Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I Didn’t Click With

Happy Tuesday! This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday from the lovely bloggers of The Broke and the Bookish is ten characters you just didn’t click with or in my case, the eight characters I couldn’t click with.

This was one was hard for me because unless I’m really invested in every aspect of the story, including characters, then I find it hard to thoroughly enjoy the story and finish the book. There is actually one novel that I started and purposely never finished …

Dorian Gray from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

This the only book that I started reading, got to my 30 pages, and purposely put the book down and never finished reading it. For the life of me, I just could not get into it. I couldn’t connect with Dorian or any aspect, really. I was disappointed because the general story, from what I’ve heard and read, was really intriguing. Maybe I’ll try again …

Teresa/ Allie & Andre Mandak from The Perfect Witness by Iris Johansen

This book in general was not one of my favorites. The general concept was a good one, but could have been better, including some of the characters. While there were some traits in Teresa (later called Allie) that I could identify with, for the most part, I just couldn’t relate to her at all. Same with the Andre – I just couldn’t figure him out. The relationship between these two – don’t get me started.

Bella Swan from Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Do I have to explain this one?

I actually thought that if Meyer left it alone after the first book, it wouldn’t have too bad. I thought it just went downhill after the first one.

Ana Steele & Christian Grey from 50 Shades of Grey by E. L. James

I actually only read the first one. I couldn’t get past the first few pages of the second book. I don’t I’m alone in this one. Ana seemed like a strong character, but she let Christian have too much control and power – yeah, so he sounded sexy on paper, but in person? Hell, no. As for Christian, I don’t think James did enough research into writing him, either that or she didn’t care.

Lady Brett Ashley from The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

I overall enjoyed this story and I found it relatable. Brett, however, was harder to click with. I guess not really knowing what it’s like to have money or the leisure to roam around Europe with almost no care would make it hard to click with her, but my first impression of her wasn’t a great one.

Dmitri and Smerdyakov from Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

These two were just not my favorite characters. I don’t know if that was on purpose, for them to be more unlikable, but I just thought that a lot of Dmitri’s actions were idiotic and I disliked his attitude in many instances. Smerdyakov, I’m pretty sure, was a sociopath. He was cunning and cold, but hid very well. It’s not like he’s Hannibal (although I’ve never read any of those books, so maybe the comparison is not a good one).

Romeo and Juliet from Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare

Part of me understands how this is a great story, but on the other hand, I don’t get these two. In what scenario is death the best option? Sure, different times, different rules, etc. Still makes me frustrated.

Joffrey Baratheon from Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin

I don’t think I need to explain this one. Although, props to Martin for creating such a believable character that everyone loves to hate. I never wanted to believe that he was simply just that horrible, but I guess he’s the ultimate personification of what too much power, control, and greed does to someone. Though Cersei is only ugly on the inside.

So those are my eight! I’m sure there are some other characters lurking around that I didn’t click with, but they have evaded me. Any to add? Or have your own list? Let me know, I would love to read them!

Happy Reading ❤ Nicole