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March 18, 2008 12:06 PM

HELEN'S HEROINES: Heather Wells

Helen Redfern's weekly look at the fictional women she loves...

I love my job. Not just because I can lie on my bed all afternoon on a Saturday reading and therefore working (this is, to be fair, one of the major highlights). It’s also because I occasionally find fascinating, gutsy but down to earth characters making for a cracking story that I just completely and utterly submerge myself in.

For the past week my attention has been grabbed by Heather Wells. Heather appears in a series of books for adults written by Meg Cabot. She is a residence hall assistant director of a New York College and amateur detective on the side, as there appears to be a series of murders at her residence hall.

This week’s heroine was going to be about someone completely different but Heather has just barged into my life and would not leave me alone until I was hooked (and a few pounds poorer as I had to go out and buy the third book in the series immediately after finishing the second one). Heather grabs you like she grabs the scent of the murderer in the books. She determinedly holds on and hunts the killer down even though people have told her to leave well alone. And this is how you feel when you are reading the books. You just have to keep going.

The titles of the books she appears in are Size 12 is not Fat, Size 14 is not Fat Either and Size Doesn’t Matter or Big Boned in the US. (I believe the size 12 referred to is a UK size 16 and the size 14 is a UK 18). The titles are great, but do not mean in any way shape or form that Heather rules her life by her weight. Far from it.

Because of her background Heather could have been a diva, as she’s an ex pop starlet, a child star used to touring the malls and then going on to live with the singer of a boy band. She is not like that though. She’s down to earth, funny, sharp yet, like most women, also worried about her looks and whether Cooper (her landlord and ex fiancé’s brother) is interested in her. Unlike a lot of so called heroines though she doesn’t sit around waiting for him to announce his love or live her life by the amount of calories she eats. No she works in Fischer Hall, which allows her to get an education, something she missed out on whilst touring the malls, and gets on with her life (and saving others whilst she’s at it).

Despite her mother disappearing with her money and her father being in prison for fraud she creates a family with those she works (and lives) with. They care for her and look out for her and she in turn for them. Some even fancy her. And when someone is murdered in her residence hall she gets angry and will not let it rest until the real killer has been caught. Even if it means putting her own life in danger. I am also happy to say that she never relies on a man coming to save her. She is well able to handle herself.

Heather is principled. She left the world of pop music because she refused to churn out any more sugary lyrics. She turns down an offer to get back into the business (of sorts) too. Refusing the easy money for her work and an education. You’ve got to admire her for that.

So. I have come to the end of the three books in the series and feel bereft. I enjoyed having Heather around. She has spunk and drive and a personality. But then all is not lost. As reported yesterday on Trashionista, Meg is writing two more books in the Heather Wells series. They will be out sometime next year and I can’t wait.

Related posts: Size 12 Is Not Fat review | Size 14 Is Not Fat Either Review | Size Doesn't Matter review

Came straight to this page? Visit www.trashionista.com for more female fiction news, reviews and interviews.

Posted by Aigua Media on March 18, 2008 in Helen's Heroines, Series | Permalink

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