Harper, 2010
197 pages
Non-fiction; Literature
4/5 stars
Source: Library
Erin Blakemore examines twelve beloved heroines and their authors for inspiration for life. It had been my understanding that the focus would be more on the heroines themselves but instead Blakemore also examines the lives of the authors and how their experiences shaped the characters in their novels. I enjoyed almost all of the essays except for the first which is about Elizabeth Bennet. I'm not sure why that one didn't click for me (because it's my favorite novel and although I don't know everything about it, I did know everything presented in this essay?) but in general it does seem as if the novels I didn't know as well had better essays. This book also made me want to reread To Kill a Mockingbird, which is a good thing because that's such a great book but also a bad thing because I have a big pile of library and review books to get through.
The essays are:
Self-Elizabeth Bennet/Jane Austen
Faith-Janie Crawford/Zora Neale Hurston
Happiness-Anne Shirley/Lucy Maud Montgomery
Dignity-Celie/Alice Walker
Family Ties-Francie Nolan/Betty Smith
Indulgence-Claudine/Colette
Fight-Scarlett O'Hara/Margaret Mitchell
Compassion-Scout Finch/Harper Lee
Simplicity-Laura Ingalls/Laura Ingalls Wilder
Steadfastness-Jane Eyre/Charlotte Brontë
Ambition-Jo March/Louisa May Alcott
Magic-Mary Lennox/Frances Hodgson Burnett
Overall: A cute little book (it is smaller than a regular hardback); perfect for the lifelong (probably female) bibliophile; I would recommend you check it out from the library.
Oh, this sounds so good! I like the idea of examining these famous heroines and their creators. My wishlist it is!
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting. I'll have to have a look.
ReplyDeleteThe Heroine's Bookshelf sounds like it will be right up my alley. I like pretty much all of the heroines listed. :-)
ReplyDelete