Samantha Ellis

The author, a playwright and a first-generation Iraqi Jew raised in London, views her life history through the lens of fictional heroines. I gleaned some new insights from the literary criticism at the heart of this book, but I couldn’t get past the gimmicky vibe of a grown woman searching for a role model in the pages of fiction. I can accept that the author may have experienced a delayed adolescence as a result of her sheltered upbringing. However, adults in their mid- to late-thirties should be past the stage of life where you try on different personality traits until you find your niche. I suspect that’s true for this author, and that her life story is retrofitted to the pitch for this book.… (mais)

Oh this book! I really feared to read it -- that it would be dull, that it would be sappy or disappointing. But no. Samantha successfully holds the balance between personal memoir and literary critique. It's wonderful to read, and delightful to watch her intelligent, thoughtful reexaminations of the books that had such emotional impact for her growing up. Not only does it make me want to rexamine some of my own heroines, it's finally a feel-good woman's book that doesn't end in marriage, or rely on romantic love for personal completion. I always wondered what that would look like, and it's something of a relief to find it so beautifully triumphant.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.… (mais)