To ask which book characters irrationally annoy you?

[WaterBird]

I'm currently reading the play "The Rise and Fall of Arturo UI" by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht (though it takes place in Chicago). There is a fairly minor character (at least at the point in the play where I'm at) called Young Dogsborough, whose father is a major character in his 80's. Any time the son says anything, it is to unnecessarily agree with the father. For example if the father says, "They've gone", the son will then say "My father says they've gone."
Which book characters have you felt annoyed by?

The young Anne Shirley was great but she becomes a bit prim in the later books (befitting a married doctor’s wife)? In one of the later books she and a friend are left with the dishes after some sort of social event and the friend has a moan and Anne has a massively unrealistic chirpy response about how she loves making dirty things sparkly clean (or something like that). Even as a child I thought that was insufferable.

Both Connell and Marianne in Normal People. I enjoyed the book but didn’t like either of them - both so self-absorbed and annoying.

@thecatsthecats
I'm only basing my liking on knowing how she got into writing and some twitter exchanges 😁
I'm not even on twitter

Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair needs a good slap

Noooo! Becky's amazing!

Amelia, now . . .

@nolongersurprised In my head Anne never gets older than she was when living in Patty’s Place with Phil and the other girls.

I refuse to acknowledge the later books in the series.

The family in the tiger who cane to tea. They way the mother just stands there simpering while that ill mannered arsehole tiger eats every scrap of food in the house, then fucks off without so much as a by your leave. I keep wondering if it’s a regular occurrence since the dad doesn’t seem the least bit surprised when he comes home and has to take them all out for tea. Probably thinking “ffs Barbara, not again” and having to hide her gin

Ipswitch Excellent. Just excellent.

Anna Karenina. Manipulative, child neglecting histrionic drama llama witch. How many lives do you want to wreck and don't you even think about the difficulties of timetabling a passenger rail service??

Kay Scarpetta - the world doesn't revolve around you, you know....\

And if you and Benton effing Wesley would actually tell each other what's going on instead of bloody sulking all the time - and I'm sick of your stealth boasts about stunningly beautiful millionairess neice with her Great Brain and punishing diet and exercise regime and her own fleet of helicopters.

Oh, and Romeo.
For the love of God, check whether she’s actually dead rather than prancing about with self indulgent speeches and then topping yourself on the off chance

That's teenagers for you - talk about over-dramatic. the Love that Rocks the World - lasts 3 days and leaves 10 people dead!

Idiots!

Love Valency Stirling - has anyone read the Colleen McCullough book that is so similar? I think it got pulled eventually when people realised how similar. That said, I think Colleen McCullough did an okay job on rehabilitating Mary Bennett in her sequel to Pride and Prjudice - it was a bit chick-lit but I enjoyed it.

Gave up on Kay Scarpetta when every character she got close to died - and the books became more about food than crime - I seem to remember a lot home-made pasta being involved.

"Valancy Snaith, by the grace of God." I love her. Blue Castle is my favourite Montgomery.

Couldn't stand the smug git Emily of New Moon.

Amy March for me. Still bloody furious with her for stealing Laurie from Jo

Someone up thread said all of the characters in the Secret History by Donna Tartt. I wholeheartedly agree. Hate every pretentious one of them.

You say Secret History by Donna Tartt.
I say White Teeth by Zadie Smith.

The stupid woman in The Sons Veto. Who marries the vicar instead of the greengrocer. And regrets it. Her Nasty dove won't let her marry him after she's widowed. She needs to grow a pair.

Jacob in twilight.

Dd wanted to read the series aged 11 so I read them first to check if they were suitable. I actually enjoyed some of them but I wanted to punch him in the face.

My pet theory is that Romeo and Juliet is tongue and cheek, poking fun at melodramatic teenagers.

Apparently Patricia Cornwell based her niece on herself. She is a hell of a narcissist.

Not quite a character, but a character trait. “She bit her lip”

I agree - and I really hate it when heroines nibble. Makes me think of squirrels and chipmunks.

Ignatius O'Reilly in 'A confederacy of dunces' by John Kennedy Toole.
Mind you I don't think hating him is irrational really. The fact I can't abandon continuing to read the book is irrational though
He's obnoxious but fascinating.

Ignatius O'Reilly in 'A confederacy of dunces' by John Kennedy Toole

He’s hilarious. A total dick obviously, but an hilarious one.

That book is so underrated. It deserves to be better known.

That book is so underrated. It deserves to be better known

@LaurieMarlow
I agree. I'd never heard of it until Billy Connolly recommended it in his recent tv series.
I both love and dislike the story which has never happened before. I usually love or hate
The author created a monster

Apparently Patricia Cornwell based her niece on herself. She is a hell of a narcissist.

I can believe it.

I've also stopped reading her books since she stopped writing new ones and just re-cycled the old stuff with different names. In retrospect, I an't understand what I ever saw in them.

Same with Stephen King - he's written about two good novellas and the rest have been shite.

As already mentioned -
Pollyanna
Kay Scarlett’s

But most of all - Melanie Wilkes.

Not scarlets - Scarpetta

I started Confederacy of Dunces once. I don't think I got very far though.