Characters from books you HATE (that you're not supposed to!)

Horrid Henry - little shit.

Some deserving nominations here. I'll third or fourth
Jane Eyre (what a bore she would have been)
Everyone at The Chalet School (insufferable prigs)
The narrator of The Kite Runner.

And will add

Cassandra Mortmain from I Capture the Castle, in fact the whole Mortmain family who spawned countless real life and literary eccentric (i.e annoying) families who have no money but somehow still live in castles.

Anyself portraitfemale character in a Lisa St.Aubin de Teran book.

But Gwen, he was such a self absorbed twunt. Anti hero my arse was on the wrong side

hackmum, I just tracked down that review! So much more of a joy to read than the novel itself. I promise you're missing nothing.

Mr Rochester. Brooding, romantic hero. Er no, not really.

Imprisons his first wife for being too passionate and womanly, and basically liking sex (if you want to do a Freudian reading of the text). And is only attracted to Jane because she is prim and passionless.

Yuck.

John Ridd from Lorna Doone.

What a boring bastard he is.

yy to Scarlett O'Hara. If ever there was someone who needed a good slap, then it's her. Rather glad Rhett saw through her in the end. Hope he never went back.

wrapsuperstar: have been really dithering about whether to read A Little Life. I was quite pleased to read a very scathing review in the London Review of Books, which I think lets me off the hook.

I have to agree with the Kite Runner narrator - he annoyed me stupid but yes, I also hated the book and will never read it again.

Also Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester - just couldn't get behind that whole "love story" thing either, just No.

And Jane in P&P was just wet and tedious and would have driven me mental.

The shopaholic - I read the first book, wanted to slap the heroine A LOT because she was a feckless, profligate liar; read the second book in the vain hope that she might have improved - she didn't - felt even more like slapping her so gave up. Can't read those ever again either.

"When I was doing O level English, I had to write an essay titled "Jane Eyre is a cloying prig. Discuss". I agreed. My teacher made me rewrite it"

Slight derail, but when I was doing O level music, we were taught in the same class as the CSE music students (there were only 8 of us in total), and one week, the teacher sent us off to discuss the essay for that week, the write it for homework, whilst he worked with the others.

The title was "The Organ Fuges of Bach are academic and boring - discuss" - so we discussed it and wrote essays (with examples and everything) saying yes, they were! Mr B was Not Happy with us.

Jude St. Francis in A Little Life. In fact, most of the main characters. So utterly unnuanced.

Overrated novel that I fear might just win the Booker.

And I hated all the characters in Us, especially the wife.

lalalonglegs: "You get the impression that Austen had sat through one too many of those discussions herself."

This is why I love Austen - I think we've all sat through conversations like that, wanting to pull our own hair out, and she just describes it brilliantly. She's very good on people being boring, or stupid, or self-deluding, or vain, or arrogant, or mean - all the human foibles in fact. One of my favourite bits in S&S is when the married Dashwoods, who have been instructed in a will to make provision for Elinor and Marianne and their mother, manage to talk themselves out of giving them anything at all.

I'm always a bit suspicious of people who don't love Jane Austen.

I was just coming on to say Marianne from Sense And Sensibility too. I really dislike Scarlett O'Hara too.

Mary ingalls from little house on the prairie series
Clara from Heidi

Jane from Pride and Prejudice was annoying as well, I can see why Mr Darcy didn't like her.

Ann from Persuasion can't see what didn't make Captain Wentworth think he'd had a lucky escape from a poor choice as a young man.

I sit in the I like Jane Eyre camp though. and I kind of have some sympathy for Edward Rochester, those two are in my what's not to like list

I must have been one of the few who was quietly pleased that whatshername dies in One Day.

All of the core of "goodies" in Stephen King's The Stand who were so sanctimonious and made sure they kept all control of the Good side. For example having one person in charge of the government and the police force.

In fact, most Stephen King "good" females who are usually perfect.

Agree with One Day. Bloody irritating they were.

Beth in Little Women
Pollyanna
Roberta in The Railway Children
Melanie in Gone with the Wind

Mistress, yes know what you mean about Chade, but I love him despite this as well!

Fitz is just so.. real! He's always got the best intentions at heart even if he fucks stuff up. He's very believable. Yes he's frustrating at times, but I love him!

I've read them all at least twice, I can honestly say they're my favourite books of all time. :-) Are you up to date too? I'm already worried about Fitz and Fools story ending :-(

Which book are you on Plonkie? :o

Also, for us Hobbs fans...

Fitz is whiny and can be annoying in his constant pessimism but I love him all the same. Most of it is due to elfbark and grief.

I sometimes wanted to slap Chade for the way he treated Fitz. He would be my choice but I don't hate him.

Pavlov, I am aghast at you not liking Fitz!! I absolutely love him. It's bordering on obsession!

Oh and Noddy is a twat