Don’t be surprised if you start dipping into classics with a new perspective on the heroines of literature. Bring in copies of Madame Bovary, Gone With the Wind, Franny and Zooey, The Scarlet Letter and Wuthering Heights for members to peruse when the heroines make their appearance. Now Penny must rely on her own heroic qualities to escape the hospital and summon her own Hero to her rescue.īook groups can have a lot of fun with this title, too. Eileen is the author of the novel The Heroines, which has been translated into Finnish, Italian, Russian, and Korean. The Heroines by Eileen Favorite 2.77 Rating details 1,082 ratings 304 reviews 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. Penny’s report of King Conor’s presence in the woods behind the bed and breakfast meets with a horrified reaction from her mother and well-meaning protection in the form of a psychiatric ward for hysterical and wayward girls. In fury, Penny runs to the forbidden woods behind her home and comes face to face with a Hero-or is he a Villain?-determined to steal Deirdre back to their tale. She is monopolizing all of Anne-Marie’s time and attention and has taken up residence in Penny’s bedroom. For the most part, Penny doesn’t mind the demanding, whiny heroines, until the arrival of the most troublesome heroine of all, Deirdre of the Sorrows.ĭeirdre is proving to be quite a handful. Penny’s mother dutifully administers warmth and comfort, but no advice, to the heroines. It is a heroine from classic literature seeking temporary respite from her tumultuous story.

Most of the guests are typical tourists, but every once in a while a special guest stumbles out of the woods or the rain and onto the Entwhistle door step. This fanciful debut novel is full of literary humor poked liberally at the dramatic, tragic, soap-operatic heroines of the classics.īudding teenager Penny Entwhistle is helping her mother, Anne-Marie, operate a home-based bed and breakfast business in a small Illinois town in 1974. Anyone interested in novels that like to mess with classic literature should pick up The Heroines by Eileen Favorite.