(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

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

Recommended to book clubs by 0 of 0 members.