Irish Thoroughbred is the first novel written by American author Nora Roberts. It was first published by Silhouette in January 1981 as a category romance. Like other category romances, the book was less than 200 pages long and was planned to be sold for only one month. However, it became very popular and was later changed into a standalone romance. It was reprinted many times. Roberts also wrote two sequels to the book: Irish Rebel and Irish Rose.
Roberts used her Irish heritage to create the main character, Adelia "Dee" Cunnane. In the story, Dee moves to the United States. Her sick uncle arranges for her to marry his employer, Travis Grant, a wealthy American horsebreeder. At first, Dee and Travis argue often and misunderstand each other. By the end of the story, they work through their problems and become a married couple. According to critic Mary Ellen Snodgrass, the way Dee and Travis change from enemies to a loving couple is one of the many predictable elements in the book. While the main characters fit some common stereotypes of 1980s romance novels, Dee is more independent and strong-willed than most heroines from that time. The success of this book helped other romance writers explore stories where characters had more equal roles in terms of money and emotions.
Publication
In 1979, Nora Roberts was a mother who stayed home to care for her two young children. During a heavy snowstorm, she had no books to read and began writing one of the stories she had imagined. She turned her idea into a novel about modern romance. Then she kept writing and finished six more stories. Roberts sent her work to Harlequin Enterprises, a Canadian company that published many romance novels in North America. At that time, Harlequin mostly published books by British writers set in the British Commonwealth. However, in 1975, Harlequin began accepting some novels from American writer Janet Dailey. The company was not sure if readers would like books with American characters and settings, so it avoided taking more risks. Because of this, Harlequin rejected Roberts’s work. An editor said, "We already have our American writer."
In 1980, Simon & Schuster, a publishing company, created a new section called Silhouette Books to compete with Harlequin. Roberts sent her seventh story, Irish Thoroughbred, to Silhouette without being asked. Nancy Jackson, an editor at Silhouette, read the story and was impressed. She offered Roberts a contract, which made the writer very surprised and honored.
Plot summary
The story follows the relationship between Irishwoman Adelia "Dee" Cunnane and American Travis Grant. At the beginning, Dee, who is young and without money, moves to the United States to live with her uncle, Paddy, who works on a large horse farm. Dee loves animals and is given a job working with her uncle. Dee is quick to anger and often argues with Travis, the wealthy owner of the farm. Many of their arguments end with them kissing passionately. Later, Travis saves Dee from an attempted rape.
When Paddy has a heart attack, he becomes very worried about his health and Dee's future. He becomes upset and insists that Travis care for Dee. Travis agrees to a temporary marriage for practical reasons. Travis and Dee promise to marry in Paddy's hospital room. As the story continues, Dee and Travis grow unhappy, but neither admits their feelings for the other.
Although neither speaks about their love, Dee and Travis become more confident in their relationship after they complete their marriage. Soon after, Dee's insecurities are used against her by Travis's former girlfriend, Margot, who returns to the area to win Travis back. Dee runs away, and Travis follows her. The two confess their love and decide to work on their marriage together.
Genre
The book Irish Thoroughbred was first published as a category romance novel. These books are usually short, with about 175 to 200 pages, or around 55,000 words. They are published in clearly defined categories, or lines. Even though each book is different, they must follow certain rules or guidelines that define their category. A small number of books are published in each category each month, and they are numbered in order within the series. Irish Thoroughbred was number 81 in the Silhouette Romance line. Books in this line focus on traditional family values and pay more attention to the characters' feelings than their physical needs. Even though these books often show sexual tension between the main characters, sexual activity is only shown if the characters are married.
Category romance books are usually only available for a short time. They stay on store shelves until they are all sold or until new books are released the next month. Popular category romance books may be reprinted as individual novels. Irish Thoroughbred was printed five times by 1984. In 2000, the book was combined with its sequel, Irish Rose, and reprinted as Irish Hearts, with an initial print of one million copies. This happened at the same time as the release of another sequel, Irish Rebel, which focused on Travis and Dee's daughter.
Themes
Silhouette editors were worried the novel was too focused on Irish culture. Like many of her early books, Roberts's first novel included characters who shared the Irish traditions she grew up with. The story's beginning, which reminded readers of the opening scene in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, described the main character's amazement at the wealth of an American estate. This storyline, about an Irish woman from a poor background being surprised by American riches, reimagined the real-life movement of Irish people to the United States in the 19th century.
According to literary critic Mary Ellen Snodgrass, Irish Thoroughbred is not as refined as Roberts's later works. Snodgrass points out that the story includes many expected elements, such as a situation where a confident man faces a strong, determined woman. In the 1970s and early 1980s, romance novel heroines were often described as "trembling virgins" who were less powerful and came from lower social classes than the male leads. The male hero was usually wealthy and powerful, while the heroine worked in traditional, less powerful roles, such as a governess or secretary. The heroine in Irish Thoroughbred followed this pattern in some ways, being inexperienced, young, and poor. However, Roberts made her different by giving her a strong, independent personality. Her later books continued this approach. Roberts explained, "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 success of this book and Roberts's other novels helped change the genre, encouraging authors to create more equal relationships between male and female characters.
Although Roberts gave her heroine more independence, the character still lived in a society where men held more power. Dee's uncle and future husband decided her future for her, including an arranged marriage. This type of plot, along with misunderstandings and running away, was common in romance novels at the time. However, Dee's reactions were different from typical stories. Her sharp, clever responses reminded readers of the witty, confident style found in feminist literature. When a man tries to attack her, Dee makes quick, cutting remarks, calling him "a filthy pig of a man" before finally reacting with the traditional response of fainting in fear.
Roberts also included the theme of jealousy. Dee faces competition for Travis's attention from a highly sophisticated woman who is her opposite in many ways. Roberts used this story idea again in other books, such as Song of the West.