"Kathleen Woodiwiss is credited with the invention of the modern historical romance novel: In 1972 she released The Flame and the Flower, an instant New York Times bestseller that created a literary precedent."

*spoilers ahead*

I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. While I can respect (if you can even say that) that this plot and normalization of rape and villanizing of certain characters (among so many other things) was kind of the norm for original romance books, I was still taken by suprise how much Heather just went along with the events in her life. The only act she really did that made her 3-dimensional was attacking her potential rapist in the very beginning.

The book was very formulaic, and by the end Heather and her rapist/husband/baby daddy do fall in love and I felt genuinely cared about each other. Heather has been sexually awakened and Brandon partially realizes that Heather is only 18 and needs to be treated with respect. I was slightly surprised that once he found out that she was pregnant with his child that he didn't rape or try to have sex with her for close to a year.

I think it's also important to note that for those who are giving this book 4 or 5 stars--to everyone who is appalled by that honestly shouldn't be. This book "should" classify as a fantasy. Some people enjoy these books (which 9/10 of them include rape) because they want to feel not being in control and want to feel the sense of dominance characters like Brandon can provide them. Brandon is rich! He buys her all of the dresses she wants! He agreed to marry her! He will fight to protect her!

It's not hard to list all of the reasons this book does NOT age well for a variety of reasons. But it's also important not to descredit the reasoning why others may enjoy this book. Whether that be for the romance, Heather's character, the drama, anything.

Being labeled "the first romance book" I thought it was a good book to read, if anything, to explore for the history of the genre overall.

Buen inicio junto con su desenlace y formulación, sin embargo, terminó siendo, en algún punto, carente de argumentos viables que los de malentendidos y el aparente odio entre ambos personajes, los que mantuvieron a flote toda la secuencia de hechos.

Branden fue exquisitamente estructurado a la perfección de fachada para aparentar una naturaleza que, aunque era confiable, escondía detrás un carácter diferente. Por otro lado, la pequeña Heather, se ganó mi respeto por tan falta de carácter en momentos oportunos, pero la cualidad de calibrar sus movimientos con cautela y recato; fue interesante diluir que todavía ante la adversidad, siempre se mantuvo fuerte.

Un libro poquitín largo, que seguramente asegurará una apetecible lectura pero que, en un punto, te hará dudar de seguirla con sus inciertos o juegos de tira y afloja entre la pareja principal.

This was hard to rate, between a 2 and a 3 stars. Ended up being a high 2 stars. The years have not been kind to this historical romance.

It all started with a rape scene. I don't really care about those, it's fiction, but it needs to make at least some sense how it's handled. Well, 77% in and the hero still think as "I want her and if she doesn't accept me, I'll force her again" Lucky for him she did accept him

Later they're talking about how he would have killed this guy who had ATTEMPTED to rape her if he wasn't already dead... At least she points out the inconsistency. His answer: I'v redeemed myself by marrying you so it's ok.

Also a big deal of the story was around this trope that I hate: Miscommunication resulting in I love you; I love you; but we both think think the other one hates us so let's be our separate way.

There was some good obviously, but I just felt like talking about those 2 things.

I wouldn't normally bother rating a book I didn't finish, but I got through half of The Flame and the Flower before giving up, so I have some pretty strong opinions and plenty to say. If my pain can spare some of you anguish, then it will all be worthwhile.

I was actually a little bit excited to read this book, even though I knew it had a reputation as being very of its time and, to today's readers, fairly offensive. But I don't have an extremely thin skin. After all, I love Outlander, in spite of the strapping debacle! Plus, I was curious about the novel that basically invented the modern day historical romance back in the early 1970s. I had high hopes that this might actually be a fun, engaging old-school yarn, in spite of its issues. Unfortunately, it's just a mess.

Spoiler

The young Regency-era heroine, ludicrously named Heather, lives with her ineffectual uncle and her fat, evil aunt, a horrible woman who loathes Heather for being Irish and most of all for being beautiful, oh so beautiful, the most beautiful teeny-tiny angel in all the land. The mean aunt makes her slave away like Cinderella, and forces Heather to wear her own ragged, cast off clothing, all of which falls off of her lovely limbs and perky bosom because she's so slim and petite and the aunt is such a gigantic cow. (Lesson #1 of this book: fat and/or ugly people are evil.) All the men in town love Heather in spite of her ragged clothes and put-upon life. I've never encountered such a genuine Mary Sue character outside of fanfiction. A few examples of Heather's revolting perfection...

Heather felt her spirits rise. She chatted gaily with shopkeepers, tried on silly bonnets, giggled at herself in mirrors, danced about and completely charmed those persons who could be charmed.

And:

She watched as grand ladies paraded in front of her and laughed to see fat, little husbands trying to catch up. Her eyes shone and her smile was quick and easy. She swirled gaily and turned her head with a carefree air, making her braids swing and causing men to follow her with their eyes.

And:

Under the ever warming sun the natural color returned to Heather's cheeks and all signs of illness faded away. She bloomed more than any flower, and to look at her one could surmise motherhood definitely agreed with her. Whenever she was about on quarter-deck, close under Brandon's hand, every man's eyes were drawn to her at one time or another, and with the wind whipping her cloak about her and teasing a stray lock of hair she was something to behold.

I'll be honest -- the second she started swirling gaily and turning her head to make her braids swing, I was imagining ways to kill her off. She's so annoying, but more about that later.

The "hero," Brandon, is even worse. We meet him when he mistakes Heather for a prostitute, after she's picked up by his henchman on the docks. (She has just escaped a near-rape by her aunt's fat, ugly brother, whom she killed when he accidentally fell on the knife she was holding. I know.) In spite of her verbal and physical protests, Brandon has sex with her. When he realizes she was a virgin and not a streetwalker, his first reaction is to worry that she might have family or friends who would come after him for defiling her. On learning that she hasn't anyone to protect her, he figures he might as well rape her a couple more times then, because it's not like you can put spilled milk back in a bottle, right? And she's so damned beautiful he just can't resist.

Brandon decides to keep Heather as his mistress and he locks her up on board his ship, but she manages to run away back to her aunt. His super virility has left her pregnant, however, so he winds up being forced to marry her. He's not at all happy about this -- his cheek starts twitching with anger, and it twitches and vibrates with rage on almost every other page from here on out. Brandon proceeds to alternately ignore his new bride and verbally abuse her. He's domineering and mean, although he does sometimes take Heather shopping, which makes her like him a little bit. (Hence all the gay swirling I mentioned earlier.) We only get Brandon's POV in brief snatches, so we don't really get much in the way of inner life or motivations. We mostly just learn that he is overwhelmed with lust for Heather. She drives him crazy with her perfect, sexy beauty! And since he's decided he's too proud to bed her again after being forced to marry her, this makes Brandon angry. A few examples of our leading man's charming personality...

After raping her:

“Do you think you could have remained chaste for long with the face and body you have, my sweet?”

After being forced into marriage:

He sneered at her coldly. "Yes, I can see that you're pleased now. But your hell has only begun, m'lady. I'm not termed a pleasant sort to live with. I have a foul temper which can snap up a small tart like you without a second's notice. So be warned, my beauty. Do not tempt it. Tread lightly and perhaps you will survive. Do you understand?"

And:

"After all, if you hadn't met me, you'd still be living with that fat aunt of yours, taking her abuse, trying to hide your nakedness with gowns twelve times your size, scrubbing and scouring until your back broke, taking what bit of food she threw at you, content to hovel in your corner and grow old with your maidenhood still intact, never knowing what it means to be a mother!"

When he's being made insane with hormones by the sight of her after their marriage:

"Oh, virgin wife, why weren't you made thin and ugly, then I could ignore you as you wish. But of all the women in London town, my weak-minded self chose you, the finest bit of fluff that ever tempted any man's eye. And you treat me not like a man but as some old buck, too worn to seek a doe. You play and pose before me and expect my spirits not to rise. You tempt and taunt then deny me husband's rights. My God, you wench! Do you think me some safe eunuch?"

And my favorite:

"You privy wench," he leered. "With your high-curved breasts and your rosy butt, you tempt a man even when you're asleep."

Okay, so there's something funny about that in a campy kind of way, but it's not funny enough to sustain a whole book.

Anyway, after they marry, Brandon is a big jerk, and Heather occasionally, wimpily, expresses her displeasure with being married to his rapey self. And then she starts to feel guilty for being so mean to him. And to feel sort of grateful to him for marrying her.

She went gladly and collected his clothes from the room, more than grateful because he had been lenient with her. It would be a long time before she'd dare call him names again or flare up in anger at him. She would have to remember he disliked insolence and would not stand for it. She had been effectively disciplined and would do his will as an obedient wife.

And:

"So now I am to be a mother, and he is to be hated and cursed because he made me so. But must it be this way? Is it too difficult to show him kindness and gratitude though I know he loathes the ground on which I walk and would prefer to be no man at all than have me chained to him. He has been kind despite his hatred of me. [That is very questionable. He bought you some dresses and hasn't punched you, big deal!] Now I must show him I am not a child and am thankful.

It's just excruciating. She's such a doormat, and he's such an inexplicable ass. Neither one of them is a well-developed character; they're both just a collection of adjectives and, literally in the case of Twitchy!Brandon, tics.

As for the writing itself, I finally understand why romance novels have the reputation for purple prose. It's because of books like this. There are some really oddly phrased sentences in this book, and it seems clear a thesaurus was used very liberally. The man was small and thinly fleshed, but his voice was a full baritone of gentle touch. Just one of the many odd sentences I highlighted. I'm a snob when it comes to prose style, I know, but really. The dialogue is pretty terrible too, as you can hopefully tell from all the quotes above.

"But it was written at a different time!" I tried to tell myself that as I read this. Writing styles were different, gender politics were different, things that seem like romance novel cliches now were not cliches back then. Well...okay. But bad writing is still bad writing. And there's something so reactionary about the relationship between Heather and Brandon, given that this book was written and published at the height of the women's movement in the early 1970s. In a country where sensitive men like ERA-advocate Alan Alda were gaining fame, there was no doubt a swathe of the female population who thought a domineering, hairy-chested macho man like Brandon was super appealing. The year after Gloria Steinem launched Ms. Magazine, some women probably enjoyed reading about a dainty, meek little thing like Heather, gaily swirling in pretty dresses instead of burning her bra and mouthing off to her husband. No doubt there's a dissertation in analyzing this book for some women's studies doctoral student. It's probably already been written, in fact.

But I just couldn't go on reading it, myself -- especially when they arrived at Brandon's plantation and all the "negro" and "negress" talk started. I bet Brandon is a very good master, and all his slaves are happy. Luckily for me, I'll never find out.

I did not finish this books. I read 41 pages and did not go any further. Like most romances, it is easy to predict the love interest. What I did not predict was that the love interest would rape her twice in their first scene. That’s right, twice! I have been told that this is a common trope in the 70s: rape her than romance her. I will no avoid all books published in that decade. I just could not tolerate the amount of idiocy displayed by Bran. I mean really, the fact he could not read the signs is appealing. A friend forewarned me that Heather would probably not appeal to me that much either. I ask her if it was worth reading the book after page 41. She recommended reading the first 100 pages. Then she took the book and read the 100th page. She told me I was wise to stop then. I laughed and returned the book. There is not enough time in this world to waste time on books that do not appeal to us.

this book annoyed me because every person's thoughts were put in quotations the exact same as spoken words. i kept wondering why the hell they were saying such things aloud, and why werent the other people reacting to what they're saying. only to double back and realize it was just a thought, not actual conversation.

also, there is rape in this book.

Good to read the 'first historical romance' and it was interesting to see where the current trends in historical romances had their sources from. But compared to others I've read, its honestly a bit mediocre.

This is the book that started my love for romance novels. A classic in every way possible. The first time I read it I was about 15 or 16. It was amazing! I’ve read it many,many times over the years, and it never fails to thrill me. It’s always wonderful and I love revisiting my very first book boyfriend! 😊

Heather Simmons was forced to live with her cruel, lazy aunt when she was orphaned. When her aunt’s brother William came to visit, he offered to help her get a position in London as an teacher at Lady Cabot’s. She jumped at the chance and left for London with him the next day.

Well, his intentions were not as pure and altruistic as they initially appeared. He was a perv and tried to rape Heather within hours of her reaching London. In an attempt to defend herself, William fell on a paring knife and got stabbed. Thinking she killed him, Heather fled his home and ended up at the waterfront.

Captain Brandon Birmingham had just arrived in London after a long journey from America. He had his man George go out and find him a little bit-o-fun for the evening. George found Heather while looking for a prostitute for his captain. He took her back to the ship to Brandon and to her fate.

Brandon, a bit tipsy and horny as hell, rapes the innocent Heather, then refuses to let her go. He tells her that she will be his mistress in London. He had plans to visit London annually to see her. While he was out on business, Heather tricks George and locks him in a cupboard and runs away. She returns to her aunt and uncle.

Months later, her aunt realizes that she is pregnant and that it was an American ship captain that did the deed. They take her back to London with every intention of forcing the captain to marry her.

What the aunt didn’t count on was that Brandon Birmingham was no ordinary ship’s captain. He was tall, dark, handsome, wealthy and powerful in his own right. After being threatened with jail time, he marries Heather and takes her aboard his ship with the promise to make her life miserable.

That was the start of one of the most memorable romance novels I have read. And I have read a lot of them! Brandon was such a dark character at the start of the book. He was harsh, cruel and always angry when dealing with Heather and kept his promise to make her life miserable.

Even when Brandon was at his worst I couldn’t hate his character. His innate goodness came through more and more as the story developed. You knew that he loved Heather from the very start and was fighting it with all his might.

IMHO this is the perfect romance novel. It has everything you could want; the innocent heroine, the overly masculine alpha male, the other woman, wanna be other men, a dastardly villain, rapes, murders, attempts on the lives of the H and h. Just everything but the kitchen sink.

It’s one of the few books I can read over and over and always find it just as enjoyable as the first time I read it. I love this book.

This book was recommended to me by a friend, so I immediately reserved it at the library. Then I actually perused some reviews. I knew starting out that this books was controversial because of the rape that takes place several times, and the further mentions of it and fear the protagonist feels.

That being said, I was interested enough to start the book. It took me a couple tries to get into the story. Right of the bat, I felt for Heather and her plight. Then she must run from one bad situation into another into another. Because I'd read the back cover of the book, I knew that Brandon would end up the love interest, so it was difficult for me to reconcile what happened in the beginning of the story to everything that unfolds throughout the rest of the book. I never felt like he acknowledged how wrong he was, and even if he had, I'm not sure I would have liked him anyone.

It's with that in mind that I write a rather conflicted review. On the one hand, I was easily pulled into the story. I loved Heather's point of view. She seemed innocent, yet strong. She was demure, yet able to fight back when she got the gumption to. I found it quite easy to get engrossed in the Heather's life and all she had to endure. I also even started liking Brandon. I didn't want to, and I still feel somewhat disgusted with myself for liking him.

I can't ever condone rape, and the fact that it was used in a teasing manner toward the end of the book soured me into giving only 3 stars. The more I think about it, the more I feel it overshadowed the story in my mind. I'm not saying that a rape victim wouldn't then fall in love with her rapist. And, this is historical. I'm sure such situations were much more acceptable in the time setting of this story.

I feel like I shouldn't have liked this book, but I did. Would I recommend it? I'm not sure. I would have to preface my recommendation with this review. The story was well written, engaging, and full of excellent description. It was my first historical romance novel, and I will definitely read more. I even want to read the "exciting follow-up novel" to this one.

I read this book when I was fifteen, thinking it would be boring, but I was so wrong. This historical romance began a whole new age for me. Ever since I entered the intriguing world of Kathleen Woodiwiss, I have not been able to leave it, not that I want to. The plot is intricate and well executed, the atmosphere is dramatic and funny at the same time, and the language is elevated with beautiful dialect, wonderful vocabulary, and romantic and humorous dialogue. I loved every minute of reading this magnificent masterpiece!