tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post5343502341696422709..comments2023-10-01T06:27:59.020-04:00Comments on guiltless reading: Guest Post + Giveaway: Sadie S. Forsythe on Unlikeable Characters guiltlessreaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966826359454179677noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-61043359586487688412012-10-07T03:35:07.941-04:002012-10-07T03:35:07.941-04:00Yay, thank you! =)Yay, thank you! =)Rinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18104525832784682729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-43980564879324637252012-10-06T20:14:36.982-04:002012-10-06T20:14:36.982-04:00Congratulations!Congratulations!Sadieforsythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15744505728777650782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-12964794085965015272012-10-06T12:39:10.986-04:002012-10-06T12:39:10.986-04:00Thank you so much for the win!!Thank you so much for the win!!Celticlady's Reviewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10979628903168581945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-39277721831303116162012-10-06T11:33:49.482-04:002012-10-06T11:33:49.482-04:00Thank you everyone for joining in the fun! Congrat...Thank you everyone for joining in the fun! Congratulations to the winners and I hope you all join in the next discussion & giveaway!testhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13450478529066242687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-35393735141839614182012-10-04T07:07:50.210-04:002012-10-04T07:07:50.210-04:00Me thinks that unlikeable characters make an inter...Me thinks that unlikeable characters make an interesting read as they usually provide opportunities for great story twists. Perfect can be boring and somewhat un-relateable because real life is full of twists and turns. I'd rather read about flawed characters from whom I can learn great insights. Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07977858419026427311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-21576834133809929392012-10-03T21:24:39.704-04:002012-10-03T21:24:39.704-04:00Sometimes UN-LIKEABLE in a book makes it hard to c...Sometimes UN-LIKEABLE in a book makes it hard to completely get into a book or want to keep reading it, but sometimes I think their necessary to make a great book.... Thank You for the opportunity to win this giveaway :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16540574513013391760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-20590124618717062392012-10-03T20:10:35.235-04:002012-10-03T20:10:35.235-04:00Great topic. I like unlikeable characters, as long...Great topic. I like unlikeable characters, as long as they seem real to me. They have to be complex and have reasons for their actions. I can't really think of one good example off the top of my head right now, but there have been a few unlikeable characters that made a book really awesome for me. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13568091621276786810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-38451187719905689902012-10-02T19:34:51.912-04:002012-10-02T19:34:51.912-04:00Great example of a totally unlikeable character .....Great example of a totally unlikeable character .... but I can't imagine HP without Snape!testhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13450478529066242687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-63103599364074743952012-09-29T16:33:07.339-04:002012-09-29T16:33:07.339-04:00Interesting topic. I was thinking on the same line...Interesting topic. I was thinking on the same lines some time back. I think even if a character is not somebody we like, they can be interesting. I remember I hated Snape in the earlier Harry Potter books. But I thought he was an interesting character. Even if there is no back story for Snape or he was not different from how he was portrayed in the earlier books, I found him interesting! Thanks for the giveaway! srivallihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09908875938685251911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-18669756218487588822012-09-27T20:00:13.270-04:002012-09-27T20:00:13.270-04:00yeah, how boring would that be! good luck in the d...yeah, how boring would that be! good luck in the draw celticlady!testhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13450478529066242687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-53695911905003552872012-09-27T19:59:26.225-04:002012-09-27T19:59:26.225-04:00So true. I'd really need someone to hate :) ha...So true. I'd really need someone to hate :) hahaha<br /><br />I can't think of one either, William. Honestly when someone is unlikeable, they make such good reading for me!testhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13450478529066242687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-73812272613847126492012-09-27T19:58:07.624-04:002012-09-27T19:58:07.624-04:00I guess they are meant to ruin stories! :) I guess they are meant to ruin stories! :) testhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13450478529066242687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-21918667565821661632012-09-27T09:27:25.586-04:002012-09-27T09:27:25.586-04:00For the most part I think unlikable characters are...For the most part I think unlikable characters are necessary to the story...you have to have the good people and the bad and we did not have that what good would the book actually be...not everything in life is sugar and spice...thank youCelticlady's Reviewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10979628903168581945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-86301782171942705342012-09-27T06:54:45.760-04:002012-09-27T06:54:45.760-04:00I think that books need, to some extent, have unli...I think that books need, to some extent, have unlikeable characters. We come across unlikeable characters in our real lives, so having them in our books may be a reflection of this. I can't think of a book where I've hated a character so much that I've had to stop reading it, though.wcs53https://www.blogger.com/profile/00648833324864433099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-30249302661235949132012-09-26T22:21:13.718-04:002012-09-26T22:21:13.718-04:00I hate unlike able characters. No one likes them a...I hate unlike able characters. No one likes them and they ruin the whole story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-66489863182789075542012-09-22T23:17:36.714-04:002012-09-22T23:17:36.714-04:00Shannon, if I'm honest a too perfect character...Shannon, if I'm honest a too perfect character will put me off faster than an overly flawed one. I like flaws in characters. Humbert is a great example. That part of what keeps <i>Lolita</i> on the classics shelf, IMO. You easily forget that his actions, and therefore him, are reprehensible. <br /><br />I've not read <i>The Corrections</i>, but I can think of books I've read, not enjoyed, but still been glad to have read. <i>Moby Dick</i> was like that for me. Sadieforsythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15744505728777650782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-65004051760503559152012-09-22T23:06:58.967-04:002012-09-22T23:06:58.967-04:00Well deserved comeuppance (I can't believe spe...Well deserved comeuppance (I can't believe spell check doesn't flag that) can rescue almost the worst books. It's like a payoff for putting up with the horrid character. Sadieforsythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15744505728777650782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-11266592271123808402012-09-22T23:04:06.547-04:002012-09-22T23:04:06.547-04:00I have a hard time lemming a book too. I'm an ...I have a hard time lemming a book too. I'm an optimist, always thinking I might like the next page. I'm curious, by bad writing, do you mean a poorly developed character...not enough history, etc? I'm not disagreeing, just curious.Sadieforsythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15744505728777650782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-21415103174496968882012-09-22T22:58:41.139-04:002012-09-22T22:58:41.139-04:00I completely agree. You might have meant for the a...I completely agree. You might have meant for the author to put their feelings into their characters which is true too, but as a reader my favorite books are the ones that keep me imagining what I would have done in the same circumstances, or wishing I could have told so and so character off. Being able to imagine it in first person is a big plus for me. Sadieforsythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15744505728777650782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-50120586474806735532012-09-22T21:40:17.850-04:002012-09-22T21:40:17.850-04:00hahaha, Shannon! I find that even the most obnoxio...hahaha, Shannon! I find that even the most obnoxious characters interesting, at the least. You should see how the hubby stares at me when I start cursing while I'm reading and somethings goes wrong/is especially annoying/whatever. :P<br /><br />so... have you lemmed a book?<br /><br />i left the format entirely to Sadie, so I take not credit for it :) testhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13450478529066242687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-79321841767497232892012-09-22T21:37:03.931-04:002012-09-22T21:37:03.931-04:00Rinn, I remember you mentioned it when I did the F...Rinn, I remember you mentioned it when I did the Friday 56 post! Those characters - whether likeable or not - are great to keep the pages turning!<br /><br />testhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13450478529066242687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-3878304548064206462012-09-22T21:01:11.135-04:002012-09-22T21:01:11.135-04:00I honestly have never lemmed a book. I always save...I honestly have never lemmed a book. I always save it for later, thinking that I may not be "ready" for it at the moment. I agree - it would be unrealistic to like everyone we met, and the same goes for the characters in a book. testhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13450478529066242687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-44036986008578695332012-09-22T20:59:34.218-04:002012-09-22T20:59:34.218-04:00Thanks for joining in! (And Chiyo in the Weeping E...Thanks for joining in! (And Chiyo in the Weeping Empress is definitely someone I can relate to as a woman on so many levels!)testhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13450478529066242687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-63326691064357489212012-09-22T13:56:59.066-04:002012-09-22T13:56:59.066-04:00I love flawed characters, but not characters that ...I love flawed characters, but not characters that are so obnoxious you just want to slap them. With a flawed character, you can often like them, or empathise with them in some way - I think of Humber Humbert from <i>Lolita</i> as a great example of a flawed yet likeable protagonist, but he's a bit of an extreme case. But they're deliberately flawed, right, and that makes them fun, relatable, sympathetic even, or at the very least they stick in your head. Whereas with unlikeable characters, sometimes I don't know <i>what</i> the author was thinking. I think, Were they aware that this protagonist is an awful person? Did they write them that way deliberately at first and then just couldn't find a way to pull them out of the pit they've dug? And then when you find that other people didn't find the character annoying, you really realise that we all have our different perspectives and tolerance levels of what "annoying" or "unlikeable" even is. Which is interesting, but doesn't make me feel any better towards the particular book!<br /><br />I always feel especially confused when I read books like Jonathan Franzen's <i>The Corrections</i> - none of the characters were likeable, and I'm pretty sure that was deliberate, but when <i>none</i> of the characters are likeable, and the story's depressing, what the hell am I reading it for?! <br /><br />Great topic, and I love that instead of the usual Q&A we got an opinion piece - love it! Thanks for the giveaway :DShannon (Giraffe Days)http://www.giraffedays.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712356914314014189.post-44309185577571932312012-09-22T10:28:28.058-04:002012-09-22T10:28:28.058-04:00I can't think of too many books where I dislik...I can't think of too many books where I disliked the characters, although there is one I read more recently where the main character is just completely despicable, selfish and horrible. I had to carry on reading though, to see what she did next and whether she got her comeuppance.<br />Thank you for this giveaway, I've wanted to read this ever since it came up on Goodreads! =)Rinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18104525832784682729noreply@blogger.com