Half horror and half historical fiction, "Plain Bad Heroines" follows the parallel storylines of the deaths at Brookhants School for Girls in 1902 and their connection to the scandalously sapphic bestselling memoir of Mary MacLane, and the modern-day filming of a movie based on a book of the events.

If that sounds like a complicated plot…you don’t know the half of it. With widespread casts of characters and a host of twists and turns in both timelines that make the book into a story about a movie about a book about a book, "Plain Bad Heroines" is anything but simple. Leaving readers wondering what is real, the novel paints a picture of a detailed alternate world, filled with false films, literature, and celebrities that mix with real-life events from history.

“That version, as with so many of the stories we tell about our history, erased a woman- a plain, bad heroine- in favor of a less messy and more palatable yarn about two feuding brothers from New England.”

Although easy enough to follow along with, the storyline becomes wrapped in so many layers by the second half that there’s no way you’ll see the ending, a surprise that comes at the cost of too much exposition and clarification in what could have been a much more straightforward and simplified novel. An intriguing and unusual structure, the book struggles to find momentum in the first half and seems almost wishy-washy at times about what type of story it wants to be, especially with the overlapping of so many genres attempting to come together into something coherent, much less focused. And even when the story does take off, it still feels stretched thin over the more than 600 pages with not much action.

For those that love classic literature, this slow build-up and progression will not be a turn-off. And the strength of the narrator’s voice and character as they address the reader directly throughout the novel will be the cherry on top of the classic-loving cake, especially when matched with the thoroughly developed-characters that, admittedly, put the length of the book to good use as they blossom into fully-capable, engrossing, morally grey, and almost-all-queer characters.

“‘I like it so much better when nobody expects anything from me and then I surprise them by delivering anything at all.’
‘That bar’s so low you’re gonna stub your toe on it.'”

The many footnotes scattered throughout the piece are obviously supposed to add to this old-time aesthetic but often end up acting as unnecessary asides that would have been less distracting if they had been integrated directly into the text. Meanwhile, another, more appreciated, distraction is the illustrations. Charming and wonderful in their watery grey and white, the pictures felt separate from the text and don’t seem to fit the aesthetic of the writing…or even the cover.

But the book doesn’t just harken back generally to classic literature, but specifically gothic fiction. And this tone is certainly depicted well throughout, with the elements of horror succeeding at building unease and tension. As the story goes on, these elements lose their shininess, however, and become somewhat of a one-trick pony…or wasp, rather…that can at times almost come off as repetitive.

“Eleanor Faderman knew many books. But never before had she read a book that seemed to know her.”

This book will find its specific audience in lovers of gothic horror, especially those that enjoy the genre just as much as they wish there was more queer representation in it. Those who like "Sawkill Girls" may also want to pick this one up. I rated "Plain Bad Heroines" 4 out of 5 stars.

“Eleanor Faderman knew many books. But never before had she read a book that seemed to know her.”

Most importantly: I loved this book. I read it over a month and spent it slowly winding through each layer of this story within a story within a story. I started off reading an e-arc from Netgalley, but this book just begged to be annotated so I ended up buying a physical copy and finishing it from there.

I actually really liked the alternating story lines. I was completely invested in each character and what was happening to them so I was always eager to get back to both the past and the present time lines. I’m always a big fan of multi-POV books and every character (even the Narrator) had an interesting thought process and the way they handled the events happening to them.

Plain Bad Heroines has everything: haunted land, creepy gothic vibes, heroines you don’t necessarily always like, Sapphic yearning, and a beautifully layered story that Emily M. Danforth slowly peels back for you revealing that things you thought you knew were definitely wrong. This is absolutely going to be a book I reread to try and find all the little clues along the way.

But this book was also beautiful aesthetically. I love the cover, but the interior design is amazing. The full scene sketches and the little yellow jackets you find throughout the pages really added to the story for me. Highly recommend picking this up.

I simply loved it! It's a complex book with multilayered plots and dueling timelines. Plus quotes, illustrations, and footnotes! Who could ask for more? Some have had issues with the book not having enough "of this or that" but I really enjoyed the journey of the different stories in and of itself. If you're looking for an earth-shattering climax, major sex scenes, or pure horror then this is not the book for you. If you want something original that will immerse you in a spooky, sometimes funny, world of yellowjackets, movies, lesbians, and death, please read this book!

This is literally the best book to read after binge watching The Haunting of Bly Manor. It gave me all of the same spooky, gothic romantic feelings after I finished the show and genuinely scared me at times. By far my favorite scenes were those in the present- but I definitely loved the past storylines as well. The relationships were so intriguing and I was obsessed with the epic threesome that was Harper Harper, Merritt, and Audrey. The jealousy? The intense sexual pining? The SAPHIC energy? I’m forced to say this is a new favorite.

I tried, I really did. I just couldn't get into this book. Partly the writing just didn't work for me and partly I just couldn't get invested in the modern day storyline. There's a reader out there for this, it just isn't me.

Whoa this book was a wild ride. I loved it. At the beginning it was a little difficult to keep all the separate stories straight but I was soon sucked in. This book was gorgeously told and definitely got creepy at times.

Very strange book. Very confusing - but builds to an acceptable ending. A little hard to get interested in - slow to start - but builds along the way.

It's dark, queer, horror metafiction about women protagonists who you hate AND love simultaneously. What more might you need in a novel that's truly dark fun?

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth is absolutely brilliant! Danforth braids multiple storylines and timelines seamlessly while presenting readers with well-crafted characters, gothic tropes, ill-fated lovers, terrifying yellow jackets, and lesbians.

Each of Danforth’s main characters is a queer woman, and each one is so believably real and flawed that you can’t help but fall in love with them. The strained relationship between Libbie and Alex kept me anxiously turning pages until their bitter ends. And I thoroughly enjoyed Merritt’s prickly nature, Harper Harper’s effortless celebrity, and Audrey’s miserable B-list status, but I loved the chemistry between the three of them the most—the quick attraction between Merritt and Harper Harper, and the antagonism between Audrey and Merritt.

Danforth’s talent for storytelling is evident in how she lays out the pieces, slowly revealing each layer. Plain Bad Heroines opens with Mary MacLane’s book, which leads the reader to the tragic deaths of Flo and Clara, and introduces us to the Brookhants School for Girls and the doomed lovers, Libbie and Alex. From the mysterious deaths on the Brookhants campus, Danforth weaves in wunderkind author Merritt Emmons, and celebrity lesbian Harper Harper, and B-list actor Audrey Wells. And throughout the whole story, the treads that bind it all together stem from a book and a curse that’s not fully revealed until the very end. Plain Bad Heroines is not a short story, it is a deliciously long one, and I savored each and every page.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys time-hopping tales, smart and spooky gothic novels, and queer characters.

As much as I wanted to like this book, I unfortunately did not. At over 600 pages, it really dragged and I can't say that any of the characters were particularly likeable. Was it beautifully Sapphic, yes. Was it a horror book? NO. There were a few moments of foreboding but it all fizzled out at the end. I am proud of myself for pushing through this slog of a novel.

First things first, I listened to this one on audiobook as opposed to reading a physical copy, and I think that's where it mostly went wrong for me! At a whopping 19 hours and 27 minutes, this book was a COMMITMENT.

The concept and dual storylines intrigued me! This novel takes place in the early 1900's at Brookhants School for Girls, as well as in modern day following movie star Harper Harper (no that's not a typo), author Meritt Emmons, and childstar Audrey Wells. Both timelines are plagued by a mysterious force, seemingly creating haunting, illusionary experiences to traumatize the characters, as well as confuse the readers to what horrors truly lie at Brookhants. The earlier timeline follows the opening of the school, and the beginning of the horrors, and the modern timeline follows the women involved in a movie reenactment of the initial story.

I should say I do love a creepy story, and was itching (pun intended) to read this one! I had heard so many amazing things about the author's beautiful writing style, but the style didn't translate well to audio. The dual timelines were extremely confusing to follow in the first quarter of the book, and the slow build was just too slow. If the book had been around 350-400 pages, as opposed to the 600+, resulting in almost a full day's audiobook, this would have been a 4 or 5 star read for me.

The husky voiced narrator was the perfect complement to this unnerving story spanning decades and with a large cast of queer "heroines." This is a long listen, and despite bumping it up to 1.5x it took me almost two months to get through it due to pandemic times. I feel like this would be better listened to as a re-read, as I've been told here are extensive footnotes in the print edition, and I admit I struggled to keep characters straight in my brain.

That said, the enjoyed this story quite a bit, and it was creepy enough to keep me interested but not too scary that I couldn't listen to it.

The characters are incredibly detailed and rich, and the footnotes are very cool--which on the one hand was great because I wanted to read them, but on the other hand, broke up my reading. The Gilded Age was definitely gothic and spooky, but I thought the contemporary part wasn't as strong?

I actually received an ARC of this way back in the beginning of the year (thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins!), but the length and all the other weird crap happening this year somewhat daunted me, and I never got around to actually reading it ... until my buddy Ron Charles printed HIS rave review in WaPo, which impelled me to crack it open.

But I think the wait was actually perfect, since after the annual Booker marathon and the drudgery of the US election, I desperately NEEDED something fun and different - and boy howdy, is this just that in spades! Although it took me 10 days to read it, that is no reflection on the book itself - for the most part it is involving, nah, often riveting, and just so clever. Sure, maybe a judicious final edit COULD have eliminated some of the more languid passages and cut a good 100 pages, but it never seemed particularly plodding.

Often when, as here, there are two separate stories told in two different time periods, one is vastly more interesting and entertaining than the other - but both these stories are sufficiently fleshed out and intriguing that one doesn't really prefer one to the other - they are BOTH essential.

A final note - since several reviews pointed out how central to the plot Mary MacLane's 1902 memoir I Await the Devil's Coming is to this, I felt it MIGHT be essential to have read that prior to, so I did - although it might have marginally increased my appreciation, MacLane's book is a repetitious slog, and Danforth provides plenty of quotes, so that it isn't really necessary to wade through it to get the gist. And Truman Capote's Answered Prayers: The Unfinished Novel is ALSO invoked and plays a part - one of the few things I thought DIDN'T particularly work well - but is also unnecessary to have read to enjoy this. If you want something totally bonkers, but a helluva lot of fun, this is the book for you.

Listen, I'd give this book 100,000 stars if I could. I absolutely loved it. I adore a witty narrator and this book delivered in spades. It was honestly too scary for me to read alone in my apartment at night so I could only read it during the day so it took longer to read (although the 400 pages didn't hurt either). I could honestly read 400 more. Definitely a top 5 favorite book I've read this year. I'm recommending it to _everyone_ and buying my own copy.

This book was such a fun ride-- I couldn't put it down. I loved the back and forth between the sinister happenings in early 1900s at the Brookhants School for Girls, and the modern adaptation of the tragic and mysterious tales as a film. It's hard to review without giving too much away!

The narrator could have easily felt gimmicky and instead worked throughout the whole 600+ pages and added excellent dashes of humor. Loved this and can't wait to recommend to others.

Started reading this book with much anticipation. The glowing reviews made it seem that this was going to be a hell of a read, but sorry to say, this has not happened. I believe that the writing style may appeal to many readers but not me.. This read should be given personal attempt because it may be enjoyed by many. It just happened that I am not one of them.

After loving a the Mosefucation of Cameron Post so dearly, I have been waiting for Emily MmDanforth’s second novel very impatiently. She does not disappoint with a gothic school girl tale that’s enchanting and mysterious, and a great read. I purchased this for ,y library, and will be looking forward to her next book.

Plain Bad Heroines is just like angel's trumpet - slowly intoxicating until you can't think of anything else.