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A review by savvyliterate
The Wild Swans by Anne Avery
5.0
I first read this when it was originally published in 2000 under Avery's Kate Holmes pen name, and it was one of my very favorite books in my earlier '20s. Sometime between 2002 and now, my copy of the book went missing, and I couldn't find another, but the book always stayed with me. I tried looking for it off and on over the years until a Google search finally revealed the connection with Anne Avery. One more Amazon search, and I had finally found the book!
There are elements that clearly mark this book as a product of its era: Richard starts off as a dude bro with his buddy, and his manly bits are a named secondary character. He does some things that are nowhere near enlightened, but Arianne does not let him off the hook when he does these things - especially blurting out an engagement without asking her first. Richard's grovel in the face of Arianne's silence is lovely.
All along, a decent guy is lurking in Richard. As much as he wants Arianne, he respects her boundaries when she establishes them. Over the course of the story, he changes from seeing her as an object of lust to an actual human being. He is a good king to his people. When the book's antagonist tries to make him think Arianne is cheating on him, and Arianne does not help herself here, Richard figures out things for himself. He also figures out Arianne's secret on his own, and neither time he blames her for making him doubt or for keeping secrets. He doesn't go off in a snit because he can't handle it. Instead, he becomes a hero to her and her brothers.
I didn't realize how much this book influenced my own writing until re-reading it, especially when it comes to the humor, the easily-switching POVs, and opening embracing sexuality. You don't tend to find a lot of stories where the virgin doesn't dither over being a virgin and their first time is fun.
This is very much a fairy tale, and it is a funny one at that. Re-reading this reminds me of long winter afternoons curled up on my dorm room bed, abandoning my studies to read book. Now I can re-read it anytime.
There are elements that clearly mark this book as a product of its era: Richard starts off as a dude bro with his buddy, and his manly bits are a named secondary character. He does some things that are nowhere near enlightened, but Arianne does not let him off the hook when he does these things - especially blurting out an engagement without asking her first. Richard's grovel in the face of Arianne's silence is lovely.
All along, a decent guy is lurking in Richard. As much as he wants Arianne, he respects her boundaries when she establishes them. Over the course of the story, he changes from seeing her as an object of lust to an actual human being. He is a good king to his people. When the book's antagonist tries to make him think Arianne is cheating on him, and Arianne does not help herself here, Richard figures out things for himself. He also figures out Arianne's secret on his own, and neither time he blames her for making him doubt or for keeping secrets. He doesn't go off in a snit because he can't handle it. Instead, he becomes a hero to her and her brothers.
I didn't realize how much this book influenced my own writing until re-reading it, especially when it comes to the humor, the easily-switching POVs, and opening embracing sexuality. You don't tend to find a lot of stories where the virgin doesn't dither over being a virgin and their first time is fun.
This is very much a fairy tale, and it is a funny one at that. Re-reading this reminds me of long winter afternoons curled up on my dorm room bed, abandoning my studies to read book. Now I can re-read it anytime.