A Dinner Party with Heroines

I rarely throw dinner parties. So much work for too little time. But that doesn’t stop me from imagining ones I’d love to attend–these always involve me staying far away from the kitchen–and whom I’d love to have there with me. I’ve imagined tables of my favorite authors, of fascinating historical figures, and, this week, a table of my favorite romance heroines.

Here’s the thing about the imaginary dinner party concept–you can’t just pick cool people. You have to pick interesting people who can share a meal, offer scintillating conversation, stay reasonably sober, and not get into raging arguments. For me, this rules out the terribly shy, the overly arrogant, and the cutting. (Sorry, Tam, you’re not invited.)

My dining room table seats eight if we squish, so I’ve picked seven heroines I’d love to have to dine–we’d order out, of course.

I’d put Marguerite de Fleurignac, better known as Maggie, from Joanna Bourne’s The Forbidden Rose at one end of the table. I love both the young and the old Maggie. I imagine her dispensing advice on raising independent kids, staying friends with old lovers, and exploring Paris. Plus, after dinner, I’d hope to talk her into showing us just how she gilded her toes.

Many of Lisa Kleypas’s heroines would be great guests, but if I had to pick just one it would be Lillian Bowman from It Happened One Autumn. Lillian is brash enough to make sure the conversation stays away from trite topics and smart enough to ask others their opinions. She’s an expert on scents, a topic I find fascinating, and has a head for business. I’d love to hear her views on America vs. Europe and ask her how she deals with her witch of a mother-in-law.

Hope Spencer from Rachel Gibson’s True Confessions would have fabulous stories to share from her days of writing for the tabloid The Weekly News of the Universe. Everything I’ve ever wondered about Bigfoot, alien abductions, and Elvis, Hope’s covered. She’s got great taste in clothes and would compliment everyone on their shoes–if appropriate. She also loves dessert, a must in my book.

Eloisa James’s Lady Eleanor Lindel of A Duke of Her Own is such an interesting open-minded woman–she’d enrich any conversation. She could discuss raising illegitimate (or not the norm) children in a conservative society and what it’s like to have a husband more fashionable than she. I’d ask about her sister Anne–I love Anne–and how they’ve stayed close despite living very different lives.

Violet Redmond’s (from Julie Anne Long’s I Kissed an Earl) stories about her siblings would keep the table entertained for hours. She could share tips on how to play chess, how to peel a potato–I have to cook occasionally so that would come in handy–, and how to insult a catty rival in perfect French. After dinner, I’d challenge her to a game of darts–surely her aim isn’t always that good!

Mina (from The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook) could tell us about symbiotic mechanical body parts work and who she thinks Jack the Ripper really was. I’d ask about the bugs from the Horde and what she thinks about the computer. She and Hope could spin stories of sea beasts–the kraken would best the Loch Ness Monster–and she and Maggie could share tales of foreign invaders.

And, though this group is heavy on historical heroines, my last pick would be Lulu Davies from Carrie Lofty’s His Very Own Girl. Not only did she live in England during World War II, she was a pilot in the British civilian air force. Her views on sexism in the workplace–she was paid the same as her male counterparts, something unheard of at the time–would be amazing to hear. I’d love to know how–maybe if–she managed to draw straight lines with eyeliner pencil on her legs and what her favorite contraband items were. She and Mina could discuss fighting while flying. And I’d ask her what life after wartime was like and how she feels about the way women were defined after the war.

OK, obviously seven is too few. I haven’t gotten to Penelope Featherington (Julia Quinn’s Romancing Mr. Bridgerton), Beth Cantrell (Victoria Dahl’s Real Men Will), Laney Lancaster (Carolyn Crane’s Off the Edge), or Jia (Jeannie Lin’s Capturing the Silken Thief). Clearly, I’ll need to host more than one dinner of heroines. Maybe a potluck next time?

Whom else should I invite?