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?

NB Stephen Dedalus is such an earnest little shit.

love this thread.
I don't mind Mary Lou, or even Joey Maynard, but you know who's a knob? Jem Russell. He barely knows them in the first books and yet is all bouncing flouncing in telling them off for breathing, or getting out of bed. And then Jack Maynard becomes the same. But then it's all very much 'Doctor knows best' era.

Peeves the poltergeist from Harry Potter, so unbelievably annoying I can't stand it.
Margot 'Go' from Gone Girl urgh

Wasnt there a review of Howard's End at the time that found the love story so unconvincing that they presumed Helen had fallen pregnant from the umbrella?

I got so angry with Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas because he was clearly the most stupid boy in the world. He may not of been aware of the actual camps but how could he completely unaware of Nazi life and ideas. His character was born in 1934 (this is mentioned in the book) a year after Hitler came to power. His father was high up in the Nazi party. This child would of been groomed from birth about the Nazi ideas. He would of been highly active in the (compulsory) Hitler's Youth. He could possibly never have been so unbelievably thick. The ending makes me both cry and be so angry for his stupidness at the same time.
Whooh... that's a bit deep.

I also cannot stand that little shit that is Horrid Henry. And his brother. And Moody bleeding Margaret.

Emma. What a meddler.

I agree about Rebecca Bloomwood in the Shopaholic books. I just wanted to shout "JUST TELL THE FUCKING TRUTH YOU STUPID BITCH!!!". Although, of course, then there would have been no book...

Having said that, I did have to laugh at the first few pages of the first book when she was opening the credit card statement. That was absolutely me!

I clicked on here to say everyone in Wuthering Heights- feel glad to see I'm not alone there!

I'm reading it for the first time now and truly cannot see why people love this book so much. Everyone's an arsehole and the story isn't that compelling. I definitely don't read it as some grand romance. But to each their own!

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

That ghastly young woman and her bloody inner goddess in 50 Shades.

Ron - he didn't deserve Hermione and she sold herself short.

Amelia in Vanity Fair, what a wet blanket.And yes to Anne in TFF, what a buzzkill!

Most Enid Blyton characters. The Malory Towers lot are the worst though, horrid bullying lot of snobs!

Ron in Harry Potter, really gets on my nerves.

The cat in the hat is annoying and creepy simultaneously. And the kids didn't think to get help??

’And yes to bloody Anne. There are smugglers capering about the place. With REVOLVERS. But we'd better make sure we've enough cherry cake and ginger beer, and a naice bit of ham.’

Maybe her cunning plan was to busy herself tending to the ham and the macaroons in the hope Julian would take a smuggler’s bullet in the noggin.

Helen campbell-black.

Charlie bucket.

Tiny tim.

Annoying shites

Dobby - didn't care.

Hagrid - not his character so much, as Rowling characterising him as saying 'yeh' instead of 'you' in EVERY circumstance. ACTUALLY, people who say 'yeh' DO tend to say 'you' or 'ya' when it's more natural, but it drives me fucking BONKERS seeing him say 'yeh' EVEN WHEN YOU OR YA WOULD SIT MORE NATURALLY IN THE SENTENCE.

(have to say one of my absolute favourite Harry Potter scenes is where Hagrid calmly and firmly sets Harry and Ron straight about being a dick to Hermione)

Another Rowling chracter - Comoran fucking Strike. He's horrible to his staff, abusing one for faling ill on the job. He fires Robin for making the same mistake he did with the paedophile. He's a stinking hypocrite about her relationship when HIS toxic ex is a grade A psycopath. He's a real grouchy dick in general, and doesn't treat her well, or communicate with her properly. And he's supposed to be Robin's saviour? Fuck that, how is that any better than what she has? She deserves better.

@LaurieMarlow

OMG, YES to most of the Starks.

Ned - so fucking dumb. He was asking to be killed.
Catelyn - so GLOOMY. Her inner monologue is so dull. Also, most households are relatively comfortable with housing bastards, and she's a dick to Jon. She doesn't give a shit about commoners.
Robb - compare his whinging about honour and rightful kingship with the danger of Arya's experiences. Arya sees the consequences of war, and all Robb can think about is divine right - he'd rather prolong the war for that than do what's good for the people.
Rickon - who gives fuck. Kid needs discipline.

OTOH, I admire Sansa and Arya. Both use the talents and skills at their disposal to survive in very different ways. And Bran has more brains than both his parents.

@thecatsthecats
I'm going to confess now to not liking any Harry Potter book. I don't actually think that JK Rowling is a great writer.
The concept is not very original either.
I wanted to like it, I feel I should but I just don't.
I feel really bad saying it because JK Rowling is a human being I admire. Just not as a writer.

Pleased to see all the love for Anne of Green Gables

Absolutely adore the Megan Fellows tv version as well.

Ha ha yes Becky Bloomwood. Narcissistic lying irresponsible tosspot dressed up as a ditzy girly

Everyone in The Girl on the Train, but Rachel Watson especially

The Wimpy Kid, Greg Heffly. He's not Wimpy at all, he's a little shitbag who puts his friend up for all the grief and bullying while he hides behind him, and then gets pissed off when Rowley comes off best. I read DSs collection when I ran out of books on holiday and I spent the week fuming

Holden Caulfield - self involved whinge bag

Bella Swan - Just do one

Anastasia Steel - perhaps the ball gag in your mouth was to stop you biting your bloody lip?

Don't know where my paragraphs went

Also really hate St. John Rivers in Jane Eyre. A complete arse.

I would add the teacher, Miss Temple, to the Jae Eyre hatefest - I could never be comfortable with her taking the girls for a walk in the icy weather in their flimsy clothes, while she herself was wrapped in a warm wool cloak. I know it's not her fault they haven't got winter coats, but even so . . .

Everyone MarielvanArkle mentions.

Stephen Blackpool from Dickens' "Hard Times" (and in fact almost every Dickens hero/heroine - what a load of goody-two-shoes wusses they are! Oliver Twist - manipulative little wanker!

And Polly-effing-anna!

@Ragnarthe

Funnily enough, although she is very admirable in many ways, I also think she has some significant blindspots personally which make it impossible for me to like her. Support of Johnny Depp, queerbaiting, and her oddly imbalanced/unnuanced handling of race to name a few.

Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Supposedly bed bound for years , waited on hand and foot by his overworked daughter when suddenly Charlie finds a golden ticket and bang, he's out of bed prancing around and dressing up for a full on tour. If anyone deserved to go with Charlie it was his long suffering mum.

Mr. Gentleman in The Country Girls was a creep.

Yep!

Fanny Price

I came back especially to mention Fanny from Mansfield Park.

BTW OP - there was a fab B/W film of "The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui" with Nicol Williams years and years ago