Thursday, February 28, 2008

BTT - February 28

Who is your favorite female lead character? And why? (And yes, of course, you can name more than one . . . I always have trouble narrowing down these things to one name, why should I force you to?)

Many of the books I read have strong, admirable, and likable female characters. Here are my top five:

Scheherazade from One Thousand and One Nights- That girl is smart. She was faced with a seemingly impossible situation, and found an ingenious way to overcome it. Plus, she's a great storyteller.

Offred from The Handmaid's Tale - This is one of my all-time favorite books, and Offred is one of the reasons why. She lives in a society that is severely oppressive, but it does not break her. She is a courageous woman who is determined to survive. I also love the fact that she steals pats of butter to use as lotion - to me, a sign that she remains hopeful that someday someone will want to touch her face with a loving touch.

Morgaine from Mists of Avalon - Finally we see her portrayed as something other than evil. Morgaine fights for what she believes, carrying the burden of her responsibilities with poise.

Jane from Jane Eyre - How can you not love Jane? She's honest, compassionate, an all-around sweet, loving girl.

Miss Marple - A genius in an understated way, this "old maid" defies the stereotype. She seemingly goes about her business in an unassuming way, but her keen sense of observation never misses much. She is an amazing judge of character. Thank you, Dame Agatha, for creating such a lovely character!

11 comments:

Chrisbookarama said...

Great list. i noticed that most of the characters people picked were smart and strong.

Unknown said...

I've got The Handmaid's Tale and Mists of Avalon on Mt. TBR. I've never read any on your list, but thanks for the ideas to add to my wish list!

Happy BTT!

Anonymous said...

I think Miss Marple is a wonderful choice. If ever there was a 'wise' woman, it's her. I wonder if she would have been cited as a witch in earlier years, especially by those men she saw straight through?

Nyssaneala said...

chris - two great characteristics! I know I always lean towards female characters who are independent-minded people.

breeni - I can't recommend The Handmaid's Tale highly enough. It's a great book.

table talk - what a great way to put it. I always love how she solves things before the (male) police do.

She Became a Butterfly said...

i found you via the tbr challenge! i'm finally reading jane eyre!


a friend and i just started a book lovers message board. we'd love for you to join!

eden
http://www.re-told.net

CJ said...

Again, I didn't even think of Miss Marple, who is a wonderful character. That's what's so fun about these questions - the answers bring back all the things we forget!

cjh

Jodie Robson said...

Wonderful list, I too like both Jane Eyre and Jane Marple.

raidergirl3 said...

I think I'd like to read The Mists of Avalon. I picked Tuppence instead of Miss Marple, but mostly because I've read T&T more recently. Agatha gets the vore really.
great list, btw

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Offred! What a great pick!

Literary Feline said...

I really do need to read something by Margaret Atwood. Hopefully I will get to read The Handmaid's Tale one day.

I also selected Jane Eyre and Morgaine for this one, both are characters that I admire and enjoy spending time with.

Lotus Reads said...

I think Scheherazade was pretty cool too...I'd love to have her resourcefulness and the ability to spin a good yarn!