Squawk Radio

I've been seeing this term bandied about the various message boards and websites. It's "TSTL" and it refers to the heroine of a romance novel whose actions are so bizarre or so self destructive (either physically or relationship-wise) that the reader deems her not only not worthy of the requisite "happily-ever-after" but Too Stupid to Live. I'm willing to step out on a limb here and suggest that any reader who deems a heroine as being TSTL is one cocked elbow away from hurling the book that she inhabits into the wall. Ouch.

Now I can understand feeling let down especially if the heroine is moving along in a reasonable and, most important of all, characteristically intelligent manner and suddenly does something out of character that endangers her well-being or the well-being of someone else.

BUT

Love does make us stupid. Act stupidly. Act impulsively. Act without thinking of the future or the past.

So...how stupid is TOO stupid?

Second point I'd like to broach. What about the heroine who is just plain old...unbright? Someone whose personality is, from page one, depicted as being a little frivolous, thoughtless, heedless ...Unintelligent. Any sympathy for her? I'm thinking of Lolly in Jill Barnett's fabulous book Just A Kiss Away. Aren't we all sort of sick of bookworm heroines? Aren't we ready to fall in love with a heroine who isn't a bluestocking, doesn't have any hidden but fabulously well developed skills, and doesn't aspire to be the top of some male-dominated profession? I am.

Connie Brockway