TOP TEN TUESDAY | CHARACTERS I LOVE

Any of you who have been around here for a while know I’m not a fan of romance, I don’t often get book crushes, and I am not often overly impressed by bookish matches. I don’t hate them, they just aren’t generally the highlight of the book for me. So rather than focusing on romantic love for this year’s Valentine’s theme, I’m going to look at some characters I love. Not in a romantic way, just characters that made me feel, that felt like (in the words of Anne Shirley) kindred spirits, and who have stayed with me beyond the end of their book.

               

I felt so much for Ove. I expect to become him one day. And Matilda – I doubt there are many bookworms out there who don’t feel like they share an understanding with the little girl who wanted nothing more in the world than to read. The House in the Cerulean Sea was full of characters I loved, and I couldn’t pick just one, so let’s just include all of the lovable ones. I won’t say anything about the characters in Project Hail Mary, just that I loved both of the main ones.

               

Lenni and Margot were a surprise to me this year, and I was surprised by how much I felt for them. Olivia is in here because she’s a family favourite – we have been reading her books with my kid for years at this point, and she feels like part of the family. Ducks, Newburyport was a difficult book for me to get into, but when I switched to the audio and sped it up it ended up being a really engaging read. I connected a lot to the narrator – stay at home mom, back injury, missing experiences she had when she was younger. And of course, Anne Shirley. A classic.

     

These were two of my childhood favourites. Cassandra Mortmain, who starts off her journal writing in the kitchen sink, was one of my early kindred spirits, and will always have a place in my heart. Sara Crewe as the first character I discovered on my own (this was my first chapter book I read to myself when I was about seven) and I felt so emotional by the end, and ever time I’ve read it since it brings me right back there.

What about you guys? Which are your favourite literary characters? Do you love any of the ones I’ve mentioned?

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.