Books I Loathed discussion
Characters Worth Loathing
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Minnie
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Jun 05, 2009 03:56AM
I'm loath to admit this but I have always disliked Fanny from "Mansfield Park". Sorry Dearest Jane!!!
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The older I get, the more I can admire Fanny, but I agree she comes off as a wimpy doormat.
Foxthyme wrote: "All right, I've always hated Madame Bovary. She just...ugh."I had no patience for Emma the first time I read MB -- in fact I was so annoyed with her I gave up with only 50 pgs to go. But that was 25 years ago. I've since read it, in full, twice more, and by the 3rd time, I was much more sympathetic. I found her experience even terrifying -- a perfect illustation of the modern condition of seeking stimulation in order to feel alive. That's not to excuse her actions, but I certainly understand them better now, even empathize with her. As Flaubert said, "Madame Bovary c'est moi!" So, too, on some level, for us all! (or certainly for me).
Emma also makes me think of St Augustine's great line: "My sin grew sleek on my excesses." Ah, now who can't relate to that!
I hated The Corrections (can't remember the author's name) and all the characters in it! The main character was a discusting pervert. A friend sent me a hardback copy and I called her to see if she liked it. She said, "No indeed! But I wanted to see what you thought." I didn't read the whole book but I skimmed to see what happened to these disgusting people. jredfish57@yahoo.com
I hated Edward and Bella, but then I hate everything about Twilight, so I guess that doesn't really count here.As someone else has already said, I hated Gomez from The Time Traveler's Wife. He was such a jerk and a sleaze ball to treat his wife (a very good person) like he did. But then that book has a lot of character problems in it, so whatever.
I hated Lidia in Pride and Prejudice because she was such a selfish brat.
I hated Jim Taggart in Atlas Shrugged for being such a pathetic ball of slime. In fact, I hated all of his friends too.
I hated everyone in A Separate Peace, especially the narrator and Phineas. Yes, it's a war. Everyone else has to deal with it too, so shut up. You aren't even fighting.
I hated the savage from A Brave New World for being such a whiny little pansy. Also Bernard or whatever his name was, for the same reason.
I hated Louise from Interview With the Vampire. Can he just quit with the stupid angst and get over himself? He's a vampire! You'd think he would at least learn to enjoy himself a little! I can't believe I read a whole book's worth of his whining. (I secretly only read it so I could read The Vampire Lestat, which I've heard is better.)
I hated Penny in Edenborn. The difference here is that Penny was a well done character, and I loved that book. But part of the reason that book was so good is because of the characters, and Sagan really made me hate her. He meant for me to hate her, and he did a good job. She ruined everything. Every single thing that went wrong in that book was because she was such a self centered egotistical psychotic little brat. I swear if I had gotten my hands on her... well lets just say that Halloween would have been spared a lot of trouble. I haven't read that book in years and I'm still mad just thinking about it.
there are the characters who are meant to be loathsome - mr. collins in pride and prejudice, or uriah heep in david copperfield - and then there are the loathsome ones we're supposed to like. bella swan, for example. some characters i hate that we're supposed to like:
garp - world according to garp
bella - twilight
scarlett - of course
mr. rochester - jane eyre. i used to think he was romantic. now i think he's just a selfish jerk.
howard roark - fountainhead
Cathy from Wuthering Heights was just loathsome. I hated that obnoxious twit. I'll admit, though, that I was fascinated by Heathcliff. I loved how his evil mind worked to get back at Cathy just because that was all he knew how to do (doesn't that make me sound like the perfect demon?)Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre was another unforgivable character. I could never understand why Jane was so weak when it came to him... it made me dislike her quite a bit as well.
Bella Swan from Twilight almost made me stop before the series really began. She was so dull and obnoxious once she'd finally met the obsession of her lfe. If I were Edward, I would have run fast and far, immortality or no.
Piggy from Lord of the Flies was just obnoxious. The only thing that got me through parts of that book was knowing that Piggy was going to die and I'd finally be rid of him.
Lastly, Joseph from Wuthering Heights. Not an essential character, not even of much importance... I can't tell you what he did in the novel, because every time he spoke, I skipped that chunk of the book. He just could not speak correctly; I could never understand what he was saying. I always got this feeling of intense hatred whenever he walked in, because he'd interrupt my reading flow.
1) Harry Potter (Harry Potter books): I have nothing against the books (except maybe the iffy writing quality, which admittedly is rather a lot) but Mr. Potter is whiny and emotional. Trying to make him more like an average teenager was a poor choice. It makes him come across as immature and annoying.2) Bella Swan (Twilight books): Mostly because of her shallow personality and unrealisticness. By that I mean everyone at a school does not fall in love with a new girl if the same thing did not happen at her old school. This has always bothered be.
3) Eragon (Inheritance books) : Exhibits similar immaturity to Harry Potter without the charms. Also, he's a generic hero. Maybe before Harry Potter, the young male lead with an astonishing destiny wouldn't have been so bad. Destined heroes are lame.
4) Edward Cullen (Twilight books): His only appeal is his sexiness and his forbiddenness. As a guy, this has no appeal whatsoever to me, and he has no discernible characteristic other than "I love you so I won't hurt you."
5) Herbert (Great Expectations): You sir are a paragon of superfluity. Your only point is to be tooled on by Pip.
6) Pip (Great Expectations): I hate your guts. You are a simple, arrogant, and dull. I liked the book only because you were such a moron. You were also mean to Herbert, who really doesn't deserve you, and he's superfluous.
7) Tenadier (Les Miserables): You're a jerk. Marius lets you off in the end, but you'll allways be a jerk, no two ways about it. You put your greed before your family (who were also greedy) and its your fault Eponine died. She was cool.
8) That elf girl from Eragon: You are pointless. You are also a carbon-copy of Arawen from The Lord of the Rings, and I didn't like her either. At least Tolkein didn't go on and on about how much Aragorn loved her for ~200 pages.
9) The fortune teller from Eragon: I hate this person because she ruined the plot of Eragon (what very little there was of it) and is named after Paolini's sister. She also owns a cat named after one of his cats. Her character is never divulged and keeps following Eragon around for some reason.
Lord Henry (Harry) from The Picture of Dorian Gray. Nothing sympathetic about you, sir. It's your fault Dorian Gray sold his soul.
I'm going to second what Geoffrey said. All Eragon did was complain the entire freaking book, and Ender (and everyone else), while not being terrible people, were just poorly done characters, and so not really worth my time. I'm still not sure why so many people recommended it to me.
Charles from "The Painted Veil" was rather loathsome. Kitty begins the story as a loathsome person. Even Walter could be considered unpleasant.
I hated the mother in My Sister's Keeper. I can't stand that she didn't have any love left for the two healthy children, and didn't have any energy to keep the kids who were healthy alive and healthy.
Starling, I couldn't stand her, either.
The scene where the son removed his own braces because his mother didn't have the time to take him to the dentist because his older sister was sick, just pissed me off. There was no reason to keep the braces since she was unlikely to EVER have time to take him to a doctor or dentist appointment ever again in his life.
AH! Thank you, Kathy---I now remember how much I despise Dr Scarpetta. She is morose and unloveable.I admit to reading only 2 books by Jodi Piccoult--My Sister's Keeper and Plain Truth--and while the storylines are interesting , the same character is in both of them---the "disillusioned attorney" Ellie Hathaway and the "disillusioned attorney/guardian ad litem" Julia Romano, who were both dumped by their high-school/college boyfriends for some secret tragic reason and have NEVER GOTTEN OVER IT. But HOORAY!!--they get a second chance to hook up with Princes Charming AGAIN and this time everyone falls in love and rides off into the sunset blah blah blah. Methinks Ms Piccoult has an unresolved issue to work out....? Which is cool, but I don't really want to read about it more than once. Which is why I haven't ever (yet) picked a third Jodi Piccoult novel.
I could be remembering inaccurately here, but this was my overwhelming impression (plus I just plain old hate silly love stories that don't really have anything signfigant to add to the main story except for a steamy sex scene or two).
There have been many characters I've disliked but that was mostly as required of the reader - you know, the loathsome villain, the slimy one with bad morals, etc. However, I recently came across a character that made me scoff every time she came up in the novel. Cristina from Zafon's The Angel's Game truly disgusted me in every way. She was unnecessarily haughty and expantant, so very flighty and useless, and lacked any and all purpose for her actions. Perhaps if she had been better explained and more available to the reader, I may have understood her and disliked her less, but I couldn't possibly understand why the she, being the love interest, was so detestable. We are supposed to sympathize with the main character David for risking so much and feeling so desperately for this Cristina, but because I couldn't stand her, everything relating to her became pointless and pathetic and thus did David also appear.I also agree with those that disliked many of the characters from A Separate Peace. I smiled a little when Emily mentioned above that they should get over their selfish preoccupation with a war that affects everyone. I felt the angst level was just too much for me to enjoy anything about the novel.
In this case it isn't a character but a real person from biographies I've been reading. I've decided that I DETEST Queen Victoria. Easily the worst parent I've ever heard about who didn't actually physically abuse her children. In her case it as all verbal.What is interesting is that most of them didn't let her really get away with it and basically lived their own lives anyway. Even the last one who seemed to have been totally under her mother's thumb, fell in love and forced the issue, married and had 4 children even if all of them continued to live with Mother for the rest of Mother's life.
Starling wrote: "In this case it isn't a character but a real person from biographies I've been reading. I've decided that I DETEST Queen Victoria. Easily the worst parent I've ever heard about who didn't actually ..."
i hadn't thought about biographies, but now that you mention it, i have to say that i read Marlon Brando's autobiography, and hated him so much, i mean, HATED him so much that i simply can't watch any more of his movies. how can ANYONE be THAT selfish, THAT conceited, THAT dirty, THAT blind, THAT... it just can't all fit in one middle-size body!
i hadn't thought about biographies, but now that you mention it, i have to say that i read Marlon Brando's autobiography, and hated him so much, i mean, HATED him so much that i simply can't watch any more of his movies. how can ANYONE be THAT selfish, THAT conceited, THAT dirty, THAT blind, THAT... it just can't all fit in one middle-size body!
Forooz, I'm so glad I am not alone. I know EXACTLY how you feel!Queen Victoria also was THAT blind, THAT selfish, THAT conceited and also THAT unwilling to do the job she was being paid to do and equally unwilling to let her son do the job that most of her governments wanted him to do.
And she wasn't middle-size! :-D
I read her biography when i was very young and i remember nothing of it. I won't attempt it now after your comment!
I read her biography when i was very young and i remember nothing of it. I won't attempt it now after your comment!
i would have to say ...Bella stinkin Swan and Zoey freakn Redbird
oh and the Lucy girl from Impossible
Easiest question ever, Nurse Ratched, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Also, Hitler in ever History of Germany book.
Dante Valentine from the Necromancer series by Lilith Saintcrow. The only character I've ever read that I want to die a slow, painful, agonizing death with screws and thumbtacks and glue involved. And preferably with her tongue ripped out so we don't have to listen to any more of her ENDLESS bitchiness and bad temper and general fury towards every living thing.
What? Too much? I hate that woman.
What? Too much? I hate that woman.
Every single character from the Twilight series except Charlie. I wish I had a dad like Charlie.Particularly, I hated Bella for being a whiney brat and never going through any sort of development. Even as a parent, she was a whiney brat.
Edward Cullen was far too perfect, badly described, and abusive.
Of course, Alice for just being annoying.
Esme didn't even serve any purpose but stand around and say "motherly" things.
Enough Twilight. I also wish Audrey O'Neil from I Am The Messenger by Marcus Zusak didn't even exist. It seemed like the only reason Ed loved her was because she had nice legs and he wanted to have sex with her.
Cho Chang from Harry Potter. She didn't even seem to have a purpose outside of being a love interest.
Zoey Redbird is absolutely ridiculous and badly written, like the entire House of Night series. She's more of a Mary-Sue than Bella Swan, a feat a thought impossible.
anyone here have read emily giffin's something borrowed? i hate rachel white's character because she was such a "stealer"!! even if her best friend had mistreated her, it is still unacceptable to be sleeping and dating her bestfriend's future husband and worse, falling for him and making him choose between the two of them!
Every single character from The Great Gatsby besides maybe Nick, and I didn't really like him either, I just didn't loathe him. He was too passive.Gatsby was corrupt and far too obsessed with Daisy and past dreams.
Daisy couldn't make up her mind and was far too careless and her "whatever" attitude grated on me.
Tom actually makes me want to swear to describe him, and that doesn't happen much. He's a jerk.
Myrtle was shallow and almost as money obsessed as Daisy.
George was a good guy, but he let himself go to waste pining after Myrtle.
Jordan was a liar and a cheat.
Meyer Wolfshiem was brutal and disloyal.
I can't come up with anyone else, but it was just bad.
Kim wrote: "Bella from Twilight hands down."I AGREE ONE THOUSAND PERCENT!!! I deeply dispised Bella ever since reading New Moon.
Marooned wrote: "Every single character from the Twilight series except Charlie. I wish I had a dad like Charlie.Particularly, I hated Bella for being a whiney brat and never going through any sort of developme..."
O.M.G I hated every single one of those characters!!! Especially Cho Chang from Harry Potter!!! I feel like she chose Harry as a second option just because Cedric died!!! And it infuriates me!
Scarlett O'Hara is indeed the most idiotically blind charagter to ever inhabit a book but despite that I still cannot help but like her. Afterall when she vowed never to be hungry again, she included het family. And Rhett... so clearsighted yet so blind. Ashley is probably the most unlikeable, not because he has no backbone as such, but rather because he loved one woman, Melanie and lusted after another, Scarlett and he didn't have the decency to be honest with either. As for Melanie, the suffering angel, I am surprised how well the author manipulated me to really dislike a most Worthy and Noble character!
Laura wrote: "Every single character from The Great Gatsby besides maybe Nick, and I didn't really like him either, I just didn't loathe him. He was too passive.Gatsby was corrupt and far too obsessed with Dais..."
Yeah. He sure did a good job with that. I love that book just because he made such believable characters out of those hateful people.
Also, I agree with Nurse Ratched. I just wanted to kill that lady. Grrr.
Ooh, I'm pleased I'm not the only one who dislikes Bilbo Baggins. I was beginning to feel all on my lonesome.
Absolutely Professor Umbridge. Most of the nasty characters I don't mind not liking, because that is obviously their purpose, but...but...Umbridge just made me want to extinguish her thoroughly in the most unpleasant way possible, then bring her back to life and do it all again! (gnashing of teeth, flying attack on unsuspecting professor with heavy ornamental candlestick)...
Wildbriar wrote: "Absolutely Professor Umbridge. Most of the nasty characters I don't mind not liking, because that is obviously their purpose, but...but...Umbridge just made me want to extinguish her thoroughly in ..."Oh yeah, definitely. The times that McGonagall burned her were seriously my favorite parts of that book.
Emily wrote: "Wildbriar wrote: "Absolutely Professor Umbridge. Most of the nasty characters I don't mind not liking, because that is obviously their purpose, but...but...Umbridge just made me want to extinguish ..."Yeah, for sure! It's always sooo pleasing when a nasty character loses, even if it's just losing face for a while.
Anna wrote: "Umbridge was not enjoyable to hate for me. I just hated her. I didn't get the same sense of satisfaction that I usually get from a love-to-hate-them character. I think it was because her particular brand of power mongering was a little too realistic for me. Reading about her was like watching a bully pick on someone smaller and being powerless to stop them..."I agree. She's probably my most loathed character in that series. Wait - most loathed of all characters I've ever read. Yeah, that sounds more accurate.
Hm, yes, like a venomous centipede.
Bella from the twilight series. Hate her and every female in that series except Esme, Alice, and Bree Tanner from her knew book.
Claire Randall Fraser and Jamie Fraser from OutlanderClare and Henry from The Time Traveler's Wife
Just about every character in every Anita Shreve book ever written.
Just about every character in Janet Fitch's 2 books that I've read. I just love her writing style.
Harold in The Stand.
Whatever the main character's name was in 'Love Walked In'.
John Kelly in Without Remorse by Tom Clancy.
All the characters in the Left Behind books.
Hatsumomo from Memoirs of a Geisha.
Scarlett O'Hara
The mother and grandmother from Flowers in the Attic
Jeanette Walls in The Glass Castle...Oh wait? You mean that was a memoir? Oops.
I'm currently reading Sarah's Quilt and so far I hate Willie, Sarah's long lost nephew. I don't know if it's because he's a douche or if he reminds me of my cousin that makes it hard to tolerate him.
I REALLY like His Dark Materials Trilogy. But I kind of dislike Lord Asriel. Although that makes the story fun:) I also HATE Bella Swan in Twilight.
I have to nominate for worst character in a series: Anita Blake =(Sorry to have to bash that one again, but it says alot when her name keeps popping up, doesn it?
Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre
Edward - SM's Twilight Series (Too many reasons to list why)
Bella - SM's Twilight Series (again too many reasons)
Marius - Anne Rice's Vampire series
Louis - Anne Rice's Vampires
Eragon - from Eragon
Heathcliff - Wuthering Heights
Catherin - Wuthering Heights
On the flip side characters I love to bits!
Jimmy the Hand - Raymond E Feist
Silk - David Edding
Belgareth - David Eddings
Elizabeth Bennett - Jane Austen
Mr Darcy - Jane Austen
Robinton - Masterharper of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Ruth - The White Dragon - Anne McCaffrey
Zarek - Kenyon's Dark Hunters
Wulf - Kenyon's Dark Hunters
Kero - Mercedes Lackey
Personally it's a toss up between Catherine from Wuthering Heights and Scarlet O'Hara from Gone With The wind.
Yes, Scarlet is rather irritating! I always had it in for Amy from Little Women, too. How could Laurie end up with her? shocking
Miran wrote: "Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. I get it, he's depressed, nihilistic, a misanthrope and everything and I actually like that kind of traits, but I disliked him because he was so annoyi..."Haha, I was a bit like that at high school, however I kept my opinions to myself (just like you did). Looking back, I wished I joined a debate club or something, so I could let it all out etc.
Anyway, Holden reminds me of a douchbag I had to work with on a varsity-related project. I'll probably read this book (thanks to your comment).
Characters I loathed were: 1) Sara from My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult, and also whiny teenage/emo males/females on her other books.
2) Susie Salmon and her mother (Abigail) from The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
3) All the characters in Shakespeare's plays Othello, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet
4) All the farm animals in Animal Farm by George Orwell
5) Women in Dan Brown's books
6) All the characters in Love in a time of Cholera by Garcia Marquez
7) All the main characters in the Great Gatsby
Diana wrote: "Has anyone said Bella Swan yet?!? Ugh I hated that girls guts! Also her boyfriend, Edward. That story's entire plot line was basically those two characters acting like idiots:Bella: oh Edward! Dri..."
"I'm not making fun of Stephanie Meyers...", WELL YOU SHOULD. All characters in her book were crap, with the exception of esme, renesme (I know I'm the only one who likes her) and Alice.
eragon was one i hated but i think tht is about it cant remember
I loved The Hunger Games series but hated Katniss Everdeen all through the books... She's so annoying! I prefer Peeta way more than her..
Books I Loathed
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