"amoral" characters (book sympathizes with; or from the POV of)

[Anna]

Books that sympathises with "amoral" characters. Or from their point of view.

Preferably a classic but it's not a must.

Something like:

Tropic of Cancer
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
The Picture of Dorian Gray

[``Laurie]

Forever Amber
By Kathleen Winsor is pretty amoral.

[Anna]

Laurie wrote: "Forever Amber
By Kathleen Winsor is pretty amoral."

Thanks!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

American Psycho
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

[Pamela]

Tim Dorsey's series of books about Serge Storms and his friends, beginning with Florida Roadkill.Florida Roadkill

[Anna]

Lobstergirl wrote: "American Psycho
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer"

I really liked Perfume, both Jean-Baptiste and Meursault (The Stranger) are a bit similar, IMO.

American Psycho. Right. It has been on my tbr list for a time.

[Anna]

Pamela wrote: "Tim Dorsey's series of books about Serge Storms and his friends, beginning with Florida Roadkill.Florida Roadkill"

To be honest it doesn't looks like something I might like. :/

[Nathalia]

Madame Bovary
Wuthering Heights
Lady Chatterly's Lover
Jude the Obscure
Dr.Jekyll, Mr.Hyde
Gone with the wind

For a bit more modern books:


The Reader
Madame Mao

[Anna]

Nathalia wrote: "Madame Bovary
Wuthering Heights
Lady Chatterly's Lover
Jude the Obscure
Dr.Jekyll, Mr.Hyde
Gone with the wind

For a bit more modern books:


The Reader
Madame Mao"

Thanks, is Scarlet that bad?

[Nairabell]

Would Becky Sharp from count?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

is Scarlet that bad?

Scarlet does have her very amoral side. (She may not have much of another side...) She is a fiance and boyfriend stealer. She usually marries men either for their money, or to spite another woman.

On the other hand, it is her hard-assedness, her grit and determination that keeps her family and everyone living with them, friends/servants/slaves, afloat and alive during the war.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Ooh, Madame Bovary is a good one. She is rather amoral.

[Anna]

Nairabell wrote: "Would Becky Sharp from count?"

I love that book!

That the thing about "moral" and "amoral" isn't? Someone would see Moll Flanders and Becky as amoral but another not so much.

While Becky is (or isn't) amoral she didn't shock me and I could easily sympathize with her. I'm looking more for a character that would shock me like Henry from Tropic of Cancer but who isn't bad as Humbert (Lolita) or Alex (A Clockwork Orange)

[Anna]

Lobstergirl wrote: "is Scarlet that bad?

Scarlet does have her very amoral side. (She may not have much of another side...) She is a fiance and boyfriend stealer. She usually marries men either for their money, or..."

Ahh, I've great expectations for this book :)

[Anna]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Ooh, Madame Bovary is a good one. She is rather amoral."

Really? I always thought she was just bored with her life. (I haven't read it)

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

She's very bored, and also very amoral.

[Jessica]

I am reading The Silent Wife right now and all the characters are very amoral.

[Laina]

Ooooh! I have some good ones:

Rabbit, Run
The Custom of the Country
and
The Picture of Dorian Gray

[Lark]

The Count of Monte Cristo comes to mind. Pretty fantastic book of vengeance.

And I'm not entirely sure if this is completely relevant to the amoral theme, but As I Lay Dying made me quite frustrated with selfish characters that you just couldn't help but sympathize with anyways. Great character development book that ends with a punch.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Here are a few more I stole from someone else's blog.

The Book of Evidence
The Ginger Man
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Butcher Boy
Get Me Out of Here

[Nathalia]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Ooh, Madame Bovary is a good one. She is rather amoral."

Really? I always thought she was just bored with her life. (I haven't read it)

As you said, that's the thing with moral and amoral. Since you asked for classics, I tried to find some characters that were not only considered immoral in their own time, but still make you go "Well, he/she is kind of an a-hole, really." I felt that way about Madame Bovary, though her actions may not truly shock you, and about Scarlet as well.

On a second thought, I withdraw Lady Chatterly, it was late yesterday and she does not fit the description.

But from the blurb of "Tropic of Cancer", I think non of my books are really shocking. I haven't read it myself, but a friend said she was shocked by Justine.

[Nairabell]

Just thought of . It's written as a series of letters between the Vicomte de Valmont and Madame de Merteuil, both of whom are amoral and the book caused chaos in Paris upon it's original release.

[Anna]

Nathalia wrote: "But from the blurb of "Tropic of Cancer", I think non of my books are really shocking. I haven't read it myself, but a friend said she was shocked by Justine."

I've read Justine and it's more philosophical book with a lot of sex than character driven book.

Everyone in that book except Justine (and few other victims) are evil/cruel bastards.

[Anna]

Nairabell wrote: "Just thought of . It's written as a series of letters between the Vicomte de Valmont and Madame de Merteuil, both of whom are amoral and the book caused ch..."

I've read it and it's just what I'm looking for.

[Anna]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Here are a few more I stole from someone else's blog.

The Book of Evidence
The Ginger Man
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Butcher Boy
"

Thank you :)

I've seen The Talented Mr. Ripley movie and The Butcher Boy is on my tbr list but other titles are new to me.

[Anna]

Lark wrote: "The Count of Monte Cristo comes to mind. Pretty fantastic book of vengeance."

Ah yes, Cristo isn't a nice guy. I've read Dumas The Three Musketeers and they were even worse, IMO.

To me it was a chore to read As I Lay Dying. :/

[Anna]

Laina wrote: "Ooooh! I have some good ones:

Rabbit, Run
The Custom of the Country
and
The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Thank you!

Added The Custom of the Country. Never heard of this book before.

Rabbit, Run has been already added my to tbr list but I don't remember why. :/

[Anna]

Jessica wrote: "I am reading The Silent Wife right now and all the characters are very amoral."

Thanks!

[Michele]

Forever Amber and Dangerous Liaisons are excellent recs. Important to remember that "amoral" does not necessarily equal "evil."

A few others that come to mind:
Vanity Fair.
Edith Wharton's The Custom of the Country
Sinclair Lewis' Elmer Gantry
Lady Audley's Secret

Donna Tartt's The Secret History, in which nearly all the characters at least appear marginally amoral (though one could argue that some of them are just young and confused).

Hunting around I ran across Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, which I haven't read but sounds like a good fit.

[Michele]

Lark wrote: "The Count of Monte Cristo comes to mind. Pretty fantastic book of vengeance..."

True, but everyone that comes to grief at his hands is totally deserving of it, and he works very hard to ensure that no innocent person is harmed. So I'm not sure that he qualifies as amoral. In some ways he is a profoundly moral character, though perhaps presumptuous in assuming the role of Divine Justice.

[Laina]

If you like classics, Custom of the Country is a must read. I think the book's popularity suffers a little from the opaque title. But, in my opinion, it's Wharton's very best book. :)

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Rebecca.

[Moloch]

I see many suggestions for classic books: if you also like contemporary and noir, there's The Goodbye Kiss (it's rather violent)

[Anna]

Laina wrote: "If you like classics, Custom of the Country is a must read. I think the book's popularity suffers a little from the opaque title. But, in my opinion, it's Wharton's very best book. :)"

Thanks :)

[Anna]

Michele wrote: "Forever Amber and Dangerous Liaisons are excellent recs. Important to remember that "amoral" does not necessarily equal "evil."

A few others that come to mind:
Vanity Fair.
Edith W..."

Thanks!

[Anna]

Laina wrote: "If you like classics, Custom of the Country is a must read. I think the book's popularity suffers a little from the opaque title. But, in my opinion, it's Wharton's very best book. :)"

I haven't read any of her works. :(

[Anna]

Moloch wrote: "I see many suggestions for classic books: if you also like contemporary and noir, there's The Goodbye Kiss (it's rather violent)"

It sounds interesting, thanks. :)

[Anna]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Rebecca."

Another favourite. Who do do you think is more "amoral"? Rebecca or Maxim?

[Ficie]

It's not a classic, but I think that Gone Girl features the type of characters you are looking for.
More on the humorous side, Thank You for Smoking has plenty of amoral character (which in the book is used for comedic purposes).

[Laina]

Oh, Rebecca for sure.

(view spoiler)[I think Maxim's guilty anguish would exonerate him from the charge of amorality or even immorality. It was also a hot-blooded murder rather than one coolly deliberated. Well, at least not by Maxim. At the end when it becomes clear that Rebecca provoked Maxim that night fully intending that he would kill her, you realize the full force of just how selfish and amoral she was. Rather than taking her own life, she saddles Maxim with the guilt, danger and aftermath of her wished-for death.

I think many of Rebecca's decisions reflect a disregard for right and wrong in achieving her selfish and often times malicious goals, so she is a perfect example of amoral. (hide spoiler)]

What did everybody else think? :)

[Anna]

Ficie wrote: "It's not a classic, but I think that Gone Girl features the type of characters you are looking for.
More on the humorous side, Thank You for Smoking has plenty of amoral..."

Thanks, I've heard good things about Gone Girl

[Anna]

Laina wrote: "Oh, Rebecca for sure."

I had more sympathy for Rebecca than for Maxim. (view spoiler)[ I think he was more selfish than Rebecca. It was thought that not his child will get his name & property that prompted him to murder Rebecca. I would say that he killed his second wife too (figuratively, of course). (hide spoiler)]

[Michele]

Laina wrote: "Oh, Rebecca for sure.

Yup, I agree, for all the reasons given.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Anna wrote: "Lobstergirl wrote: "Rebecca."

Another favourite. Who do do you think is more "amoral"? Rebecca or Maxim?"

Rebecca. I didn't find Maxim to be amoral, really.

[Hickoui]

The End of Alice, A. M. Homes.
Not a classic at all, though... but very amoral (hard to read sometimes) !

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Hangover Square. Great book.

[Anna]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Hangover Square. Great book."

thanks

[Moloch]

Also The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

We Need to Talk About Kevin.

[Anna]

thanks Moloch & Lobstergirl. <3