1. Elizabeth Bennet The heroine of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is quick witted and good hearted, although quick to judge. Come on, everyone loves Elizabeth. Even Caroline Bingley loves her; she's just so jealous of her that she assumes this strong emotion she's feeling is hate. Pictured is Jennifer Ehle as Lizzie, from the 1995 BBC TV series. I've never understood why my Mom named me after Emma and not Lizzie Bennet.
2. Harry Potter I had a bit of difficulty choosing one character from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, but I decided to choose the main man. Many of my friends hate Harry Potter the character but love the series. While Harry has a temper and often does very stupid (but brave) things, he is also incredibly selfless, brave, acts quickly under pressure and has great instincts. He also has a great capacity to love, which is what the books are all about, really. In the earlier books, I picture him close to how he's seen on the US Goblet of Fire cover.
3. Atticus Finch In To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is the main character's lawyer father. The Finch's live in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. When a clearly innocent black man is accused of raping a local girl, Atticus defends the man, Tom Robinson, in court, after going to great lengths to insure that Tom made it to the trial. Atticus is wise and always tries to do the right thing, no matter how difficult it is. It is eery how wonderful Gregory Peck's portrayal of him is in the 1962 film.
4. Katniss Everdeen This girl. Katniss becomes a tribute in the 74th Hunger Games when she volunteers in place of her twelve year old sister, Prim. A strong hunter, Katniss will have to fight to survive if she wants to be the one person left standing when the games are over. Katniss is brave, strong and selfless. Sometimes it feels like girls in novels are sort of Bella Swans, who need a boyfriend. Katniss is the girl that sparks a revolution, and is one of the best things about The Hunger Games. You have to love The Girl on Fire.
5. Anne Shirley Anne of Green Gables is an imaginative young girl who finds herself adopted by the Cuthberts of Avonlea, even though they were expecting a boy. Anne can turn the simplest things into something fantastical, and finds Avonlea full of kindred spirits. Able to live in the most beautiful place she can imagine, Anne leaves her sorrows behind and soon she becomes a big part of Green Gables. I love Anne's joy for life, her imagination and even her fiery temper. You can read my review of Anne of Green Gables here.
6. Lyra Belacqua The main character of His Dark Materials series, Lyra is brave, rebellious, headstrong and worthy of the nickname Lyra Silvertongue. In a way she's quite wild, since she hasn't had a proper upbringing and was raised as an orphan.
7. Sherlock Holmes The famous consulting detective is completely brilliant, and his arrogance is probably deserved. Thank God Arthur Conan Doyle brought him back from the dead after The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes; can you imagine Sherlock Holmes without The Hound of the Baskervilles?
8. Lucy Pevensie Perhaps not the most obvious choice, but I love Lucy. She's probably the main character of the series, and she certainly believes in Aslan the most. I've always liked how it's her goodness and innocence that protects her: what convinces Mr. Tummus to save Lucy is that she couldn't fathom that he would betray her. I should also say that I've always had a soft spot for Edmund, although Lucy probably would have had the brains never to eat magical food. I mean, everyone knows not to do that. Well, at least everyone who reads fairy tales.
9. Jo March The main character in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Jo is a headstrong and passionate writer. She is hopelessly flawed but so real it's hard to imagine she isn't a real person. Of course, that might be because she is based on the author herself.
10. Augustus Waters Oh, Augustus. There is no picture of this wonderful boy, partly due to the fact that the book just came out, but also because who could completely capture everything that is Augustus? In John Green's newest book, The Fault In Our Stars, Augustus is a cancer survivor and an amputee, who falls in love with the book's main character, Hazel. He's obsessed with the idea of heroism and that our lives and deaths should mean something. Despite everything, he's not afraid to love. You can read my review of The Fault In Our Stars here.
Honourable mention to Anna from Anna and the French Kiss, Frankie from The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks, Ed Kennedy from I Am The Messenger and Rudy Steiner from The Book Thief.
Who are your favourite characters from books?
Who are your favourite characters from books?