Erin BlakemoreRezensionen

I really enjoyed this collection of essays about literary heroines and their authors.

Ms. Blakemore shares her enthusiastic, thoughtful insights on how several literary heroines are still relevant today. There are a few moments when my snobby English-teacher-self threatened to crowd the book out, but her gentle discussion carried the day. This is a balm if you need to remind yourself why you like reading classic books.

[The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder] by [Erin Blakemore] explores how our admired literary characters can be examples for us when life gets tough.

There are 10 chapters, each with a different topic. There is Self (Lizze Bennett), Happiness (Anne Shirley), Family Ties (Francie Nolan), etc. The concept is great but while I enjoyed reading it (and I read it over several months) Blakemore's comments are often mundane.½

Gave up two chapters in - pretty disappointing, not terribly insightful, and targeted toward people who *don't* think that fictional characters are good role models. Not for me.

from MaryZee's bookish book box; easy book just to skim through chapters on "themes", such as what fits with Faith or Dignity. Now moving along in another bookish bookbox

3 and 1/2 to 4 stars. Really good. Very reflective. Clearly, this was a labor of love, written with care - something appreciated by any booklover. Maybe a little over the top sometimes, but that's about all the negative there is, unless you don't agree with the author on certain points, but that's par-for-the- course, isn't it?

I only read about half as I haven't read some of the books, but I will probably continue when it become pertinent. (ie, when I've read the books and/or develop a sudden interest in the characters despite not having read the books)

Read from January 10 to August 27, 2011

I started this book months ago. I wanted to read the book before reading the corresponding chapter. That didn't happen. However, I've read several of the novels highlighted and I'm familiar with all of the heroine's mentioned so I made it a goal to finally finish up. So glad I did.

Many of Blakemore's literary heroine's are mine though I didn't call them that. However, they're the women I go back to when time's get rough. Lizzy Bennett has helped me get over heartbreak, Scarlett O'Hara has reminded me that me my life's struggles do not compare to surviving a Civil War, and Daisy Fay Harper (a literary sister to Scout Finch) taught me that life isn't perfect, but you can make it what you want.

Each chapter includes a little biography of the author -- each one a heroine writing of heroines, whether they meant to or not. I learned a lot about these extraordinary women that I never knew before. I'm actually quite surprised by the bitterness in so many of their lives, but yet they still managed to write these amazing stories of love, loss, magic, and, sometimes, scandal (I'm still a little shocked by how scandalous Claudine is). I've been introduced to stories I never knew (The Complete Claudine), reintroduced to tales I had forgotten (Their Eyes Were Watching God), and inspired to finally give Jane Eyre another try.

Whether you've read these novels before or not, this is a great book! And it would make an excellent gift for a reader in your life...just saying.

Whenever life hits a bump in the road or I find myself stressed out the first thing I turn to is a book. Books ground me and give me a form of escape from my present circumstances. They let me take a step back and look at my problems from another point of view and provide a much needed mental health break. While I have done this all my life I have often felt very alone in my solace in fiction, until I discovered the internet anyway. But a print book, in IRL, now that’s a different sort of validation and this is why The Heroine’s Bookshelf is ranked among my top reads this year.

In her book Erin Blakemore showcases twelve books with their fantastic heroines and authors and shows how each one can help inspire and improve our lives in different ways. She covers everything from faith to dignity, compassion, ambition… even magic. Each chapter covers one theme and talks about how both the heroine and the author embody that theme in their lives and in their books. Laura Ingalls Wilder embodies Simplicity, Charlotte Bronte and her heroine Jane Eyre show steadfastness, while Margaret Mitchell and her heroine Scarlett O’Hara fight every step of the way.

I loved how each chapter covered not just the literary heroines and their themes and adventures but also took the time to research each author as well. Often the history of an author proved to be surprising and very relevant to both the heroine they would go on to write and the theme that both they and their heroine would represent. Both Lizzy Bennet and Jane Austen were true to themselves against great financial and societal odds. Both Celie and Alice Walker led lives of dignity in impossible circumstances. It surprised me as well how many of these great female authors were forced to publish anonymously or under male pseudonyms and often led lives of poverty and degradation because they wanted to be true to themselves and write.

What I loved most though was how reading the chapters dedicated to my favorite books offered me insight into my own life that I hadn’t considered before. The lines she draws are fascinating to follow and I really felt like I learned a lot about my favorite literary heroines, about my beloved female authors and, within this new context, myself as well.

Highly recommended reading for bookish types, The Heroine’s Bookshelf offers more than life lessons, it offers new insight into favorite characters, great authors and even yourself.

Recently, I’ve been looking back on some of my favorite books from childhood–especially old and new stories about smart, strong women. It’s good to know that I’m not alone in my reminiscing; Erin Blakemore, for one, often returns to her well-worn copies of girlhood classics.

“Our favorite authors and their plucky protagonists have much to teach in times of strife,” she writes. Blakemore proposes that reading a book is the perfect antidote to the hassles life sends your way–and some of the best books to read in those times are the childhood classics that have been faithful friends through the years. Blakemore revisits her old favorites in search of the heroic qualities that readers have emulated for centuries. These traits, and the heroines who exemplify them, include:

- Elizabeth Bennet’s unshakeable sense of self in Jane’s Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
- A fervent faith like Janie Crawford’s in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God
- Anne Shirley’s happiness in Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
- The unbreakable dignity of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple
- The importance of Francie Nolan’s family ties in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- Claudine’s unabashed indulgence in Colette’s novels
- Scarlett O’Hara’s fighting spirit in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind
- The unerring compassion of Scout Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
- Laura Ingalls’s simplicity in The Long Winter
- The steadfastness of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre
- Jo March’s unadorned ambition in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- The power of Mary Lennox’s magic in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden

Blakemore’s survey of books written by women with strong female main characters examines both those authors and their heroines in equal measure. One theme running throughout the book is the adversity faced by these female authors.

The Heroine’s Bookshelf is guaranteed to return you to times (and bookshelves) past, leaving you to reflect over fond memories of reading and, if you haven’t read some of these titles yet, searching for your own copy of these girlhood classics.

For a full review, visit my book review blog, www.melodyandwords.com!

I am ashamed to admit that half the stories in this book have yet to be read by me. That IS something I intend to fix (and one reason why this book should be sitting on your shelf – it has a fantastic list of titles inside that should make up an important part of your TBR list).

So, I did not read every essay – mostly because I don’t want to spoil the stories. I did, however, read every essay of the books I’ve read and I found them enchanting.

One of the things I’m learning in school is how important it is to look at everything when it comes to literature, because of all the different ways literature can be interpreted. I mean – Lizzy from Pride and Prejudice.. she embodies grace and fire and I loved reading, and re-reading about her as a teenager – and still do as an adult. But not once did I think about her as a picture of what it means to be sure of ones self.

I don’t want to go into detail about each essay, because they should be read, taken for what they are worth, and allowed to inspire the readers to dive more through re-reading the classics they talk about (or read for the first time). I’ve found that older books have this amazing way to become incredibly relevant to life, and when things are down in the dumps, I remind myself that at least, my hair isn’t green like Anne Shirley’s, or I haven’t had to verbally lash a conceited, backhanded proposal given by a man who thinks himself better than me, like Elizabeth Bennet.

I think this book is going to be featured on my lists of good books to give for Christmas. It’s the perfect size, and the essays are short and feature quite a bit of material about both the books and authors highlighted. And… it’s just plain fun.½

The author has selected 12 books that were important to her at different times in her life. She discusses the author’s life and the main female character in the book and then provides suggestions on when to read the books (you’ve lost a job; you’re mad at your parents; you feel bored with your life, etc.) and suggests similar books to read. I’ve read 7 of the 12 books: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Gone with the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Long Winter, Jane Eyre, Little Women, and The Secret Garden. I enjoyed reading about the books I’ve read, but the author’s comments on the books I haven’t read didn’t make me want to read them. The other books were the following: Pride and Prejudice, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Anne of Green Gables, The Color Purple, and Colette’s Claudine novels. I think her descriptions of the author’s lives were better than her discussions of the books. Her writing was just not that exciting. After I finished reading Pat Conroy’s My Reading Life, was ready to read War and Peace and several other novels I’d never considered reading, but Blakemore’s writing style just wasn’t as good.

The Heroine’s Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder, is a series of essays on life lessons to be gotten from classic, well-loved novels. For example, we learn to have a sense of self from Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice; we learn about the importance of happiness from Anne of Green Gables. Each essay is short, only about ten pages or so (and this is physically a small book), and gives at the end of each bullet points for when to read the book and characters from other novels who are similar.

As I’ve said, each chapter is short, and there’s not a lot of character analysis (probably purposeful, if the author wanted to only focus on one virtue for each character). The novels are all well known, and the author assumes that her reader has read all of them (personally I’m 10 for 12; The Secret Garden and the Claudine novels are the exceptions). The author’s writing style is engaging and precise, and she gets to her point pretty quickly.

At certain points, however, the lessons to be learned are over-simplified. I also wish that the author had written more about her experience reading these books and how they affected her. However, I liked how the author tied each novel back into the authors of these books. And this book did inspire me to revisit some of my old favorites—currently I’m re-reading Anne of Green Gables, forgotten on my bookshelf for years. You won’t find any literary or in-depth analysis here, but this is a fun book that takes a look at some old classics. It’s a quick read, too; I finished it in only a couple of hours.½

This book's subititle, "Life Lessons from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder" exactly describes this delicious little gem. Each chapter is devoted to the life lessons that Blakemore, and millions of other readers have gleaned from a literary heroine such as Jane Eyre, Jo March, or Scout Finch, and her author/creator.

From the very first words of the introduction I identified with the author. Again and again this book resonated, and I found myself mentally crying out an emphatic "Yes!".

At other times, I was delighted to gain a new perspective of an old friend.

I suppose that it would be a bit redundant to say that I LOVED this book and that I highly recommend it. It's being added to my list of favorites, for sure!

In simple explanation the author, Erin Blakemore, takes character traits (such as dignity and compassion) and pairs them with a classic of literary fiction (such as _Jane Eyre_ and _Little Women_). Blakemore then proceeds to explore the character trait through the lens of the book's main character. What results is a delight.

A combination of memoir, literary commentary, psychological profile and author biography, this book blends all these facets together flawlessly. In an era of girls/women behaving badly, Blakemore introduces us or re-acquaints us with heroines worthy of our time and emulation - using both a book's characters and their creators. But this is not some 'sweetness and light' exploration; Blakemore does not shy away from the flaws and imperfections of those she writes about. Instead she frames these flaws as obstacles to be overcome and tools to transformation.

Timely yet timeless, this book has something to offer any woman, from high school student to senior citizen. As the book chapters are named according to the profiled trait you can immediately find and read the section you find most interesting and/or pertinent although my recommendation would be to read the book cover to cover at least once. Each chapter concludes with a short 'read this book (when)' bibliotherapy section and a list of books that further address the character trait. This book is a gem. Recommended for gifting to any woman you hold dear (including yourself) and one I'll be referring to (and referring others to) for years to come.

Disclosure: I received this book as part of the Members Giveaway program - thank-you for this gift.

Erin Blakemore had a wonderful idea when she set out to write about some of her favorite literary heroines and their authors. The best part of this idea was the way she translated it into print for her readers. I got so much from this book. Each chapter gave me the opportunity to relive my first experiences with Jane Eyre, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Jo March, Janie Crawford, Celie, and Scarlett O'Hara. What enriched the experience was the background on the authors. Who they were, how they lived, and why they wrote what they wrote. The Heroine's Bookshelf is a wonderful tool to begin thinking more deeply and critically about your favorite literary heroines - if you want to. Erin Blakemore certainly knows what it's like and what it means to get competely lost with your heroines.

I haven't yet met all of the heroines Erin Blakemore explored in The Heroine's Bookshelf. Half of them were new to me, such as Anne of Green Gables and the works by Collette. As much as re-encountering some of my old favorites was, I wanted to get to know these new heroines as well. I'm not the only one. Janel at Bibliophibian is hosting a reading challenge.

My favorite feature of this book is the reading suggestions at the end of each chapter. They provide suggestions as to what type of situation is most conducive to reading a heroine and similar literary heroines if I'd like to explore a little more. As such, it was my favorite Christmas gift this year, especially for young women. Wouldn't it be nice to have such a resource when you're first finding yourself and can use guidance from someone else who has been there?

I read The Heroine's Bookshelf on the plane on my way to Chicago in November. It made for the perfect travel read. Each chapter is self-contained and you can read them in any order without changing its impact. I did read it in order even though I was jonesing to dive straight into Scarlett O'Hara's chapter. The anticipation and the self-control made it that much better.

If you ever find yourself in need of some building up in self, faith, happiness, dignity, family ties, indulgence, fight, compassion, simplicity, steadfastness, ambition, and magic, be sure to pick this book up. There's nothing a literary heroine can't help you work through or overcome. You might as well pick up two copies. You'll be giving this one away as gifts without a doubt. It's a precious gift because it helps you see more clearly the heroine within.

From my blog: I really liked this book. It struck a deep chord with me--the idea that the books we read, the fiction we read, can affect how we feel. I loved the references to re-reading her childhood favorites as an adult. I do that, too. It can be astonishing sometimes, both for the things I missed and the things I internalized to the point that I forgot they came from a book.

In times of stress, there's almost nothing better than rereading a cozy favorite book and shutting out the world. And who better to remind us of how to be the heroines of our own lives than the heroines of our favorite books? From Jane Eyre, my own personal favorite, to The Color Purple, Blakemore takes a closer look at our favorite female characters, the books they star in, and the authors who wrote them. She not only isolates a few of the greatest traits of these heroines, but explains how we can take them away and use them in our own lives.

The Heroine's Bookshelf was everywhere in the book blogosphere last month and with all the praise it garnered, I couldn't resist getting a copy for myself. So when it popped up on Amazon Vine, I eagerly requested it, just knowing I'd love a book about so many of my favorite female characters. It's difficult for a book to live up to those high expectations, but this one managed just that. It's a delightful, heartening little read, that reminds us we're not alone and certainly made me want to go right back to these literary favorites. Perfectly written for a time when many women's lives are getting more difficult, when the pennies have to stretch that much further, this is a book that has a place on every woman's bookshelf.

What I really loved most about this book was that Blakemore didn't stop at the actual heroines in the novels. No, those are the women we're all familiar with, that we have already come to love and store within ourselves. She also talks about the fabulous female authors who created these literary heroines and their own foibles. She speculates on their motivations for creating the strong girls who still manage to inspire us today and adds them into the mix of real life - because much as we'd like it, our lives aren't fiction with a neat conclusion. Our lives are messy, and so were these authors', but they stood above that and created literature that transcends. Maybe our acts of heroism aren't writing, but that doesn't mean they can't inspire us.

Split into sections for the trait each character epitomizes, Blakemore takes us on a literary journey of sorts, through one heroine's capacity to love, to another's classification of magic, to a third's unrelenting faith. Even without having read all the books (I have never read The Color Purple or Colette's Claudine works), I still felt I gained from those sections. As an added bonus, I'd now love to read them, and plan to do so in the very near future. The entire book felt like it was written just for me - and it reminded me of how fortunate I am to love reading and to find inspiration in it on a regular basis.

If you are a woman and love to read - if you spent much of your childhood lost in a book like me - The Heroine's Bookshelf is simply a must read. I'm thrilled to have it on my shelf.

Originally posted: http://medievalbookworm.com/?p=2976½

This book is a delight! Erin Blakemore has done a fabulous job gathering some of the most beloved women characters and their authors to point out their strengths and how they relate to us today. I especially loved the chapters on Laura Ingalls Wilder and Jo of Little Women. I found each chapter full of insights that I had never thought of previously. At the end of each chapter are suggestions as to when to read the book, some of which I found most hilarious. I love a good sense of humor and Erin Blakemore seems to have one. Also are other book suggestions at the end of each chapter. I found this delightful little book full of encouragement, inspiration and a few laughs too. I highly recommend this book! It would make a fabulous gift for fellow readers! This book has found a permanent home on my bookshelf. It's a keeper!

For such a small book, The Heroine's Bookshelf packs quite a punch. It is one of those books that makes a reader proud to be female, while also making one appreciate the lessons learned from childhood heroines. It is the perfect novel to read when feeling blue or at a crossroads in one's life because it simultaneously reminds one of all those who have experienced similar thoughts/sensations/emotions while confirming the idea that we are not alone in our struggles. In a book filled with lessons, it is the most powerful lesson of all.

Ms. Blakemore does a fantastic job of presenting each beloved character in a fresh new light while simultaneously confirming why they are beloved in the first place. At the same time, she shares the struggles each author had to overcome in order to present these extraordinary characters with the world. Fighting to be heard among men, fighting depression, letting one's voice be heard - they are all issues that these authors dealt with while writing, which lends a note of familiarity to the entire proceedings because they continue to be problems today.

The Heroine's Bookshelf posits the idea that heroines in novels can be important roles models in spite of being fictional. From Scarlett, one learns never to give up the fight. Who can forget the importance of happiness and looking on the bright side of things learned from Anne? What about staying true to one's own beliefs, as shown to us by Jane? Often, the authors' stories can be just as, if not more, inspirational than the heroines themselves. If they can overcome their own conflicts to write these extraordinary characters, we all can do the same in our own lives.

The Heroine's Bookshelf makes me want to revisit and rejoice in each heroine all over again. Read at a time when I am struggling with my own demons in my personal life, Ms. Blakemore reminded me that I need to stay true to my own values, to fight for them, to never forget my sense of wonder, and to have faith. It is a reminder that I feel everyone needs to receive, and one that I will truly cherish.

The Heroine's Bookshelf is a collection of 12 easy to read essays about classic books and their female authors. Each essay delivers biographical details and themes/values that are celebrated in the corresponding piece of fiction in as an appetizer sized portion of reading material. I've come away with some new info about some of my favorite authors, and some new books to add to my reading list. However, just as if I'd eaten a few appetizers and tried to call that dinner, I feel like this book left me still hungry two hours later.

What a lovely little book. It was like reading into the souls of some of the most renowned women authors. A few of the authors I have not read. Now after reading this book , I will be heading to the library . When one book can expand ones reading,isn't it great ?

Delightfully nostalgic and enlightening

Behind every unforgettable heroine stands her remarkable creator. Debut author Erin Blakemore explores this theme in The Heroine’s Bookshelf, twelve essays devoted to her favorite literary heroines and the unique correlation between their writer’s life and the character she created. From Jane Austen’s spirited impertinence of Elizabeth Bennet, to the effervescent optimism of Lucy Maude Montgomery’s Anne Shirley, to the dogged determination of Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlet O’Hara, anyone who has ever sought solace in the pages of a classic novel or inspiration for new perspective during troubling times will be enthralled by every essay in this book.

Literature is comfort food for me and there is something inherently reassuring about reconnecting again with the books that we read for the first time during our childhood and early adult years. Blakemore and I share this affinity which she elaborates upon in her introduction.

“Call me a coward if you will, but when the lines between duty and sanity blur, you can usually find me curled up with a battered book, reading as if my mental health depended on it. And it does, for inside the books I love I find food, respite, escape, and perspective. I find something else too: heroines and authors, hundreds of them, women whose real and fictitious lives have covered the terrain I too must tread.”

The twelve heroines and their authors she chose to evaluate and share with us are several of my favorite too. Some fight physical hardships, poverty and hatred, snobbery and prejudice and emotional insecurities, and others the foibles and follies of human nature. Each is memorable to me because they faced struggles and challenges, confronted them boldly and creatively, and emerged victorious; a stronger and better person for their endeavor. Just their names alone: Scout Finch, Jane Eyre, Francine Nolan, Mary Lennox, Jo Marsh and Laura Ingalls evoke nostalgia, sending me in an instant to a faraway happy place of comfort, adventure and romance. In addition to revisiting my favorite heroines, my pleasure was heightened by knowledge of their author’s lives that I had not previously known, giving me a deeper understanding and respect for each of the heroines and their creators.

Besides blogging about Jane Austen, I am a bookseller at Barnes & Noble. Occasionally, when a book just bowls me over like The Heroine’s Bookshelf, I select it as my staff rec and talk it up amongst my fellow booksellers. A group of us were seated in the break room yesterday afternoon; ladies who are passionate about reading and love classic literature. As I lifted up the cover and firmly told everyone that this book is a must read, I proceeded to list all of the twelve heroine’s discussed. The ooo’s, ahh’s and immediate enthusiastic chatter that erupted sent shivers up the back of my neck. Just the mention of each heroine’s name sparked such vivid and happy memories. Everyone had their favorite heroine and a personal story to go with it. It was like a drug, a literary endorphin rush! I asked who wanted to read my copy next and a unanimous reply of “me” resounded like the joyous hallelujah chorus in Handle’s Messiah! Sweet music for a passionate reader, joyous bookseller, and dedicated book blogger.

The Heroine’s Bookshelf is a frothy literary latte; rich and sweet and deeply satisfying. Beautifully designed, it will make the perfect gift for the literature lover in your family or circle of friends. I wholeheartedly praise it to the skies and recommend it to all who wish to become the heroine of their own life.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Twelve books written by women with strong female characters make up what the author calls The Heroine's Bookshelf. Children's titles like The Secret Garden and Anne of Green Gables made the list, as well as adult titles including The Color Purple and Pride and Prejudice. The author explains how the heroine can help with different life challenges such as: Compassion, Fight, and Faith, and gives related books/heroines that also exemplify that characteristic. I found the insights into the books and what we can learn from them interesting, but what I enjoyed even more was the information about the authors and how the author's experiences shaped the characters in the books. There were several books profiled that I haven't read, but are now on my "to read" list . . . as well as several I want to reread. This is a great little book.