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?

Becky Bloomwood. Shopaholic series Sophie Kinsella.

She started off silly but endearing, got more and more annoying as the series went on.

Not overly impressed with the moody hormonal older Harry Potter either.

Marmee and her earnestness in Little Women.

The Robin from the Chalet School Series what an irritating sickly sweet little twit

I'd have left The Robin's bedroom window open at night. A couple of Alpen gales would have seen her off good and proper.

Calloway oh no, I could never fancy a thick bloke. Wealth has nothing on intelligence for me. David Beckham? Neyyyyyope. She can keep him :)

Coolidge's Cousin Helen got on my last nerve too, but feisty Rose Red more than made up for her, and reignited a rebellious spark in Katy that I found quite refreshing (I'd almost given up hope on her).

Oh, and BigGapMum, I'm with you there. Anne Kirrin I could cheerfully murder.

Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair needs a good slap.

Catherine in Wuthering Heights.
Melanie in GWTW is insufferably "good".
Jane Eyre is pretty irritating but I think that's the whole book instead of the character.

Ned Stark. So fucking dumb. See also Caitlin Stark.

Everyone in the Great Gatsby. They’re all shallow, privileged assholes. Why anyone gives them the time of day I don’t know.

I also hate Cathy and Heathcliffe. I used to have to teach Wuthering Heights on s university course. Starry eyed undergrads would wax lyrical about how it’s their favourite book of all time. I never fucking got it.

And while I definitely don’t hate Marianne Dashwood (nothing could be further than the truth) I’m tickled by this image of her as a millennial snowflake prototype.

legalseagull

Agreed, fifty shades is diabolical. I couldn't even finish it. Saw the film and felt robbed of 2 hours of my life! I can not understand why it's so popular.

I like Tess Durbeyfield - it’s Angel Clare I absolutely hate. So self-righteous and hypocritical!

@PatrickMerricksGoshawk

Couldn't agree more about Clare Fraser, whiny know-it-all.
To be fair, I enjoyed the first Outlander novel but it was far longer than it needed to be. If ever there was an author in need of a bleeding editor.....

Joey Maynard. She was fine pre-marriage but became really annoying.

Although I've not read the book, just seen the TV adaptation and the musical, Marius in Les Mis. So pathetic. Everyone else heading out to the revolution and he's at home mooning about some girl he's barely met. And Cosette. Both so insipid.

Oh thank God! I couldn't get through WH, and all I've ever encountered are people telling me what a beautiful luuurve story it is. Bleuch.

I would like to add, every SINGLE character in the god awful Twilight "saga". They are all, without fail, horrible, stupid, insipid, predictable, controlling, rape-apologising nitwits.

(But I still read all four books...)

I haven't seen Les Mis but sitting at home mooning over a crush sounds an altogether safer course of action than revolutioning about Paris!

Yes to Marianne Dashwood and Cathy and Heathcliffe. Fanny out of Mansfield Park winds me up, but I love wicked little Becky Sharpe out of Vanity Fair!

I find Julian from the famous five irritating, such a bloody know it all and the way all the grown ups bow down to him. Ordering Aunt Fanny and Joanna the cook to phone the police, not phone the police etc.

You can see why his parents send them off to Kirrin every holidays!

Much prefer his rewrite in the newly done famous five adult books.

Everyone in The Great Gatsby - one of the most boring books I’ve ever read, didn’t care about any of them.

Cleo - Roy Graces partner in the ‘Dead’ series by Peter James, so insufferably bloody perfect, not one character flaw. She’s a big part of why I don’t read that series anymore.

The whole Flowers family in the later Adrian Mole books, I felt like screaming at him to run far and run fast!

I bet Julian spends his time these days shouting LEAVE MEANS LEAVE. Whilst his poor suffering wife dreams of sexy time with brother in law Dick, who now owns a bar in Majorca.

@BigGapMum and @YoThePussy made me giggle, yes Anne was bloody annoying! But I have to say Julian drove me even more crazy. I swear EB though of him as her PFB or was massively in love with the character. He was always SO AMAZING

Yes fully agree about Claire Fraser, bloody annoying too

Agree with Cathy and Heathcliff.

And Angel Clare is the absolute worst - she should have killed him!

The Famous Five are nasty bullies and so rude to anyone they feel is socially inferior to them - I loved them as a child but was horrified when I started (and stopped) rereading them with my children

Can't bear the two main characters in "The English Patient" either.

@Matilda15 I just came back to add Julian from the famous 5. He gets right on my tits bossing everyone around. I always quite fancied Dick though.

Cross post with Matilda15. Love your post, so so true!

Every female character in any Lionel
Shriver book.

What do you like about Marianne Dashwood Laurie?

Wait, what? They made adult novels of the Famous Five (where is the killing myself laughing emoji)

Yeah, I reread recently too (have a grandchild on the way, so checking them out again), and found I get more pissed off reading them than enjoying them.