(Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish. Want to make your own list? Clicking the image will take you to this week’s post. Happy listing!)
No matter how we might disagree over genres and authors, I think all bookworms will agree that quite often, our favorite characters become like family. This week’s list is all about the characters to whom we wish we could be related.
1. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) – Getting the cliche one out of the way first. Who wouldn’t love having Miss Lizzy as a big sister? I think I would be as entertained and amazed and flummoxed by her behavior as Jane Bennet is.
2. Marmee (Little Women) – A calm presence with a backbone of steel. Always ready with a kind word and advice that is meaningful and helpful, she’d always be someone I could look to for motherly (and friendly) advice.
3. Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) – Okay, so really there’s three cliches on my list. But I can’t help myself. He’s so kind and humble and wise. I learned a lot from the character — imagine how much I would learn from the man if he were real.
4. James Herriot – Okay, so he’s a real guy. But he wrote books, so it counts! A country boy who became a veterinarian, Herriot is a smart guy with a great willingness to laugh and poke fun at himself. Plus he tells a great story, which is a prerequisite for being a grandfather.
5. Erma Bombeck – One of my all-time favorite authors, Erma’s hilarious quips have had me in stitches since I first read her writing. She’d be the perfect grandmother for me to visit when life has gotten too stressful — she’s got a great way of telling it like it is, and putting it all in perspective.
6. Dickon Sowerby (The Secret Garden) – One of the best souls on earth, and an animal charmer to boot. He knows all the ins and outs of the English moors, and nature. He’d be a great brother.
7. Jenny Fields (The World According to Garp) – A staunch feminist with a mind of her own and an amazing ability to care for those around her. I love Jenny’s strength and sarcasm and unwillingness to compromise. She definitely belongs in my family.
8. Lord John William Grey (Outlander series) – I wish I could have a crush on Grey, but since he bats for the other team, I’d have to be content with being friends (friends count as family). He’s intelligent, witty, and always comes through in a pinch.
9. Alexia Tarabotti (The Parasol Protectorate series) – Strong-willed and independent, snarky and intelligent. I could totally be a better sister to her than her current step-sisters. And she’d keep me from taking myself too seriously.
10. Lucy (Lucy) – One of the strongest characters I’ve ever “met.” Despite all of the horrors she suffers, she remains strong and loving. I would be honored to know her.
This would make for an absolutely ridiculous family reunion.
Which characters would you have for family? Which characters would you never hope to be related to?
Dont know ifi know any of them, but still a good strong list
That’s what I was going for. Thanks for stopping by! 😀
Ooh! I love Jenny Fields – and I’d forgotten all about her! And James Herriott was my idol growing up. Great list, and sometimes they’re cliches for a reason…:-)
I love this meme, but most of the time, no matter the list, my first thoughts are “Lizzy from Pride and Prejudice!” or “Katsa from Graceling“! :p So I try to avoid that. But I just couldn’t do it this time. Who wouldn’t love to be related to Atticus Finch and the feisty Miss Elizabeth Bennet? Thanks for dropping by!
Haven’t read many of these but a few are on my TBR and this makes me even more excited about reading them. Especially The World According to Garp and PRide and Prejudice. . . somehow i’ve gotten this far without reading either (even though i’ve read other Irving books)
Garp is the only Irving I’ve read. It was a good story, but I didn’t like the ending. I hate it when my characters are human and make poor choices. :p
Pride and Prejudice was the first love story I ever read, and the first Austen book too — I’ve read several of her other books, but they just can’t beat P and P (although Sense and Sensibility comes close). I’m going to be reading Northanger Abbey for the Gothic Reading Challenge, though, so maybe I’ll find another Austen book with which to fall in love. Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!
I don’t know how I forgot Dickon! He’s one of my favorite characters in all of literature. Nice list!
I’ve always had something of a crush on Dickon, ever since I saw one of the film versions of The Secret Garden. He’s just so sweet and kind and intelligent and wise—like only a Burnett character can be.
Atticus seems to be THE guy for fatherhood. He was great. Nice family, and I totally agree, this would make for one strange, yet highly entertaining, family reunion.
I was definitely not surprised to see Atticus on so many lists—he’s one of the best characters in American literature, I think many would say.
That family reunion would be the best! I’m pretty certain that Jenny Fields would create a stir, even though I would consider all of the females on my list to be feminists. Jenny’s just got that way about her, though. I’d love to see the interactions between John Grey and Alexia Tarabotti—I think they’d get along fabulously.
Great list, there are a lot of the books on there, that I haven’t read. I am doing a list of annoying females in fiction, pop by if you want to join in 🙂
Ooh, I’ll pop right over! I can think of several. 🙂
Ooh, I like the inclusion of real people. I thought about someone real, and then crossed them off. Can’t remember who it was, but, if I could include real people, I would want Julia Child to be my aunt. What fun, and the food!
Julia Child, nice choice! Not just the food, but the humor and the stories. And her husband, who (from what little I know) was also a really nice, down to earth person. I just keep thinking of “Julie and Julia,” though so maybe I just want to be friends with Streep and Tucci! 😀
Lucy would make an awesome sister or best friend!
Indeed she would! Lucy was a great (although scary and sad) book, and I really wish that I could know Lucy. She’s got a great heart.