Irish Thoroughbred
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''Irish Thoroughbred'' is American author
Nora Roberts Nora Roberts (born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950) is an American author of more than 225 romance novels. She writes as J. D. Robb for the ''in Death'' series and has also written under the pseudonyms Jill March and for publication ...
's
debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...
, originally published by Silhouette in January 1981 as a
category romance A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...
. Like other category romances, the novel was less than 200 pages and was intended to be on sale for only one month. It proved so popular that it was repackaged as a stand-alone romance and reprinted multiple times. Roberts wrote two sequels, ''Irish Rebel'' and ''Irish Rose''. Roberts drew on her Irish heritage to create an Irish heroine, Adelia "Dee" Cunnane. In the novel, Dee moves to the United States, where her sick uncle arranges for her to marry his employer, wealthy American horsebreeder Travis Grant. Although the early part of their relationship is marked by frequent arguments and misunderstanding, by the end of the story Travis and Dee reconcile. According to critic
Mary Ellen Snodgrass Mary Ellen Snodgrass (born February 29, 1944) is an American educator and writer of textbooks and general reference works. Biography Snodgrass was born on February 29, 1944 in Wilmington, North Carolina to William and Lucy Robinson. She atte ...
, the couple's transformation from adversaries to a loving married couple is one of many formulaic elements in the book. Although the protagonists adhered to many stereotypes common to romance novels of the 1980s, Roberts's heroine is more independent and feisty than most heroines of the time. This book's popularity helped pave the way for other romance authors to experiment with heroes and heroines who had greater economic and emotional parity.


Publication

In 1979,
Nora Roberts Nora Roberts (born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950) is an American author of more than 225 romance novels. She writes as J. D. Robb for the ''in Death'' series and has also written under the pseudonyms Jill March and for publication ...
was a stay-at-home mother with two small children. Stranded during a blizzard with nothing to read, Roberts amused herself by writing down one of the stories in her head. After developing her idea into a novel-length contemporary
romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
, she continued writing and soon finished six more manuscripts. Roberts submitted her work to
Harlequin Enterprises Harlequin Enterprises ULC (known simply as Harlequin) is a romance and women's fiction publisher founded in Winnipeg, Canada in 1949. From the 1960s, it grew into the largest publisher of romance fiction in the world. Based in Toronto, Canada si ...
, a Canadian company considered the foremost publisher of romance novels in North America. Harlequin typically published works by British authors set in the
British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
, but in 1975 Harlequin relaxed its criteria slightly and purchased several novels from American
Janet Dailey Janet Anne Haradon Dailey (May 21, 1944 – December 14, 2013) was an American author of numerous romance novels as Janet Dailey (her married name). Her novels have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold more than 300 million ...
. Unconvinced that the market would appreciate novels such as Dailey's – all featuring American protagonists and set in the United States – Harlequin was unwilling to further expose itself to risk. As a result, the company quickly rejected Roberts's work; one editor explained that "they already had their American writer." In an effort to take advantage of the untapped talent of American writers, in 1980
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...
created a new imprint, Silhouette Books, to serve as a counterpart to Harlequin. Roberts sent her seventh manuscript, ''Irish Thoroughbred'', unsolicited to the new company. Nancy Jackson, the acquiring editor at Silhouette, pulled the manuscript from the
slush pile In publishing, a slush pile is a set of unsolicited query letters or manuscripts that have either been directly sent to a publisher by an author, or which have been delivered via a literary agent representing the author who may or may not be fa ...
and was impressed. She offered Roberts a contract, leaving the writer "awestruck".


Plot summary

The novel follows the relationship between Irishwoman Adelia "Dee" Cunnane and American Travis Grant. As the story begins, the young and penniless Dee emigrates to the United States to live with her uncle, Paddy, who works on a large horse farm. Dee's love for animals is evident, and she is given a job working alongside her uncle. Dee has a fiery temper and often argues with Travis, the wealthy farm owner; many of their arguments lead to passionate embraces. Travis later rescues Dee from an attempted rape. When Paddy suffers a heart attack, he becomes very concerned about his mortality and Dee's future. He becomes overwrought and insists that Travis take care of Dee. After privately agreeing to a temporary
marriage of convenience A marriage of convenience is a marriage contracted for reasons other than that of love and commitment. Instead, such a marriage is entered into for personal gain, or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as a political marriage. There are ...
, Travis and Dee exchange vows in Paddy's hospital room. As the story progresses, the protagonists become increasingly unhappy, with neither willing to admit their love for the other. Although still unwilling to vocalize their feelings, Dee and Travis appear more confident in their relationship after they finally
consummate In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the consummation of a marriage, often called simply ''consummation'', is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, following their marriage to ...
their marriage. Soon, however, Dee's insecurities are exploited by Travis's sophisticated former girlfriend, Margot, who has returned to the area to win him back. Dee runs away. Travis follows, and the two confess their love and resolve to make their marriage work.


Genre

''Irish Thoroughbred'' was initially published as a category
romance novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...
. Books in this genre are short – usually between 175 and 200 pages, or about 55,000 words – and are published in clearly delineated lines, or categories. Although each category romance novel is unique, it is required to conform to the general parameters that define its line.Bouricius (2000), pp. 12–13. The small number of books published in each line every month are numbered sequentially within the line.Bouricius (2000), p. 12. ''Irish Thoroughbred'' was number 81 in the Silhouette Romance line.Little and Hayden (2003), p. 147. Novels in this line espouse more traditional family values and place greater emphasis on the characters' emotions rather than their physical needs. Although these novels often describe sexual tension between the main characters, sexual intercourse is only described within the bounds of marriage.Bouricius (2000), p. 14. Category romances are generally only available for a limited time, remaining on a bookseller's shelves until they are sold out or until the next month's titles are released. Popular category romances can be repacked as stand-alone romance novels; ''Irish Thoroughbred'' received five printings by 1984. In 2000, the book was paired with its sequel, ''Irish Rose'', and republished as ''Irish Hearts'', with an initial
print run Print circulation is the average number of copies of a publication. The number of copies of a non-periodical publication (such as a book) are usually called print run. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulat ...
of one million copies. This coincided with the release of a second sequel, ''Irish Rebel'', which focused on Travis and Dee's daughter.


Themes

Silhouette editors were originally concerned that the novel was too ethnic. Like many of her early novels, Roberts's debut featured characters who shared the Irish culture in which Roberts had been raised.Snodgrass (2010), p. 21. The opening pages, alluding to the introductory scene of
Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...
's ''
Rebecca Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...
'', detailed the heroine's awed reaction to the extravagance of an American estate. This plotline of an impoverished Irishwoman's surprise at the wealth of America essentially reframed the Irish emigration to the United States of the 19th century. According to literary critic
Mary Ellen Snodgrass Mary Ellen Snodgrass (born February 29, 1944) is an American educator and writer of textbooks and general reference works. Biography Snodgrass was born on February 29, 1944 in Wilmington, North Carolina to William and Lucy Robinson. She atte ...
, ''Irish Thoroughbred'' is not as polished as later Roberts works. Snodgrass cites many predictable elements, including the core "confrontation between an overconfident male and an assertive girl-woman". Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, romance novel heroines were generally "trembling virgins", of an inferior class and power level than the hero. The hero often was very rich and powerful, while the heroine worked in traditional, subordinate, female roles, such as governess or secretary. The heroine of ''Irish Thoroughbred'' conformed to this pattern in part, by being sexually inexperienced, immature, and poor,Snodgrass (2010), p. 11. but Roberts deliberately deviated from the rest of the stereotype by providing her with a hot-tempered and independent personality. Her later books have continued in the same vein. As Roberts explains, "My heroine may have problems, she may be vulnerable, but she has to be strong, she has to be intelligent. She has to be independent and so does he, or I'm not interested in telling their stories." The popularity of this book and Roberts's subsequent novels helped transform the genre, making authors more willing to give heroes and heroines economic and emotional parity. Despite the greater independence that Roberts allotted her heroine, Dee is trapped within a patriarchal culture in which her uncle and prospective husband arrange her future. The arranged marriage and ensuing events, including the misunderstanding and her running away, were common plot elements for romance novels at that time. Dee's reactions, however, veered from the formulaic. Her retorts brought to mind the "quippy one-upmanship of feminist literature". When a man attempts to rape her, Dee responds with a series of sharp comments, calling him, among other things, "a filthy pig of a man", before succumbing to the traditional feminine response of fainting in horror. Roberts also includes the motif of jealousy. Dee is given a rival for Travis's affections – an over-sophisticated woman who is essentially Dee's antithesis. Roberts reused this plot point in other novels, including ''Song of the West''.


References


Sources

* * * * {{featured article American romance novels Works by Nora Roberts English-language novels Contemporary romance novels 1981 American novels 1981 debut novels