Vaginal Fantasy Book Club discussion

I will be posting a whole "new stuff from feedback" thread later! But two things now for the group:
We will be doing out hangouts at 7pm PDT on the last Tuesday of each month from now on. Just a heads up.

This thread will be stickied all month for you to post things you want us to comment on in the actual Hangout. Hopefully having it hang around all month will help get your input into the show!

Also, here is the Google Hangout link:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/1139174...

That should go directly to a live stream when it starts on the 29th! IN THEORY THIS WILL BE VERY SMOOTH! In practice...I've never done it before, so I hope the link works, haha. I'll try my best!

Thanks everyone for your input, we are tweaking things to hopefully be smoother in the group, and will do a roundup on here and in the video about the small changes we're making!

How do I watch the Hangout live?

Gabrielle wrote: "How do I watch the Hangout live?"

On Tuesday April 25 at 7pm PDT you click on the link above and if everything works according to plan it should transfer you to the live hangout.
The hard part, waiting for the 25th...is it here yet?

On Tuesday April 29th, not 25th! But yes, that's theoretically true, the Event link should work. I'll double check on the day and make sure the link works that's posted here so it's easier for everyone!

Felicia wrote: "On Tuesday April 29th, not 25th! But yes, that's theoretically true, the Event link should work. I'll double check on the day and make sure the link works that's posted here so it's easier for ever..."

Sorry...:-/ But now I think how confused I would have been if you didn't show me my error.

Do you think this is a feminist book, a book with a feminist in it, or neither?

I've read this book and the remaining in the series a million times in the past decade. And it appears to me that once you get beyond the mythology and violence and feminism, there is something important going on about the dichotomy of Silence and Storytelling in the lives of the characters, and the world they inhabit. Please discuss? Thanks! And I highly recommend the rest of the series, at least the original trilogy (where have we heard THAT before :P), to those who loved this book!

Did Sorcha have more of a voice/a more important voice when she couldn't speak than when she could? Did she say more important things when she was mute?

What did you think about how the healing/healer aspect was handled; the internal (self) vs the external (others) and the trauma inherent in each situation? I've read many books where this particular challenge has come up and this is one of the better written ones. The only series that I find does it better is the Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop, but that's just my thoughts. Are there any other series that you ladies think presents this particular challenge well or especially poorly? Please discuss.

There was a lot of controversy in both Daughter of the Forest and Deerskin because of the brutal rape scenes. Many felt that the depiction were unnecessary, while others felt that without it, something would be lost in the narrative.

Do you think the scenes were needed or not?

Do you think that the overuse of rapes (or attempted rapes) in novels - particularly romance novels - has made us callous to any novel that does include a rape scene?

Can there be such a thing as a rape scene that is "necessary" to a story line?

Lindsay wrote: "Do you think that the overuse of rapes...."

Statistically, in the US alone, it is thought that 1 in 5 women have experienced rape or sexual assault. Do you think that rape IS overused, or is prevalent in literature because it's prevalent in real life? And are we hyper-sensitive because it hits so close to home?

Do authors have an obligation to change the story they want to tell to be mindful of people's sensitivities, or should artistic license give you the freedom to create without boundaries?

What fairy tale would each of you folks choose to retell?

So Sorcha goes through so many challenges. She loses her brothers, her voice, her home, etc. She overcomes all these to accomplish the task to save her brothers. It brought to mind for me what would I sacrifice. Sadly I'm way more selfish than she was. But I see how in most of my favorite stories the more specific to the character an obstacle is the better the story, and the more you know the character. So my questions for all the ladies.
What would be your most difficult sacrifice/obstacle that you would face to accomplish a fairy task?

For me losing my control of my body, something like being stone or unable to stop myself from doing something.

I like Adelaide's question.

What is with romance novels & love conflicts between brothers?

Both protagonists are often moved around by mystical, outside forces. Did you feel like this made them too passive at times? Or is it just the nature of life to have outside influences and have to deal with it? Why did the Faery Queen/Goddess choose these particular women?

Out of Sorcha's brothers, who intrigued you the most?

Who was your favorite and least favorite brother and why?

Do you think the rape incident was handled cruelly by the Lady of the Forest or was she giving Sorcha the strength she needed to go on?

What were your thoughts on Simon as a character and his role in the story? Were you surprised when he reappeared?

Would this story be as effective if the main characters were not children/very young adults? Would the events that happen to them (Sorcha's rape, Simon's torture, Sorcha's imprisonment and trial) be any different if they were older?

I've noticed with many of the casting suggestions that many are choosing actors who are maybe 10 years older (or more) than the ages of the characters in the books. If a movie changed that, would it matter that the "lost childhood" aspect of the story was no longer there?

What is your favorite fairy tale? Favorite retelling of a fairy tale? What would be the worst curse? (loosing speech, sleeping beauty etc..)