While many books have likeable, relatable, or even lovable characters, I find that only a rare few have characters so real that I feel not just like I've met them but like they are people in my life, relatives or old friends. For me it almost always takes a series, not just a one-off novel, to feel this way. Also, this isn't the same as "most realistic" characters (which can be a code word for selfish and depressing) — I'm asking about book people who truly mean something to you.
So I'm curious for you all, what books have characters that check all these boxes?
- round characters, psychologically complex
- you're invested in their relationships with each other as well as their individual well-being
- goes beyond feeling swept up in a romance, which is more common imo
- you may be annoyed or frustrated by them at some times, charmed or impressed at others, but in a way that feels real & internally valid
- each character has their own values that guide them
- if something bad happens to them, or if they act in a way that seems against their values, you feel genuinely upset or betrayed, just as if it was someone you know
For me the instant #1 example of this is the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. I'm half-surprised I don't get Christmas cards from those people. (Winterfair tight-beams?)
From childhood, I also think of the HP series and maybe the Anne of Green Gables series.
Would love to hear yours if you have 'em. Especially, obviously, if you think I would like them too!
by HatenoCheese
1 Comment
I think Middlemarch is the ultimate for everything you’re looking for. Incredibly well developed characters and relationships (not only romance but family, friends, rivals, etc), all of them with deeply human flaws but written with such lion hearted compassion. Just wonderful.