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.
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"The plot looked promising and was rather bumpy mid-way but overall, I thought it a wonderfully crafted novel. Appealing to the book lover in me, I could sense Penny's disappointment and ultimate triumph. A short novel but a good enough length for me. " — Nicole (5 out of 5 stars)
"The plot looked promising and was rather bumpy mid-way but overall, I thought it a wonderfully crafted novel. Appealing to the book lover in me, I could sense Penny's disappointment and ultimate triumph. A short novel but a good enough length for me. "
" This book was pretty unique and I really liked the idea behind it. However, I wasn't really expecting the story to go in the direction it did and I didn't really liked where it went. I wanted more about the heroines and less of all the main character craziness. Still it was a really quick, easy read. "
" I don't think I really got it; seemed very disjointed; an interesting idea not really realized "
" This book had an good idea for the plot, though it wasn't as interesting as it could have been. Basically it's about a 13 year old girl who lives with her single mother and their housekeeper. They run a bed and breakfast and all these heroines from novels visit them (such as Madame Bovary, Scarlett O'Herra, Catherine Earnshaw). This should have been a better book. I liked the main character, though I spent most of the novel trying to decide if the heroines are real or they are all just crazy. Anyhow, this book was ok, but I felt like it could have been so much better. "
" I agree with most of the reviews here - the summary on the back was intriguing and original, but the story didn't live up to the potential and the Heroines themselves became completely irrelevnt. Very disappointing. "
" If Jasper Fforde and Judy Blume had a torrid love affair, this would be their love-child. Charm, angst, gentleness, cruelty, realism, fantasy, all jumbled up and tied together with a love of books and characters. Great fun! "
" Not one of my typical reads since it is so fairytale oriented but I really enjoyed it. The book was a great vacation read. "
" The heroines come to stay at the bed and breakfast for a brief rest before returning to their stories. Penny, the 13 yr old daughter of the owner narrates the story. Quite a fantasy! "
" Somewhere in the middle this book took a left turn and just about the last third it fell off a cliff. I was in love with the first 75 pages, and felt very disappointed. "
" not too bad, she does a decent job of taking an unbelievable subject and making it fairly believable "
" I like the idea, and was thrilled to see characters from the Tain (I don't know many people who've read it); but otherwise it was a bit ... thin. Not bad for getting me to and from school, though. (Audiobook) "
" Re-reading b/c this is the April selection for my book club. I picked it b/c Kaite said it's a good choice if you want to mess with the minds of your book club members. I first read it sometime in 2008. "
" I still haven't finished this book. It started out great, but then got extremely weird. The main character was admitted into an institution.. just couldn't bring myself to finish it. "
" Good idea, not well executed but I did finish the book. "
" a light read,about a girl who lives in 70's and characters from books visit her house. "
" This book was fun. I loved the premise...a B & B for heroines who need a break from their lives. "
" Very readable. Some clever ironic twists. Story is totally far-fetched and inplausible, but then again it was meant to be. Made me want to read many of the classics that I haven't gotten around to. "
" a bed and breakfast that caters to fictional characters when they come alive for some relief from their depressing tales. Written from the owner's daughter's point of view as she grows up in this strange environment, and learns the truth of where her father really came from.. "
" Listened to the "playaway" version of this as I cleaned - worked well for it's purpose. I do really like the narrator's voice, but the story was just OK. "
" The premise of this book was awesome, the ending was good, but the middle was a weird story that could have been so much more. "
" A bed and breakfast for literary heroines who need a break from their plots? What a neat idea. This book could have been so very funny, but it wasn't. "
" Catchy premise and fast moving story. I liked the idea, but wish that there would have been more "guests." I saw the ending a mile away. There was no surprise there. "
" After scanning a few of the existing reviews for this book, I see that my thoughts have been expressed. Great idea, disappointing execution. This could have been so good... "
" It was light reading and a good concept. Not sure if I felt the story was as strong as it could have been. "
" It was a book that makes me want to go out and reread all the classics that had Heroines that visited The Homestead. "
" A quirky novel full of references to all of the classics, most of which I've never read. "
" The whole time I was thinking "Is she crazy? Is her mother crazy? Is the story plot supposed to be real or imagined?" I HATE the way it ended! "
" Kind of different and wacky, but entertaining. "
" Loved it! Started a little slow (or so I thought) but once I was sucked in - it was great! I'm now thinking I might actually read "The Classics" - The Scarlet Letter...Bronte.... "
" First chapter down, and I am hooked. Favorite uses beautiful prose and well strung imagery. She has an uncanny ability to have flashback into a frustrated 13 year old's voice. "
" A brilliant idea that sadly falters in execution. "
" During reading... So far not what I was expecting. Far more like "Girl Interrupted" than anything else. Once finished... I really want to re-write this book. It could have been so much better than it was. Too bad! "
" Disappointed. Kept waiting for more "Heroines" to show up and rescue the book. Boo. "
" This book is So. Much. Fun. :) Four and a half stars! This could have been just gimmicky, but Favorite takes the idea and really makes it work. I did see the final reveal coming a long way off, but that didn't spoil anything. "
Charlotte Parry is an actress and Earphones Award–winning narrator. She made her Broadway debut in the 2000 Tony Award–winning revival of The Real Thing and has also appeared in stage productions of As You Like It, Pygmalion, and The Importance of Being Earnest. She has performed in several Broadway plays, including the revival of The Winslow Boy and The Importance of Being Earnest.
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