genre fiction

Heroines: The Lives Of Great Literary Characters And What They Have To Teach Us by Mary Riso offers a close and articulate reading of great heroines from literary classics, including Natasha in "War And Peace"; Jane in "Jane Eyre"; Mary in "The Secret Garden"; Lucie in "A Tale Of Two Cities"; and others. Recommended as a vivid, erudite, and exquisitely presented literary study, Heroines is a welcome addition to Women's Studies and Literary Studies supplemental reading lists.

Riso does an excellent job of summarizing the plots of several classic books and delineating the characters of the heroines therein. She shows that classic literature is not just meant to be read in order to write a paper for school or for our own reading pleasure; literature can also introduce us to heroines who can teach us many valuable lessons about life. Although the circumstances of our modern lives differ in many ways from theirs, we can still learn to be cheerfully courageous in the face of difficult circumstances, like Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, or to encourage others to live more sacrificial lives, like Lucie in Tale of Two Cities. Our circumstances may be different but the qualities needed to confront modern life are the same as the character qualities needed 100 or 200 years ago.

At first glance, this book may seem to focus on the literary characters mentioned. On reading however, it quickly becomes clear that the author's focus is the virtues which make up a godly character in anyone. The literary characters are a clever way to illustrate the author's point, using someone every reader knows or may know.

Very insightful and inspiring!