To understand this book it helps to have a thorough grounding in English popular fiction of the late eighteenth century, for it is a spoof—often very pointed—of the absurdities so prevalent in that fiction. I was familiar with some but not all of the works the author played off of and often wished f

That was ridiculously funny. That was actual laugh-out-loud, up there with P.G. Wodehouse funny. That was full-on picaresque farce with added slapstick. Yes, it’s an early nineteenth century novel, but don’t let that put you off; it may be old but it’s really light reading. And funny; did I mention

I myself will admit to having laughed aloud several times while reading it. The Heroine follows the adventures of the self-styled Cherubina de Willoughby as she manages by turns to be clever, silly, naive, rude, and self-absorbed in her quest to become a heroine just like those she has read about in

A hilarious comedic jibe at the gothic genre.

Si tratta di una versione 'scapigliata' di 'The Female Quixote' di Anne Lennox, con al centro una scatenata aspirante eroina che non bada a nulla e a nessuno pur di portare a termine le sue avventure, a rischio della sua incolumità fisica e morale, e in qualche caso a rischio della vita. La narrazio