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The Heroines
The Heroines
The Heroines
Audiobook7 hours

The Heroines

Written by Eileen Favorite

Narrated by Charlotte Parry

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

3/5

()

About this audiobook

Although a true lover of books, Anne-Marie Entwhistle prefers not to read to her spirited daughter, Penny, especially from the likes of Madame Bovary, Gone With the Wind, or The Scarlet Letter. These novels, devoted to the lives of the Heroines that make them so irresistible, have a way of hitting too close to home -- well, to the Homestead actually, where Anne-Marie runs the quaint family-owned bed and breakfast. In this enchanting debut novel, Penny and her mother encounter great women from classic works of literature who make the Homestead their destination of choice just as the plots of their tumultuous, unforgettable stories begin to unravel. They appear at all hours of the day and in all manners of distress. A lovesick Madame Bovary languishes in their hammock after Rodolphe has abandoned her, and Scarlett O'Hara's emotions are not easily tempered by tea and eiderdowns. These visitors long for comfort, consolation, and sometimes for more attention than the adolescent Penny wants her mother to give. Knowing that to interfere with their stories would cause mayhem in literature, Anne-Marie does her best to make each Heroine feel at home, with a roof over her head and a shoulder to cry on. But when Penny begins to feel overshadowed by her mother's indulgence of each and every Heroine, havoc ensues, and the thirteen-year-old embarks on her own memorable tale. Eileen Favorite's lively, fresh, and enormously entertaining novel gives readers a chance to experience their favorite Heroines all over again, or introduces these fictional women so beguilingly that further acquaintance will surely follow. Narrated by the courageous and irreverent Penny, The Heroines will make book lovers rejoice.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 18, 2008
ISBN9781436115780
The Heroines
Author

Eileen Favorite

Eileen Favorite teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she received her MFA in writing in 1999. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her short story "Gangway: The Space Between Two Houses." Her poetry and prose have appeared in literary magazines and her essays and poems have aired on Chicago Public Radio. She lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter.

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Reviews for The Heroines

Rating: 2.9212962481481486 out of 5 stars
3/5

108 ratings12 reviews

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  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    After reading the summary, I would say that you don't really need to read the book. It pretty much sums up the whole thing. I found it difficult to get into the story, then once I was into the action, I found it hard to understand why Anne-Marie chose the heroines over her own daughter time and time again. As a mother, that is completely unbelievable.

    Toward the end, there was a spark of whether or not Penny may be a heroine. I would have LOVED that twist in the story. It would have made it more compelling.

    While this is an intriguing storyline, I can't recommend it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    As far as I know, the idea of mixing classical, historical heroines with a present day narrative is unique and deserves credit. On the other hand, my background in classical "soap opera" literature is weak, so perhaps I didn't glean as much of the subtlety intended by the author. Nevertheless, it is an interesting read, and would certainly be recommended to readers familiar with heroines of the past century.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Sometimes a clever conceit should remain just that--a conceit. Because no matter how you try to develop it, it will never be as as wonderful as the idea itself. Trying to build upon it and give it complexity strips it of its fanciful "What if?" brilliance and plummets it back to earth. And so we have The Heroines, a novel built around one of the most wonderful ideas I've ever encountered--what if the heroines from famous novels needed a respite from the tragedies of their own storylines--and promptly clustermugs the whole thing up. Basically, I feel as though I was sold a false bill of goods. The novel purports to be about a bed and breakfast that attracts the heroines of famous novels. Deirdre of the Sorrows, Franny Glass, Daisy Buchanan, Anna Karenina, Hester Prynne, Catherine Earnshaw have all signed the guest book and checked in for a few days of freedom from the misery of their lives. This is what I wanted to read about--how the heroines come to be at the bed and breakfast and how they interact with a modern world. I expected quirky, witty, and humorous. What I got was dark, disjointed, and ordinary. Instead of focusing on the heroines (who are little more than footnotes), the novel focuses on Anne-Marie Entwhistle and her daughter, Penny. Anne-Marie and Penny run the bed and breakfast and, unfortunately, the novel chooses to focus on their problematic relationship as a result of Penny's coming of age. WTF? Scarlett O'Hara's pounding on the door and instead of focusing on that, a pedestrian mother/daughter conflict is the subject of the book? And that is, in essence, the root source of my disappointment with the book. When heroines do (very briefly) make an appearance, they are flat, one-dimensional versions of their colorful, complex selves. Hester sets about sewing an A on the front of her dress and throwing just enough "thou" into her dialogue to make her seem authentic, Scarlett wakes in the middle of the night to pull down the curtains (for dressmaking purposes, of course) and try to steal the sweet potatoes, Deirdre constantly weeps. They read as caricatures of themselves. As for the plot, Penny is rebelling by going out into the nearby woods against her mother's rule against doing so. While there she meets and falls in lust with the Irish King of Ulster, Connor (better known as Conchobar in the original Deirdre mythology), who has followed Deirdre into our time. Through a muddled turn of events, Penny is locked up in a psych ward and we have to read about her "it's-just-so-all-unfair!" experiences there. After finally breaking free, Penny returns to the woods with Connor, during which some awkward sexual awakening occurs and Penny is going through withdrawal from the meds given to her in the psych ward. She spends her days smoking pot while Connor hunts deer and builds huts. Aaannnnndddddd that's pretty much it. Basically, there's just enough inexplicable tragedy and unresolved longing in Penny's life to make one wonder if Penny is herself a heroine (a thought which Penny also considers). Then we have a peculiar shift in narrative and we go back in time to when Penny's mother was a young woman. A point of contention between Penny and her mother has always been the void that is Penny's father. Penny knows that her mother became pregnant out of wedlock, decided to keep the baby against the wishes of her parents, and that her father died in a car accident. Penny's mom is mum on the details of who Penny's father was and what, exactly, her relationship with him was. This part of the narrative answers all of the questions Penny has regarding her father. I won't reveal any more here as to do so would be to spoil the ending, but this storyline was the best in the book and took about 10-15 pages. The payoff was not worth the other 200+ pages through which I had to drag myself. The story could have been saved if the characters had been more likable, the heroines had made more frequent (and more satisfying) appearances, or if the story hadn't been so self-aware of how clever it was being with all of its metaphysical musings on the nature of "heroines" and storytelling itself.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I was so disappointed with this book the second half that I almost wanted to rate it lower, but overall, I found it fine, so tried to be fair and rate it thus!The premise of the heroines at the b&b interested me so much that I think I just had higher hopes for it, and when the book didn't end up being what I'd expected, I wasn't as interested.It didn't end up being my thing.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have to agree with many of the other reviews of this book... what a great premise, and if anyone knows of a book with a similar premise that is better executed, please let me know!I gave the book three stars because I did enjoy reading it while I was reading it, but it was disappointing because it could have been done SOOOO much better. I loved all of the main characters, but would have really enjoyed getting to know them better. More about the mother as she grows up, more about Penny before the time which is the focus of the novel, and more about what happens after Deirdre's visit... just more, more, more!As it is now, it's good beach reading (which was my use for it). And I'll just be sad for what it could have been.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    a fun read about a mother and daughter and the bed and breakfast that literary heroines come to stay at when they need a break from their storyline. And ironically, I've never read any of the books of the heroines that come to visit.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I puzzled over this book for a while before finally buying it on sale.Then, I waited even longer to sit down and read it. Oh, how I wish I had read it right away. This charming novel is the perfect blend of famous heroines from literature mixed with a spunky, headstrong American girl's thoughts and experiences. It was an easy read, taking me just under a day once I got past a slightly rocky beginning. The book is definitely worth the read, and will provide the reader with hours of "what if" imaginings after the end. It's definitely one I'll pass on to friends, both literature lovers and casual readers, alike. Although the main character is 13, the book can be enjoyed by YA readers and adults, thanks to its many layers of allusions and humor. Not only was it enjoyable, but it's motivated me to revisit some of my favorite classics, next!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The only thing I have to say about this book is.....blah.Don't waste money buying this book, don't waste time reading it. Yak.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Grade Levels: 10-12 Category: Realistic/Fantasy FictionRead Alouds: pp. 8-14 (the Heroines); 28-34 (Emma Bovary); 85-94 (the mental hospital); 112-120 (Scarlett O’Hara); 155-163 (Hester Prynne); 176-180 (Catherine Earnshaw); 207-216 (Heathcliff); 227-231 (Epilogue) Summary: Thirteen-year-old Penny Entwhistle lives at a magical bed and breakfast where Heroines from classic literature occasionally come to stay for a break from their plotlines. Penny finds herself messing with the storylines of one of the guests and is hurt. Her mother takes her to the doctor and ends up committing her to a mental hospital. Penny escapes with a Villain who wants to capture the current guest at her house. He hides Penny in the woods and holds her captive until an exchange can be made for the Heroine. Penny eventually learns that her own father was a Villain and never messes with another storyline of a visiting Heroine. Themes: The major theme in this book is “what is real?/what is fantasy?” The premise of this book is very interesting. The idea that these famous fictional women need a break from their “jobs” as heroines is fascinating. That is real. Don’t we all need a break once in awhile? Yet, they use this time off to figure out how their fictional lives will work themselves out. Then there is Penny, her mother, and Gretta who are privy to the thoughts and plots of the Heroines. Real women helping fictional women: it is very strange, maybe even crazy. But after Penny ends up at the hospital you don’t want to believe that she is crazy, but maybe she is. Maybe her mother is. Maybe Gretta is. You are left wondering if it is all a fantasy, but you don’t want to believe that it is make believe. Which is weird, because after all, the book itself is a work of fiction.Discussion Questions: Why is Penny’s mother so afraid for Penny? Describe the character of Gretta. Why is she so important to this story?Who is really crazy at the hospital? Who isn’t? How do you feel about the treatment the girls receive there?Why is Penny do fascinated with Conor? Why does she resent Deidre? Who was the only Heroine that Penny liked? Why did she like her?Reader Response: This was a really weird book. That said, I think it is an excellent introduction to some of the great women heroines of classic literature. I don’t think you necessarily have to read the classics to understand the story. If anything, it lights a little fire in your head to revisit or visit for the first time, those women from those books that seemed like they would be too boring to really get into. An excellent book about books.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Just don't.I felt like I needed to watch American Idol to make me smarter after reading this.The author uses characters from wonderful literature in such sad sordid ways. There were many instances throughout this that made me feel she didn't comprehend any of the classics she used so brutally. (one character sports the wrong hair color for the whole book, the WHOLE miserable book)Grab something by Jasper Fford, be assured this is nothing but a pale, pathetic, sad, poor immitation.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    This looked promising and I like the premise, but by the time I hit p. 49, I realized I didn't care about any of the characters
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The Heroines is about a young girl who lives on the premises of a bed and breakfast run by her mother. This is no ordinary bed and breakfast, however. This bed and breakfast is the place where distressed heroines from famous novels such as Wurthering Heights and the Scarlett Letter come to escape from the perils of their story lines in their respective books. This is also a story of the trials and tribulations of adolescent angst. This is exactly the type of plot that in defter and more talented hands would have enraptured me. Unfortunately, Ms. Favorite's writing was uninspired and flat. I read this book in one day. It barely skimmed the surface of the emotions of the characters. The characters were not well-rounded or drawn out. I had high expectations after reading the book description on the inside flap, but The Heroines needs more than a good plot idea to rescue it from the well of soon-to-be forgotten books.