This week’s musing asks…
What makes you love / hate a character in a book?
I don't want to sound all superior here...but I hate, hate, hate stupid characters. Now, what makes a character stupid is a subjective thing I guess...but it's like that Supreme Court judge said about porn. I know it when I see it.
I can forgive a lot else in a character.
After all, no one is perfect.
They can be snobs, they can be weak or strong, they can be decidedly odd. They can be male or female, they can be someone whose life I could relate to or someone whose life is totally out of my experience. In fact, that can be all the more interesting and I can certainly 'forgive' it in a character. It might be better if they are not all whiny and 'nice' is easier to deal with than 'not nice' but that is not a deal breaker.
But when they do stupid things, stupid to the point that I am yelling at them as I read the book, I may just give up and not finish it.
What I love in a character? Well, that they be smart! lol
Well, there's naivete and there's stupidity and both of them will cause me to talk to a character in a book.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Kathy, I don't like either. It makes me want to smack someone. Now some would say that if a book gives me that kind of reaction, it is a good thing. Not in this case. I just get irritated and take it out on the kids, the cats or the husband.
ReplyDeleteI hear what you are saying, I hate stupid in a book also, I just finished reading Nicholas Sparks new book Safe Haven and because of the stupid ending, It ruined the whole book for me. That wasn't the books fault, it was the authors.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I hate about stupid is TV shows, an example: Monk, when it first came on I enjoyed it, but about the middle of the second season, I began to hate it because it got really STUPID. I'm sorry if anyone who reads this it a Monk fan, but, that's my opinion.
I hear you ... but stupid people have more exciting problems from the jams they get themselves into!
ReplyDelete