Honestly, Green Ray is boring, and this is the fault of a society that rigidly limited the possibilities for female central characters. Helena Campbell has got everything Verne's great heroes had: a domineering, determined, rather visionary personality, an adventurous spirit, intense curiosity... but whereas, say Liedenbrock's journey to the center of the earth is monumental, hers is a miniature, an upper middle-class jaunt to the Scottish Islands (suspense courtesy of the British weather) ending in a suitable marriage. When I saw the original illustrations for the book, it really brought home to me the fact that dressed like that, Helena Campbell has very little chance of being a kickass heroine.
