The Heroines by Eileen Favorite

Although a true lover of books, Anne-Marie prefers not to read to her spirited daughter, Penny, especially from the likes of Madame Bovary, Gone With the Wind and The Scarlet Letter. These 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.

The premise of this story was so much fun that it was easy to overlook some of the flaws of the book (too much happening, overwrought characters, etc).  I enjoyed the interaction of the characters from classic literature with the ‘modern-day’ (1970’s) people. 

3 Stars (Rated PG-13, some mild sex and drugs)