Plain Bad Heroines: The extraordinary new gothic novel and work of LGBT literary fiction

A sapphic campus mystery chunkster of a novel. Plain Bad Heroines is exactly the kind of novel that I needed in my life. The dual timeline story focuses on the deaths of two young girls at Brookhants School for Girls and the impact of that event throughout the proceeding years. We focus on the lives of the teachers in the school at that time along with the actors playing those parts in a movie interpretation during modern day. However, curious things start happening on set which suggests that the Brookhants curse is still ongoing. Plain Bad Heroines was a beast of a novel and I flipping loved it. I loved the story within a story and the voices where so distinct and I felt completely immersed in the novel. It highlights the historical attitude to lesbian relationships and the institutions that tried to keep girls separate. It was just so multilayered and even though it was 640 pages long I kind of felt like I wanted more. For a novel to leave your feeling that way you know it is something good. Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth is available now.

Plain Bad Heroines first caught my eye with that stunning and very eye-catching cover — and the premise of a gothic horror really intrigued me too! The story changes between 1902 and 2014. In 1902, two young students, Flo and Clara, are students at The Brookhants School for Girls. They become obsessed with Mary MacLane, a young author of a memoir — even starting their own fan club, The Plain Bad Heroine Society. Unfortunately, both girls are killed by an angry swarm of yellow jackets (or wasps), and more victims die soon after in strange circumstances. Fast-forward to 2014, and a book exploring the school's history is now going to be made into a horror film. The book's author, Merritt Emmons, is thrown together on set with the two stars: celebrity actor and 'it girl' Harper Harper as Flo and former child star Audrey Wells as Clara. I read this as both an eBook (given to me by the publisher) and as an audiobook (purchased myself). I really loved the audiobook narrator, Xe Sands — she did a fantastic job and really gave life to the characters! The narrator throughout the book has a very tongue-in-cheek style of humour, which I thought Xe captured well, and when reading the eBook I definitely heard the story in her voice. I loved all of the main characters in this book, from both historical settings and modern day. I think I most felt sorry for Alex, the partner of Brookhants School's headmistress in 1902. She seems to be most affected by the curse, and I think she deserved better! The relationship between Merritt, Harper and Flo were intriguing, being intertwined and a little messy. It felt like all three were a little out of their depth. Harper particularly gives an interesting commentary on the cult of celebrity and social media, with her every move tweeted and Instagrammed for everyone to see and comment on. However, the book is really long at 623 pages, and I felt that it could have been cut shorter. The ending especially was a bit of a disappointment for me — it felt like it was building to a big crescendo which never happened. I was also a little confused by what happened and what was going on at the end, which was a shame as the rest of the book is incredibly well-written, with vivid scenes and incredibly atmospheric. While this is supposed to be a horror, I was left feeling dissatisfied and unsure how much of the goings on were real and how many were imagined. Overall, I did enjoy Plain Bad Heroines and it's one that I think I would go back to in a few years time. I'm not sure I'd refer to it as a horror, but it's certainly an atmospheric story that pulled me in with all the mystery and goings on. The narrator of the story is also interesting with lots of pop culture references and humour that kept me interested throughout. (Also, I only found out afterwards when I finished the book that Mary MacLane's I Await the Devil's Coming is a real book, not fictional, and that 'yellowjackets' are actually wasps, or perhaps hornets. Maybe this will spare somebody some confusion!)

Very much enjoyed this mix - kept me guessing whether it was revenge or ghost story or both - loved the characters and interaction and goth mood....stylish!

Vintage queer women: check Modern queer women: check Animal that makes you feel all creepy crawly inside your skin: check Also it had a poly relationship and I was all for it. What I didn't enjoy was the last 5% (60 pages), it just ended. Very lackluster didn't really join the two eras or the storyline to a close, just end. I'm not sure how I feel about the book yet because of that, because throughout reading it to that point I LOVED IT, I was storming through chapters to get back from the cliffhanger of the modern day characters to get back to the vintage characters to see how they were doing. I even loved the modern characters and hoped their personalities and "cursed" ongoings would bring them together to solve the case queer Scooby-Doo style. But no. While we got some idea of how 'it all began', and I had a vague idea of who the narrator was, I feel like I needed a bit of a tie in and I never got it. The artwork throughout was brilliant, Lemony Snicket vibes, just fit right within the pages. Also the narrator was brilliant, and quirky, occasionally clunky when you had to eye jump the page in the middle of a story, but overall I enjoyed them a bunch. To start with the first chapter had the narrator question if they're here you To continue reading, and I was all for it so I continued. Also they mentioned the Titanic then the narrator notes they won't draw me like a French girl, classic.

I generally enjoy books with multiple timelines and clever use of different types of media, and this was no exception. At its most basic, this is a story about a possibly haunted/cursed old school, deadly yellowjackets, an old book about a girl who doesn’t fit in, and various sapphic relationships. But within that framework, there’s a lot going on, and various stories within stories. You get extracts from the original book. A 1920s tale of some schoolgirls who were obsessed with it then died, and the terrible aftermath at their spooky boarding school. And then there’s a modern day book someone wrote about this going ons, and finally, the story of ill-fated attempts to make a film of the book, on location at the now abandoned school. Both the core 1920s story and the core modern day film production story get several POVs and there are also some flashbacks and news reports etc thrown into the mix. So overall, it’s one of the most ambitious books I’ve read in a while and it’s impressive how the author keeps all the wheels turning. The different sections have different tones but merge into a satisfying whole. There’s also lots of enjoyable ambiguity about what’s actually going on and by extension, what genre this is. There are plenty of spooky happenings, but they could be actual supernatural occurrences, delusions from overwrought minds, or tricks played by the production company. It keeps you guessing all the way through and though there are some answers, maintains some degree of mystery to the end. Either way, there’s lots of enjoyably gothic, tense, claustrophobic vibes – lightly counterbalanced by a few fun scenes in LA and elsewhere. The five or so main characters are all pretty distinct and interesting with a good degree of moral ambiguity and some pretty major flaws that don’t stop you from rooting for them. And their various relationships and dynamics are well done. Overall, I really liked this. It’s one of the more interesting and different things I’ve read in a while. My one complaint would be that the ending left me a bit unsatisfied but I’d still highly recommend this, especially to anyone who likes twisty plots, unconventional narrative structures and gothic vibes.

Beautiful book and quick delivery

In 1902 a scandalous book is linked to the deaths of several students at a girl's school. 120 years later, a film is being made, based on a best-selling book that covers the tragedy. I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The modern narrative is split between three young women involved in the film. Merritt is the writer of the book. Her debut was such a big hit - at a young age, too - and Merritt seems to be in some sort of limbo. When filmmakers are interested in her book, Merritt isn't impressed with the script, or one of the actresses involved. Harper is the hottest young thing right now, and can do no wrong. She's passionate about getting Brookhants story told, and is keen to star in and produce the film. Audrey has been in showbusiness from childhood, and despite doing alright when she was younger, everything has fizzled since. She was excited to get the chance to play a minor character in the film, but isn't ready when she's pulled up to centrestage. The narrative from 1902 is told from an omnipresent perspective, and follows the strange deaths of three girls in quick succession. So, Dear Reader... I didn't get on with the writing style. It's just so slow and laborious. I found it hard to get invested, or stay attentive to what was going on (or not going on - nothing seemed to be happening). I thought the use of yellowjackets throughout was clumsy and overused. I don't know what this book was trying to be - it felt like it might be a horror, but it failed to build any atmosphere. It might just have been a contemporary fiction with a paranormal twist, but none of these characters were likeable, and I couldn't get invested in their stories. Overall, this book was not for me, but I can see it appealing to others.

This books is a masterpiece and you should read it immediately. It is complex nuanced and beautiful in so many ways. It’s a love story, a horror story, a history and it’s truly gripping. The characters are all flawed and awful and real in the best ways. They are surprising in the way women are surprising. Stupid in the way women are stupid and petty in the way women are petty. It is a celebration of queer women without being sweet and cloying. I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone who like books.

Em Danforth has done it again! I have to be honest, I was a little thrown by this book at first -- it's so vastly different to Cameron Post -- but it me took no time at all to fall under its spell. It's creepy, funny, and beautifully written, and I struggled to put it down. I'm forever in awe of Em Danforth's talent and can't wait to see what she does next. (You know it's bound to be interesting.)

I received an ARC of this novel from a Goodreads Giveaway hosted by William Morrow. All opinions are my own. Plain Bad Heroines is Emily M. Danforth’s adult debut. I had not heard of this book before finding it listed for a Goodreads giveaway. The description sounded right up my alley, so I decided to try my luck at entering for an ARC. I was so shocked when I won, but it was really exciting, especially since it would only be my second time winning a physical ARC. When I say this book had hooked me right from the start, I mean it. This book is pitched as gothic horror comedy like The Haunting of Hill House meets The Favourite. This was enough to have my attention, but the premise itself takes that a step further. The story weaves from 1902 to over a century later to focus on a cast of characters who are all connected to the seemingly cursed Brookhants School for Girls. In 1902, the school is run by Libbie Brookhants. Two students, Flo and Clara, attend this school when they become infatuated with Mary MacLane’s writing and each other before their tragic deaths, leaving Libbie to deal with the aftermath and the school’s eventual closing. The novel explores Libbie’s own backstory and relationship with her partner Alex as well. Over a century later, Merritt Emmons writes a novel titled The Happening at Brookhants, which is then set to be adapted into a film. Actors Harper Harper and Audrey Wells are cast as Flo and Clara, which finally sets up the multiple timelines the novel explores and opens the doors to Brookhants again. Plain Bad Heroines was such a fun read for me. I love when novels have nonlinear timelines that weave together multiple other stories. This book is like a story within a story within a story that features novels within a novel and a film within a film as well. It seems like a complex concept that may be hard to follow, but it really was not as daunting as it may seem. I think the narration and writing of the novel helps avoid possible confusion. I really like how the novel actually addresses readers. It employs a lot of footnotes too, which I thought was really cool. The pacing and flow are excellent as well. Danforth definitely plays up the humor aspect but expertly pairs it with darker and creepier moments. Brookhants is very atmospheric, and it was really interesting to see all the stories there. I loved a lot of the characters but especially the main trio: Merritt, Audrey, and Harper. Many of the characters featured in this novel are sapphic, but Danforth also includes a budding sapphic polyamorous relationship. It was beautiful to see how this relationship developed and played out. I also just want to mention that Sara Lautman absolutely killed it with her artwork. It was incredible and definitely helped with emphasizing the atmosphere Danforth was creating. The cover and illustrations within the novel are stunning. Emily M. Danforth impressed me so much with this book. Her writing draws readers in, and the story itself is just so fascinating. I honestly cannot wait to pick up a finished copy, and I’m hoping to collect both the US and UK editions. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes sapphic dark academia!! Thank you to William Morrow and Goodreads for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel before its release on October 20th, 2020. *Content warning: insects, death, queer suffering, forced institutionalization*

I have to get into the set-up of the book I thought it was a really funny book I love this alot word 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The narration style was interesting, I liked the variety of characters, and most of all the foreshadowing and flipping between the two time periods. Although some parts are a bit cliche, the book definitely redeems itself through the narration leaning into it!

If this book were the SAME book yet featured solely straight characters, it would be rated five stars, across the board. Plain Bad Heroines, however, is not this book, which is kinda the POINT of its, yes, let it be said, Readers, clearly celesbian author. I have rarely read a novel of such quality - the story, the character development, the pacing. And these elements don't even address the most incredible aspect, the way in which the author uses words. Similar to a Renoir or Spielberg or Mozart (choose your favorite art form!), every sentence is crafted not just perfectly, but in a manner that allows full-scale immersion into the world being depicted. While the author wouldn't necessarily hug me for this, the (same) book is about to be read by my spouse and our daughter. And then by anyone else who decides to ask what I've loved lately. Settle in somewhere comfortable and dive in. This is truly one of the best.