Who's your all time favourite fictional character?

[Thurlow]

Not just who you think is the greatest, or the best written, but who you just warmed to for some reason, who you enjoy reading about?

After spending my teenage years devouring Bernard Cornwell, Richard Sharpe is an all-time favourite. I can happily daydream for hours about being rescued from the evil French by him

I always liked Elizabeth Bennett. A bit of a cliche, I know, but she struck me as someone you could have a great evening with, especially if she got to gossiping after a glass or two of wine. I wanted her to get Darcy because I felt she was a truly decent person.

But I'm currently rereading Pat Barker's Regeneration trilogy, so while this might be a bit of an obscure choice, I realised the other day that the main character, Billy Prior, in a way means more to me than any other character. I've re-read the book a few times and have never managed to actually read the last few chapters again because they leave me sobbing. I prefer to live in a world where Prior is alright

There's something about the way Barker writes him - as if even she has no idea who this character is, what he will do or what will happen to him, as if he is the driving force behind his own character, not her, as if she is as surprised by things that he does as we are. That probably sounds a bit bullshitty but I can't think of another way to describe it.

Anyway, while I'll hold out a vain hope that at least one person might have read the books and know the character - who would be yours?

[ThursdayLast]

Pat Barker IS amazing. I have to leave years between re-reads, they're just so intense. I've never met anyone who has read the Regeneration Trilogy IRL.

On a shallower note, I'm a big fan of Captain Wentwoth

[VampireSquid]

Nanny Ogg (Discworld). Reminds me of my MIL!

[Thurlow]

We should have a chat - neither have I, I absolutely bloody adore the trilogy. I could rave for hours about how she mixes up different styles, how they are three completely different novels yet they do all flow together, blah blah...

I'm about thirty pages from the end. Prior and Owen are in France and have survived one push. I know what's going to happen. I don't know if I can finish it

[ThursdayLast]

Oh, I'll have to read them again, I don't remember so well.
I've got the Still Life (?) and Toby's Room books in my head at the mo, I read those most recently.

I have so many striking images in my head from her books. Ypres. And the girl on the beach with the yellow hands from working in munitions.

[Lovelydiscusfish]

I love the Regeneration trilogy, it's brilliant. Dh and I are going to see a stage adaptation of the first novel later this year, which I guess could either be great, or bitterly disappointing.
I also love Nanny Ogg. When Granny Weatherwax asks her "Have you brushed your tooth?" in one of the novels before they go to sleep - that there is my favourite ever line in any novel ever.

[Thurlow]

That's a great line - tooth

I still snigger far more than I should at that line from Death, trying to find a location on a map, apparently it's famous as there's a bloody great massacre there "or there would be if I could find it..."

I'm not sure I could watch Regeneration on stage. I'm still recovering from watching Birdsong (Stephen Wraysford being another favourite and Eddie Redmayne being so utterly wrong in the role)

[VampireSquid]

I also like Death. Binky is my favourite animal character of all time.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I HATE Pat Barker's writing. The first in the, 'Regeneration' series is okay but I absolutely detested the other two - and, 'Toby's Room' was, quite frankly, ridiculous imvho. And I hate Billy Prior too - all that shagging up walls etc is so boring.

Love Elizabeth B but my favourite Austen character is Marianne Dashwood. I like her youth and innocence and bloody-mindedness, and the fact that she grows up and reflects.

But my absolute favourite is Roland of Gilead, in King's, 'Dark Tower' series. Oh and Strider, before he becomes Aragorn.

[SnoozyGiraffe]

Sam Vimes, and I met someone in RL who looks just as he should look - I love it when that happens

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

And Death is brilliant, of course - and Death of Rats.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

And Captain Carrot!

[iklboo]

Sam Vimes. I'd be a gropie - sorry, groupie - if I lived in Ankh Morpork.

[olivespickledonions]

Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird and Peggotty in David Copperfield.

[Thurlow]

While I'm deeply hurt at the negativity towards my beloved Billy () I'll give you Roland. Great character. I really liked Eddie too.

[Showy]

Enjolras from Les Mis.

[Showy]

Javert too but Enjolras I adore.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Eddie is v cool. Gosh, I love those books!

[ThursdayLast]

Lula, from the Stephanie Plum novels

[sonlypuppyfat]

May-Li Cohen in The Binding Chair I really felt for her. And Ayla in Clan of the Cavebear.

[vichill]

Kathy in never let me go. Such a powerful femininity about her. However, the book is ridiculously depressing.

[tealover1985]

Scarlet o hara from gone with the wind. Read it about 3 times and love how she changes from spoilt child to woman who lives through a lot of hardship.

[Thurlow]

Me too, Remus - bar the ending, which it took me a while to come to terms with!

I'm quite sad and will often just dip in and read my favourite bits of my favourite books for an hour. The bit from Dark Tower I always end up reading again is the end of book 2 when Roland is inside the Pusher's body doing that mad gunfight through the subway.

[Thurlow]

Oh, Scarlet, of course! You should hate her. You really should. Yet something about seeing everything from her point of view makes you like her and sympathise with her in a way that you can't do for someone like Cathy in Wuthering Heights, who is quite similar in a way.

[tealover1985]

Exactly Thurlow. When I saw the film I wanted to be her even more and wear that curtain dress. Perfectly cast IMO