How to be a Heroine: Or, What I Learned from Reading Too Much

Vintage Books

How to be a Heroine:  Or, What I Learned from Reading Too Much
Samantha Ellis
2014

The Summary
"While debating literature's greatest heroines with her best friend, thirtysomething playwright Samantha Ellis has a revelation - her whole life, she's been trying to be Cathy Earnshaw of Wuthering Heights when she should have been trying to be Jane Eyre.

"With this discovery, she embarks on a retrospective look at the literary ladies - the characters and the writers - whom she has loved since childhood.  From early obsessions with the March sisters to her later idolization of Sylvia Plath, Ellis evaluates how her heroines stack up today.  And, just as she excavates the stories of her favorite characters, Ellis also shares a frank, often humorous account of her own life growing up in a tight-knit Iraqi Jewish community in London

"Here a life-long reader explores how heroines shape all our lives."

The Good
As an English major and lover of literature, I thoroughly enjoyed Samantha Ellis' memoir.  Clever, clear, and comical, How to be a Heroine is an absolute gem if you love reading - or, basically, if you just love the idea of a strong, female protagonists who can hold their own in a story.

I especially loved the insights that Ellis had to offer on her favorite heroines, her hopes and fears in taking to heart the lessons of these amazing ladies of literature.  She's candid about her reservations, insightful in her exploration of literature, and just plain fun.  She's a wonderful writer, an excellent storyteller, and a fantastic scholar.

I mean, even if you aren't a fan of literature, Ellis makes her book - and, subsequently, the books she reads - accessible to a larger audience.  She succeeds in making literature, even the dry and boring parts, truly fun.  (Of course, I may be biased.  I was an English major in college and this book is kind of perfect for me.)

The Bad
Honestly, I have no complaints.  Ellis is an excellent writer:  candid, vivid, descriptive, and otherwise fun and intriguing.  I might not have always had a background in the books she read, such as Wuthering Heights, which makes her writing a little less accessible.  But I believe that's mostly my fault as opposed to an actual problem with the book.

The Ugly
Spoilers.

If you don't want to spoil the ending of classic novels for yourself, don't read this book.  Ellis takes a long hard look at some of the most important and dynamic pieces of literature and, in her exploration, she examines everything from characters, plot, writing devices, and more.  Which means she will tell you how a story ends - which means if you were hoping to be kept in suspense a little longer, there's a very good chance you will find the ending spoiled.