Hi everyone!
This week’s Top 5 Wednesday prompt is ‘Favourite “Unlikeable Protagonists”‘. This is really difficult because I love most protagonists, but I managed to think of five! Although I do still dislike basically all of them.
People always tear down “unlikeable” protagonists. But tell us the ones you pulled for!
Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey (Gingerreadslainey) and is currently hosted by Samantha (Thoughts on Tomes). For more information, check out the group on Goodreads.
1. Cath from Flowers in the Attic by Victoria Andrews
Cath is very frustrating to read from her perspective and I think it is mainly because she is an idiot. I liked the book and the unlikeable protagonist was probably intended, although not very obvious because all the other characters sucked, too. My review.
2. Briony from Atonement by Ian McEwan
I read Atonement in my literature class when I was 16 and everyone absolutely hated Briony. I sympathised with her a little bit because she was only a child when she did what she did. I don’t like her but I don’t hate her as much as some of my classmates did.
3. Rachel from The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
I enjoyed The Girl on the Train and all of the three main characters were unlikeable in different ways. One thing that was annoying about Rachel was her alcoholism and her attitude towards other people, most of the time caused by her drinking habits. She was an okay person when she was sober. My review.
4. Humbert Humbert from Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
I obviously think Humbert is a crazy and gross man, but if I didn’t like his personality completely then I wouldn’t have been able to finish the book. Although there’s not really anything I like about him, reading from his perspective was doable. My review.
5. Dorian Gray from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
I had to read this when I was 15 so it was a bit of a drag to read. I only really understood the story when I watched the film, and did not have a problem with Dorian’s personality or character. He of course is very vain but not entirely terrible to read about.
- What do you think about my T5W picks?
Of all of those books I’ve only read Girl on a Train and I totally agree, she’s very unlikeable.
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Glad you agree, she was hard to like.
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I remember cringing at each new decision she’d make. I’d want to yell at her to stop 🙂
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Haha yeah, she was pretty clueless!
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I totally agree with your summary of Humbert from Lolita. He is such a terrible person with obvious issues, however it was fascinating to read the book form his perspective. It was one of the hardest books I have read.
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Yes it was such a hard book to read! Glad you think so too.
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You’ve made some very good points! Rachel actually almost made my list too! 🙂
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Thank you!
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This is a great list! I forgot all about Briony, but that’s such a good choice. She was so frustrating but equally compelling. And great rationale for Humbert – he’s a loathsome character but I still love that book. And high fives for including Rachel.
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Thanks Rachel! You’re right, Briony was really frustrating, but I still liked her. I love Lolita too, and it is hard to read from his perspective at times because of his character.
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I’m so glad you put Briony on there! I’m sitting an exam on her tomorrow, and all year, my class has been brutal about her character, but I would say on reflection she’s not completely awful, and there are some reasons why I feel pity for her! Great post! 🙂 🙂
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That’s such a coincidence! I hope your exam goes well. My last Literature exam was on Atonement. And yes my class were really brutal towards her too, and I did sort of pity her! Thank you 😀
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I know! Thanks! Same, seems like people are really harsh towards her, although she is really annoying I suppose!! 🙂
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A thought provoking list, Briony was soo annoying. I like Rachel from The Girl on the Train, only because she is that broken, helpless and unreliable protagonist that you long to encounter in modern thrillers. ✨ Great list
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That’s so true about Rachel, I do really like it when thrillers have a broken protagonist, as it makes it more thrilling. Thank you! 🌟
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Have you read any of Gillian Flynn’s thrillers?
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Yes I’ve read Gone Girl, definitely one of the best twists I’ve ever read! I’ve been meaning to read Dark Places for a while, it sounds really interesting. I love psychological thrillers 🙂
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I love Flynn, I wrote my undergrad dissertation on her. You should check out Sharp Objects aswell! ✨💙
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That’s so cool! Okay I’ll read it soon!
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Sry interesting choices. And thanks for posting a picture of Jeremy Irons, a celeb crush of mine even if he does often play pervy creepers, lol
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Thanks! Haha no problem, it’s a good shot of him
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I have not read The Girl on the Train and Flowers from the Attic, but I agree that for the rest your list is spot on. Regarding Humbert, even though I knew he was a pervert, I somehow felt some slight sympathy lurking around inside me for him.
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Glad you agree! Yes I think there was supposed to be some sympathy given to him so I certainly felt bad for him at times.
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Unfortunately I find most protagonists unlikable by the end of a book. These are particularly unlikable though!
https://tenmoreminutesblog.wordpress.com/
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That’s too bad! Characters can get annoying after a while
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