4.5 rounded up

I really love this author's fiction, but wasn't quite sure how that would translate to non-fiction. Thankfully I quite enjoyed this!

Really interesting break-down of the Heroine's journey as opposed to the Hero's journey, and as the author says, you'll start noticing it everywhere in the media you consume after reading! The chapters are short, the tone light and charming, with some really great examples from both mythology and modern pop-culture--it felt very readable and went by quickly!

There are places where it feels repetitive, the tone didn't always totally work for me, and certainly this isn't (nor is it meant to me) a comprehensive break down or academic analysis. But I thought it was enjoyable and really interesting, and I'd say it's absolutely worth a read if you're a writer, or if you're a fan of books and media, particularly if you're a reviewer, as there is absolutely stuff in here to interest you!

I’m not a writer… so why am I reading a book about writing? Because it’s by Gail Carriger, that’s why!

Gail Carriger is a favorite writer, and her books own prime shelf real estate in my personal library. I adore her characters, her plots, her world-building, her dialogue, and her silliness. (She’s also unfailingly welcoming and warm at book signings, which can’t be easy…)

In any case — after reading about The Heroine’s Journey through Gail’s social media and newsletters, I was intrigued enough to want to check it out. Lo and behold, it was a fascinating read, even for a non-writer like me!

In The Heroine’s Journey, Gail explains in details how a Heroine’s Journey differs from the much better-known Hero’s Journey. Surprise #1 — the heroine of a Heroine’s Journey does not have to be female! The concept of the hero and heroine, at least as Gail explains, has much more to do with the types of journeys they’re on, the obstacles they encounter, the resources they use, and their ultimate goal, than with a definition based on gender identification.

Through the use of literary and pop culture references, Gail clearly identifies the key elements of a Heroine’s Journey, and explains the tropes, characters, and beats that provide the journey’s framework. She also provides excellent examples of different techniques to use to bring characters to life, get readers involved, and provide a satisfactory payoff for devoted readers.

As an avid reader, and someone who loves genre fiction of all sorts, I found this book so interesting! It really helped me understand why certain types of stories and plots resonate, and taught me a lot about structure and underlying themes as part of understanding a writer’s craft and accomplishments.

And as for the geek in me, I adored the fact that she used Harry Potter throughout the book to explain different facets of the Heroine’s Journey. It’s fine to provide a writerly explanation of different points, but the examples are what really brought the points to life for me.

The Heroine’s Journey is a great read for anyone who enjoys learning about the craft behind the stories we love. I’ll be pushing this book into the hands of a few writer friends of mine too!

Interesting and thought-provoking.

A fascinating look at one of the great mythological structures that underpins Western storytelling (the other being the Hero's Journey). The Heroine's Journey is devalued in Western culture but it is also extremely popular. Carriger goes into the history of the journey; gives numerous example of the journey in modern movies, TV shows, and books; and offers concrete ways in which writers can employ elements of it in their own writing. Highly recommended.

Compelling case for taking a different approach to writing, with a fine comparison against the HJ so well-known. Eye-opening and inspiring!

I somehow had never heard of the heroine's journey. I've taken workshops and read about the hero's journey. We even teach it in 6th grade English Language Arts in Massachusetts. For quite some time, I felt like books/movies we said were the hero's journey didn't quite fit. And now I get why. Carriger lays it all out with out with great voice and humor making it a compelling read. I get what's similar, what's different, and why that difference is critical and devalued. I'm recommending this book to all my writer friends and to those who are (sometimes incorrectly) teaching the hero's journey.

This is a helpful tool, particularly if you're a writer who is interested in the dynamics of the heroine's vs. hero's journey. If you're in the process of fleshing out a narrative, this can help you to identify beats that may be missing, as well as some character archetypes that might be engaging to add to your lineup.

There was quite a bit of repetition and the content felt drawn out after the first 1/2 of the book. It would have been more impactful as a shorter guide, but there is definitely valuable information here. Take what you will, and skim what feels unnecessary.

I have mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, Carriger has an interesting idea about the heroine's journey and gives some really thoughtful breakdowns of both the heroine's and the hero's journey. On the other hand, she falls into the same trap as those who espouse the hero's journey as the only tale around: that all stories are the same (2) stories, that you just have to mash things around to make them fit and that proves we're all just telling the same stories, and that the heroine's journey doesn't need every step and then turning around and insisting this or that is absolutely necessary to the story. In an attempt to show where the heroine's and hero's stories are distinct she also draws some weird lines between what they can and can't be (genre, tropes, character arcs) and really pounds it home, which to me argues for a lack of imagination. (Which is, again, part of my issue with the hero's journey true-believers.)

On top of that, the book is incredibly voice-y and I find Carriger annoying. I admittedly DNFed her Parasol Protectorate series bc I was barely hanging on through the character voices and then she threw in a ridiculous trope I hate and I bailed. That said, my biases aside, I still think the story would have benefitted from being a little more clean, with less cute asides. Frankly, it would have been shorter, which would have been nice, because a decent chunk of it just starts to feel like filler to make the book bigger. If you think grown adults who drop their Hogwarts households unprompted and literally write "haha" into their text are totally cool, you won't mind. I minded, greatly.

In general, I think the book's topic is interesting and I learned quite a bit from it. The way it was done was imperfect and at times downright annoying. I'd like to have a long journal article about it for review, but I wouldn't put myself through reading this book again.