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cupiscent's review against another edition
funny
informative
fast-paced
4.0
Confession: Gail Carriger's style is not really my cup of tea (not quite a pun, but very intentional). I find her work a little too frothy, flippant, glib. But that's a me-problem! I very much support what she's doing and I am delighted that so many others enjoy it. Hooray!
So while I would have preferred this to be a little less chatty-Carriger, that's my problem. What the book does, it does very well, providing an exploration of an alternative to the Hero's Journey, and what a wonderful breath of fresh air it is. This isn't precisely in-depth, tending to the big-picture and option-opening rather than the practical, but it's still a good place to start.
So while I would have preferred this to be a little less chatty-Carriger, that's my problem. What the book does, it does very well, providing an exploration of an alternative to the Hero's Journey, and what a wonderful breath of fresh air it is. This isn't precisely in-depth, tending to the big-picture and option-opening rather than the practical, but it's still a good place to start.
phoenixandy's review
informative
fast-paced
0.5
I had a real problem with the premise of this book, because her entire structure for a “heroine’s journey” is purely based on her point of view. Many of the pop culture examples she cites, either to back up her assessment of the Hero’s Journey, or her structure for a Heroine’s Journey, show a distinct lack of understanding or familiarity, or worse a wilful misrepresentation of the source material.
For example, she cites repeatedly how Harry Potter frequently has the ghosts of family (especially his parents) appear to provide connection when isolated from his friends (a heroine’s journey trait, apparently), yet when Luke Skywalker is with the Force Ghosts of his father and mentors at the end of Return of the Jedi, he’s alone and isolated, because Star Wars is a Hero’s Journey. In at least one other example she’s factually wrong.
I’m not disputing that the kinds of stories she’s classing as “heroine’s journey” exist, and are popular, because they clearly do and are, and she gets some credit for the last quarter of the book providing some useful guidance on how to write such stories, but her assertion that the structure of these stories is somehow antithetical to the Hero’s Journey structure is based entirely on a flawed and limited view of what a Hero’s Journey looks like.
For example, she cites repeatedly how Harry Potter frequently has the ghosts of family (especially his parents) appear to provide connection when isolated from his friends (a heroine’s journey trait, apparently), yet when Luke Skywalker is with the Force Ghosts of his father and mentors at the end of Return of the Jedi, he’s alone and isolated, because Star Wars is a Hero’s Journey. In at least one other example she’s factually wrong.
I’m not disputing that the kinds of stories she’s classing as “heroine’s journey” exist, and are popular, because they clearly do and are, and she gets some credit for the last quarter of the book providing some useful guidance on how to write such stories, but her assertion that the structure of these stories is somehow antithetical to the Hero’s Journey structure is based entirely on a flawed and limited view of what a Hero’s Journey looks like.
angelaann88's review against another edition
5.0
As an English teacher, I have to teach the Hero's Journey because it's in the 8th grade curriculum...but what I find truly interesting is the two examples I use to introduced this are Harry Potter and Big Hero 6 (And Big Hero 6 is recommended by the publisher). After reading this book, I feel like I secretly teach the Heroine's journey under the Hero's Journey label, which is quite funny and problematic at the same time.
I enjoyed reading this book even though it is nonfiction. Gail's voice when writing is the number one reason for that. She made me smile. She made me laugh out loud. Her voice helps to keep the book entertain and fast-paced while communicating important information.
I'm already thinking about ways to use this in my teaching and my work.
I enjoyed reading this book even though it is nonfiction. Gail's voice when writing is the number one reason for that. She made me smile. She made me laugh out loud. Her voice helps to keep the book entertain and fast-paced while communicating important information.
I'm already thinking about ways to use this in my teaching and my work.
tanyagold's review against another edition
5.0
A comparison of the hero's journey and the heroine's journey packed full of solid writing advice.
lucdiamant's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
czarina_misha's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I listened to the audiobook, which was fine, but now I really wish I'd read it. I was less than 1/4 though when I decided I must buy this book as a Christmas present for a friend (assuming the author didn't suddenly go off the rails and ruin a good thing). Another hour in and I knew I would buy it for my friend AND read at least a few sections before I actually give it to her. By the halfway point I resigned myself to buying two copies: one for her and one for me. We are neither of us writers (well, in our dreams). IRL we are both readers. We read across genres/subgenres. We like dark and happy endings, humor and inspirational and gritty. The Heroine's Journey is interesting nonfiction delivered in an entertaining way, but that's not really what earned it its 5 stars. No, for me, now I understand far better what resonates with me and why those books I hurled across the room totally deserved it.