I have an affiliate relationship with Bookshop.org and Malaprop's Bookstore in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site. Read more on my affiliate page.
Don’t you just love larger-than-life characters? The ones who jump off the page and grab you? Whether you love them or hate them, you can’t be indifferent to them.
I would love to know about the characters who just won’t leave you! Most of you will probably post about how much you love (or loathe) each character, but this is a great place for the more creative ones among you to let go and have fun! Write yourself into a scene with Anne and Diana. Write a love poem in elvish for Aragorn. Draw a picture of Harry obliterating Voldemort. The possibilities are endless.
Be sure to post the book’s title and author, and be very careful not to give away spoilers while talking about how much you love your characters.
Mr. Linky will be posted here on The Introverted Reader every Thursday.
Maybe I liked Sophie Hatter from Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones so much because we’re both the eldest. And let’s face it: the eldest don’t fare very well in fairy tales. We’re always protrayed as mean and selfish and we end up losing out on everything in the end. Maybe the youngest siblings would agree with that summation of us, but we deserve a chance too!
Sophie has resigned herself to being the lackluster eldest daughter. She’s basically a drudge working in her father’s hat shop, making beautiful hats that make the ladies who wear them look good. She thinks of herself as nothing special and she just sort of fades into the background.
When an evil witch casts a spell on Sophie, making her appear to be an old woman, she inadvertently feels free to be more herself. Everyone knows that most old women speak their minds, so Sophie starts saying what’s on hers. And what a lot she has to say! She terrorizes a petulant wizard into behaving and befriends a fire demon. She even saves a few lives along her way and earns some eternal gratitude. She also discovers that maybe she’s not as boring and plain Jane as she always thought she was.
I just love Sophie because she’s not perfect, but she ultimately learns to believe in herself and do her best. She’s also not helpless by any means, which is a little refreshing among female characters in the fairy tale realm.
The anime film from Studio Ghibli is very good as well. It veers away from the original storyline about halfway through, but it’s still faithful to the characters. I’m not normally a fan of anime, so this recommendation should really tell you something. Read the book, then watch the movie. I think you’ll be happy with both.
Who did you connect with this week? Link your post on Mr. Linky, then be sure to go check out the other Character Connections!
