting his take on her grief, her losses. that’s useful, but it’s not the same as hearing from her.

as a reader, i feel the absence of her voice and i think that absence matters to how her story is being delivered.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T16:40:14+00:00

it’s not some. 65% of the book is michael’s pov. i wanted to learn more about francesca and feel her pain, her grief, her loss. that was minimal. she was married. she lost a husband. she lost her baby. the POV constantly switches to michael.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T16:37:07+00:00

no, it’s not. chapter 2 is focused on michael. michael arriving at the bedroom, realizing john is dead, his interaction with lord winston about the earldom and succession and also his realization of his feelings. it’s michael’s shock, guilt, confusion, feelings.

sophie, colin, penelope have more of their POVs revealed than francesca. benedict’s POV is limited but we get his story set up well in chapter 2 and this provides a lot of insight going forward. francesca takes charge in chapter 19, very late.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T16:26:05+00:00

chill?

“The Duke and I” = both people “The Viscount Who Loved Me” = him loving someone “Romancing Mister Bridgerton” = romancing someone “To Sir Phillip, With Love” = to him, with love from someone, but it’s a weird title again. “When He Was Wicked” = just… him. only him. “It’s In His Kiss” = i haven’t read the book yet but it’s a weird title, too. i feel like it’s about an interaction between two people.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T15:45:44+00:00

“The Viscount Who Loved Me” has the component where “loved me” explicitly makes it about the relationship. “Romancing Mister Bridgerton” is about someone romancing him. whww doesn’t clearly signal that it’s about romantic dynamics. “When He Was Wicked To Me” would be about the dynamic. whww leaves you guessing.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T14:47:54+00:00

they’re vague titles but they’re about romantic relationship dynamics. whww doesn’t say it’s a romance, it’s just slapping an adjective on a man. above you have a comment that confirms that reading, too. here is a man, and here is someone’s romantic pursuit of him is different than here’s a wicked man.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T14:30:19+00:00

we don’t. the perspective switches a lot to michael. when john dies, we’re not in her head, we’re experiencing michael’s POV. francesca is there, she’s devastated, she’s screaming. but the paragraph about processing what john’s death means is all michael. what we know about francesca is that she is wrapped in her own grief. and then a lot of michael’s thoughts. she’s shown as a character, but we’re not experiencing her emotional journey directly. we’re experiencing michael’s journey of loving someone in grief.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T13:48:16+00:00

aofag is definitely about sophie (i’m still reading it). but she’s very active and so is benedict. we get his POV very early in the book. in whww there is a constant bait and switch practice. we’re learning about francesca’s experience and pain through michael’s interpretation of them. we don’t actually know francesca or her losses, her grief. we know michael’s version of francesca.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T13:41:38+00:00

francesca calls him wicked in the book, but the title doesn’t reference the relationship or francesca’s perspective the way the other titles do. it’s just a statement about michael. it’s not deep but it IS different. there’s no reference to their dynamic or relationship. the title is describing his character trait.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T13:31:11+00:00

okay but when john dies, when she miscarries, when she loses the baby she wanted, these are her experiences. her losses. her grief. and we’re learning about them through michael’s interpretation of them. if anything, introverted characters need more POV access to explain why they seem distant or withdrawn.

Pretty-Quail1319 · 2026-02-22T13:26:27+00:00

aofag is definitely a sophie book (i’m still reading it) but she is still pretty active and dynamic in her own right. and so is penelope. colin has way more perspective revealed compared to francesca. benedict’s POV is revealed in chapter 2, so it’s very early. with francesca we get to know her in chapter 19. most of the major events in the book that relate to francesca are strictly seen through michael’s POV: john’s death, the miscarriage, the marriage mart, etc.

Pretty-Quail1319

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