{"id":9239,"date":"2021-03-03T13:28:58","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T12:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9239"},"modified":"2021-03-03T13:44:47","modified_gmt":"2021-03-03T12:44:47","slug":"heroes-and-heroines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9239","title":{"rendered":"Heroes and Heroines"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cTHE PAGE TURNERS\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

HEROES AND HEROINES<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Due to continued Covid restrictions, there was no opportunity for book club members to meet up in February. Instead the Page Turners were set the task to decide who is the greatest hero or heroine they have read about on their literary journeys. Will it be Hercule Poirot, from Agatha Christie\u2019s crime novels; or Winston Smith, from 1984 by George Orwell; or a young heroine like Hermione Grainger, from the Harry Potter series?<\/p>\n

Nicola\u2019s greatest hero is Tate from Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Nicola appreciated the way Tate saw Kya as an individual in her own right. Unlike many others, who only saw her as ‘the marsh girl’ and made many assumptions about her, Tate understood Kya and recognised the value of her for who she was.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lynne\u2019s heroine is Eleanor Oliphant from Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Eleanor is a social misfit with a traumatic past. She tries to deal with the loneliness and isolation she has lived with for many years; a theme many people will empathise with, having had to endure similar emotions during the pandemic lockdown restrictions. She manages to transform herself and live a fuller life, which makes her a heroine in Lynne\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

Helen\u2019s selection is Maya Angelou who wrote seven volumes of autobiography, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Helen believes Maya speaks eloquently and frankly about her experiences of growing up in the 1930s Deep South. No detail is spared but also nothing is sensationalised past the point of the wonder with which her childlike eyes saw the world. Everything she experienced is tackled with honesty and confidence; what shines through is Angelou\u2019s love and appreciation for the world as something wondrous, something to be grateful for even when it seems impossible. This makes Maya a genuine heroine in Helen\u2019s opinion.<\/p>\n

\"\"May\u2019s choice of hero is Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus agrees to defend Tom, a black man, accused of raping a white woman, knowing that he will face local prejudice. He defends Tom against a lynch mob and in spite of the evidence, Tom is found guilty. May believes that Atticus is a hero for standing up for what is right, in spite of the risks involved.<\/p>\n

Jill\u2019s favourite book while growing up was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and her choice for the title of greatest heroine is Jo March, who she identified with strongly. Jill admired Jo\u2019s vivid imagination, sense of adventure, fearlessness and deep love for her family. She was a true feminist and fought against the social restraints of her time, but in time she conquered her personal faults & became a happily fulfilled wife and mother.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sylvia\u2019s hero is an aloof and romantic hero, “a noble character at heart, albeit somewhat prideful”: Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Does this choice have anything to do with Mr Darcy, played by Colin Firth, emerging from a lake in the TV version…. ?!<\/p>\n

Rafi Bukhara from the novel Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton was Babs choice. Following the deaths of close family members, Rafi heroically and lovingly guarded his young brother Basi during their 6 month journey from Syria. Subsequently, when his school in Somerset is under siege by two men armed with automatic weapons, despite already suffering with PTSD as a result of his earlier traumas, Rafi was the first to recognise the danger. He ensured the successful evacuation of the Junior School. Truly a hero of our times, claims Babs.<\/p>\n

Sandra\u2019s choice is Jane Eyre from the novel by Charlotte Bronte. Sandra considers Jane to be completely self-sufficient and capable of enduring solitude, loneliness and heartbreak. Jane always relied on herself for guidance and comfort and survives the disapproval and cruelty of others. She has true values and principles and will not sacrifice these no matter what the outcome: which is what all true heroines do.<\/p>\n

Do you agree with the choices made by the Page Turners?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cTHE PAGE TURNERS\u201d HEROES AND HEROINES Due to continued Covid restrictions, there was no opportunity for book club members to meet up in February. Instead the Page Turners were set the task to decide who is the greatest hero or heroine they have read about on their literary journeys. Will it be Hercule Poirot, from Agatha Christie\u2019s crime novels; or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-2p1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8715,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8715","url_meta":{"origin":9239,"position":0},"title":"Where the Crawdads Sing\u2019 by Delia Owens","author":"Alan Williams","date":"29th November 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Where the Crawdads Sing\u2019 by Delia Owens After the success of last month\u2019s inaugural Page Turners Walking Books meeting, the group met outside once more, following appropriate social distancing guidelines, to discuss their latest book. The venue this time was Cold Knap in Barry. There were spectacular views across the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe Page Turners"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe Page Turners","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=41"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/crawdads.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9586,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9586","url_meta":{"origin":9239,"position":1},"title":"Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd May 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"OFF THE SHELF Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens This month\u2019s book was Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Two stories are entwined into the main character of Kya, who grows up in the 50s in the marshes of North Carolina. Her mother walks out on her abusive,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Off The Shelf"","block_context":{"text":"Off The Shelf","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=347"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16578,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16578","url_meta":{"origin":9239,"position":2},"title":"Page Turners Reading List","author":"Alan Williams","date":"29th January 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Page Turners Reading List. \u00a0 Secret Santa did an excellent job in giving preloved books to all the Page Turners. At the first meeting of the year, everyone was asked to provide a brief synopsis of their book (with no spoilers) and a recommendation for its inclusion (or exclusion)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Items for February 2026"","block_context":{"text":"New Items for February 2026","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=430"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8262,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8262","url_meta":{"origin":9239,"position":3},"title":"Meeting In My Garden!!","author":"Alan Williams","date":"4th September 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cTHE PAGE TURNERS\u201d Meeting In My Garden!! Page Turners report..we managed a meeting in my garden!! Changes to lockdown restrictions meant the Page Turners could have an alfresco meeting in a back garden in August. The 3 books read during the lockdown were rapidly reviewed so the main purpose of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe Page Turners"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe Page Turners","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=41"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9788,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9788","url_meta":{"origin":9239,"position":4},"title":"Walking\u00a0 Books","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st June 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"THE PAGE TURNERS Walking\u00a0 Books As Welsh Government Covid restrictions meant the Page Turners could not meet inside, it was decided to have a meeting in the fresh air and walk \u2018n\u2019 talk. The Page Turners met over Cold Knap, starting off beneath the railway tunnel as the rain pelted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe Page Turners"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe Page Turners","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=41"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Picture1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9023,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9023","url_meta":{"origin":9239,"position":5},"title":"Literature’s Most Dastardly Villains","author":"Alan Williams","date":"31st January 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cTHE PAGE TURNERS\u201d Literature's Most Dastardly Villains Another year, another lockdown, another postponed Page Turners meeting, but another opportunity for Book Club members to reflect on characters in books they have read.....and disliked! There are many villains in literature: Flashman in Tom Brown\u2019s Schooldays was considered a scoundrel; whereas Professor\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe Page Turners"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe Page Turners","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=41"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/JaneEyre.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9239"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9239"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9247,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9239\/revisions\/9247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}