Who are your favorite female characters? Fictional characters…..not real people. You can’t chose me kidding. Let’s broaden it to TV/film/novels.
I can think of three right off the bat.
1. Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird – What’s not to like? She’s curious, independent, loves to read, learns life lessons from her elders, has a dawning awareness of racism and has a soft spot for Boo Radley. Plus, for those of you who liked the movie, the actress who played Scout and I looked alike. Kind of.
I was about 5 or 6 here.
2. Jessica Jones – This girl has it all going for her. In an alcoholic, superpowered, acerbic, brilliant, PTSD, independent sort of way. I think I love her because I recognize some tiny bits of myself in her, but she is to the nth degree. Of course, she’s a comic book character, so there you go.
3. Tess of the d’Urbervilles – Tess, the protagonist of this Thomas Hardy novel, is awesome. Independent, passionate, romantic, smart…..I LOVE her.
saneteachers 
Sorry Barb, but mine was Trixie Belden.
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lol I just had to look her up. I never read a Trixie Belden book. I liked Nancy Drew….but that was really back in the day. Thanks, Julia ❤
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These 3 immediately came to mind. Again, probably not “all-time” favorites, but certainly memorable:
Delores Price (She’s Come Undone)
Delores Umbridge (Harry Potter series) A villain that still evokes a visceral hatred
Lisbeth Salander (Girl with Dragon Tattoo)
Like a list of male favorites, guess I have a predilection for the tragically-flawed…
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Oh Lisbeth Salander! Absolutely. And Delores Umbridge is an interesting choice. I haven’t read She’s Come Undone. Thanks, Gabe
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She’s Come Undone is incredible. Especially considering the author is an “old geezer” like me.
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Lol, I’ll add it to my list, which is getting VERY long.
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Book (ok, and TV, now): Claire Randall from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Intrepid, practical, courageous, loving, compassionate, academically brilliant, intellectually curious, and very much in touch with her own sexuality.
TV: Lorelei Gilmore, hands down. Unconventional, determined, grounded, adventurous, music lover, very funny. Strong but not afraid to be weak. Independent. And she loves to eat. 🙂
Movie: Aibileen Clark, played by Viola Davis in The Help. “You is smart, you is kind, you is important.” This wise, loving woman knew her young charge well enough to know that her fragile self-esteem would need reinforcement in the years ahead. So Aibilene told her this every day in the hopes that she would always remember it, and believe it. We should all have such a champion in our most formative years.
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I have to read/see The Help. She sounds like a wonderful character. I’m not a fan of The Gilmore Girls…sorry. My daughter can’t understand it. My friend is trying to get me into The Outlander series. I haven’t read any yet. What I love about writing posts like this is that we get such a wide variety of ideas. Thank you for yours! Especially for saying why you like them.
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This is an awesome topic! Great idea.
1. Kreia, from the video game “Knights of the Old Republic II”. I know you didn’t include games, but I couldn’t leave her off this list. Actually, she is one of my all-time favorite characters, regardless of gender. Morally ambiguous and incredibly complex, she is pretty much the gold standard for fictional characters in my book.
2. Jane Ballard, the protagonist of the movie “Jane Got a Gun”. She seems quiet and unassuming, but is super brave and tough when she needs to be. What I like is how she conquers her fear and saves herself and her family when everyone around her is telling her to just run away.
3. I agree with you about Scout, but I’d also add another “Mockingbird” character: Miss Maudie, the witty, kind neighbor. She has some really good lines–for as beloved as the book is, it seems like she is underappreciated.
4. Jane Eyre, from the book of the same name. She is a very interesting character, and I love the way she sticks to her principles and won’t let herself be treated as anything less than Rochester’s equal, ignoring Victorian ideas of gender roles and class. She also is pretty funny.
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I totally agree with Miss Maudie and Jane Ballard. But I have to disagree with Jane Eyre. I know I’m the only person in the northern hemisphere to think this, but I think Jane Eyre (the novel) is boring. And it has nothing to do with the period. I just never liked it.I don’t know the game girl protagonist. You know, in this day of so many books and movies with the word “girl” in the title, Game Girl would be a great title.
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Oh, you’re not alone in your opinion of Jane Eyre. My best friend HATES that book with a passion. I guess she doesn’t find it “boring” so much as “infuriating”–she hates the way Rochester treats Jane. Which I sort of get, but I still argue it was relatively progressive for its time…
Speaking of “game girl”, that reminds me of another character I like: “Codex”, the awkward gamer played by Felicia Day in the online comedy series “The Guild”. She did a lot towards breaking down stereotypes about gamers.
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I agree with you that Jane Eyre was progressive for its time. I think that’s why it was somewhat scandalous. I still think it’s boring, lol.
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1. Wonder Woman, because of course. If you delve into the comic books, she is even more amazing. 2. Juliet–she made Romeo put a ring on it. 3. Katniss Everdeen, because everything she does is out of love for someone.
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Katniss Everdeen is one of my favorites, too.I hadn’t thought about Juliet,.
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Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I forgot about Lizzy Bennet! I’ll trade up Juliet for her.
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Who is Lizzie Bennet?
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Sorry! Lizzy from Pride & Prejudice. It’s my third favorite book in the whole world.
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Don’t hate me, but I don’t like Pride & Prejudice at all. I was discussing Jane Eyre with another reader on the blog. I feel the same way about both of them. Boring. I don’t know why. Dickens is fascinating, Thomas Hardy is one of my favorite authors, so it isn’t that I don’t like works from older periods. What are your first 2 favorite books?
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Dune, by Frank Herbert and The Hobbit, by Tolkien. Everyone comes to a book via a different road, which is a person’s own experience. That is what I love about reading.
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Very true! The Hobbit is one of my favorites. I’ve read it over and over (I’m a lot older than you so I’ve had more years to read it over and over, lol). I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well.
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I’m just finishing up a post with a pingback to yours. Hope you like it!
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Wow, thanks!
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Oh my, there are so many! I love Lisbeth Salander and Scout. I love Ayla, from Clan of the Cave Bear and so many others….probably a very long list. And you look too cute in that photo!
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Thanks! I was gazing adoringly at my cousin. But I cropped him out for this post, lol..I agree with Ayla. 💟
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Lois Lane, when she’s well-written. There have been a lot of different versions of her over the decades, but ideally, in my mind, she’s tough as nails. She can go toe-to-toe with politicians, gangsters, and men of steel. And even before Superman started showing up to save her from tight spots, she was fearless, putting herself in those tight spots and getting herself out of them on her own. Lois Lane has ruined me for women in the real world.
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Lois Lane is a great one.
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I like your list and agree with them. Here are mine:
Daenerys Targaryen – from Game of Thrones… talk about a seemingly fragile girl who loses everything born from the fire to lead. She is a true role model to me in how she looks at the world.
Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan – from the Help… she showed bravery in a time when it would have been easier to “go with the flow” and inspired others to do the same. She wanted the women of color to have a voice because she loved them and knew the world was unfair.
Black Widow – the Avengers.. she can use what she has to get what she needs but has loyalty, intelligence and a heart that is beyond most others. She would put herself in harms way for those she loves and respects. She is fearless in many ways.
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These are all good, although I would put other women from GoT before Daenerys. I like Sansa a lot more. And the Black Widow is a great choice. Thanks for posting here!
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I also admire Sansa Stark!
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Jon Snow has been my favorite GoT character since the first page. Although that’s a little off topic, lol.
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From books, one of my favs is Kinsey Millhone from the Sue Grafton A to Z series. I always enjoy seeing what she’s up to. Another one is Precious Ramotswe in the #1 Ladies Detective Agency books (though I might be spelling her name wrong).
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I’m not a fan of the Sue Grafton series, but I’m a HUGE fan of the #1 Ladies Detective Agency. Good call.
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Kinsey was an acquired taste for me but I grew to love her in all her flawed quirkiness, with her thing for her octogenarian landlord Henry and her love for McDonalds, and peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches.
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I like her quirks too. And I’d love to get a tour of her tiny living space. It sounds so cute. 😁
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Maggie Sawyer – particularly in Death and Return. They murdered her character in the TV series.
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I have to check this one out. My goodreads list is getting longer and longer!
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Caveat lector, it’s a very long Superman comic arc.
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Thanks, I’ll check it out.
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I just checked on Goodreads and there are a few. Should I try Death and Return of Superman Omnibus?
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Yeah! That’s got all of it, it’s great.
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I hadn’t really thought about it, but three come to mind:
Selene (Kate Beckinsale in the Underworld franchise)
Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton’s version in T2)
Clara Costello (Precious Time by Erica James, one of my favourite books)
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Yet ANOTHER book to put on my Goodreads list!
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I loved Precious Time, all about a single Mum who takes her kid on an adventure before he starts school in a camper van called Winnie.
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Is it a children’s or young adult book? I love young adult books but they have to be good. Not like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. But his sounds like it could be an “grown-up” book.
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Erica James is one of my favourite authors and this is a lovely story of an independent Mum who wants herself and her four year old child to have some fun in life before he starts school. It would possibly appeal to teenagers, but not very young children. Clara meets up with a cantankerous old man and his estranged family, which gives some wonderful humour (and later sadness). Here’s a link to a summary
http://ericajames.co.uk/portfolio/precious-time/
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Ooooohhh Thank you!
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You’re welcome.
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I’ve got 4 from novels
1. Eve Dallas JD Robb In Death series.
2. Lindsey Boxer James Patersons Woman’s murder club series
3. Kinsey Millhone Sue Grafton A-Z series
4. Nanna mamma James Patersons Alex Cross series.
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I, too, really like Eve Dallas and Nana Mama (especially Nana Mama). I have never read the Women’s Club series, although I like James Patterson very much.
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I like Scout too! And on a much less literary note, I also like Agatha Raisin, MC Beaton’s heroine, even though the quality of the stories has gone steadily downhill. But I love her constant battle with her self-doubts, her drive to succeed and her optimistic search for true love. She’s vulnerable, flawed and real, and honestly, she deserves better stories. (And now let’s just hope MC Beaton doesn’t read your blog……)
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I would be ECSTATIC if MC Beaton read my blog! I used to like Agatha Raisin a lot, but I agree, the books are going downhill. I much prefer her other series, Hamish Macbeth.
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Hamish is a great character, and I would have named him if males were allowed. I think she creates wonderful characters, but just needs to work more on her plotting.
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I think the Hamish stories have gone downhill, too. Don’t worry, I’m doing a male character one tomorrow. I find these fascinating. And reminding me of books I’ve loved and more books that I want to read. And some people’s fav characters I can’t stand. But I love that people are giving their thoughts. Like you!
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Pingback: Asking Jane Eyre – Sincerely, Sunny
Thank you for the mention! Such a compliment ❤
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I don’t think I have one. Hermione Granger was cool. I liked her accent.
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If I did a top 10, she’d definitely be on there. Especially in the first book, she was odd man out (saying odd girl out sounded strange) and trying so hard to please others. I identified with that. Plus I was always the student in the first row waving her hand wildly to be called on, just like Hermione. Actually, I still do that in staff meetings. For real.
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Why am I not surprised hahaha
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lolol
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Claire, the Time Traveler’s Wife.
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Here are my choice, not necessarily in that order:
1. Anna Karenina
2. Tess of D’urbervilles
3. Scheherazade (Arabian Nights
4. Draupadi (from the Indian epic Mahabharat)
5. Hermione Granger
6. Jane Eyre
7. Catherine Earnshaw
All right, that’s about enough!
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Anna Karenina used to be my favorite book and I’ve read it many times. I should have thought of Anna Karenina right away. Next time. Thank you so much for reading this and adding Draupadi to the conversation. Now I will put Mahabharat on my list to read!
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Unfortunately, there is a glut of pulp fiction on Draupadi, thanks to the five husbands she was forced to take. But there isn’t a more powerful woman in all of Indian mythology or literature.
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So do you suggest the best book?
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Now that is a veritable field of landmines you’re asking me to send you to! Mahabharata is huge and complicated. The best book if you want a quick overview of the epic is
(1) ‘Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata’ by Devidutt Pattnaik.
There is a spiced up version from Draupadi’s angle:
(2) ‘Yajnaseni: The Story of Draupadi’ by Pratibha Ray.
Another version from two perspectives (Draupadi’s and one of her husbands Arjuna) is
(3) Arjun: Without a Doubt by Sweety Shinde
Good luck!
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Oh man. I’ll do a little research on each. I’ll let you know what I decide. Since I take other people’s suggestions seriously, because I think they are made seriously, and I have been blogging asking for them and sharing, I now have a HUGE list of books to read. Although, if I’m reading a book and just don’t like it, I’ll stop. There are too many books, from too many cultures to read all the ones I want with the finite time we have. I will let you know and thank you again.
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Unbelievable as it may sound, the TBR stacks in my bookshelves are now larger than the ones I have read –I’m a compulsive book buyer. I am fully with you about that precious sand called time, more so when more than two third of it has flown to the lower cone. But I do love reading books from cultures across the world. I am currently reading Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexivich: spine-chilling, but repetitive with nary a redemption in sight.
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*sigh* I just thought I wouldn’t have to add anymore to my TBR pile. Secondhand Time looks good. At least that it’s spine-chilling.
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Spine-chilling in what happened to entire generations in USSR, holocausts that were never discussed…
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Fascinating and horrifying.
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I just went to Goodreads to add this title and they are having a contest to give away this book. There are 25 copies available but over 1,000 people entered so far. It would be fun to win a copy.
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Which book, please?
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The one you are reading now. Second- Hand Time
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Grab it, my friend!
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Arya Stark of A Song of Ice and Fire by GRRM…she starts training to be an assassin at like 10yo to avenge her murdered family/friends and deliver justice, not to mention she turns out to be a prodigy at the whole thing! It’s like so what have you done today?! HA!
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Nailed it! My favorite is Sansa. Started out shallow, but really acting out the way she was raised. Then reality hit and she grew up fast. Now cold and avenging. I love GoT. Thank you for commenting 😃
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Tess, Tess, Tess. That is one of my favorite books. Good pick, Barb 🙂
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Why thank you!
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My all time favorite would have to be the unnamed Romulan Commander from Star Trek’s “The Enterprise Incident”. She was pretty much the first three-dimensional female villain on the Original Series, though I never perceived her as a villain – just an opposing force to the heroes with her own beliefs and values she was loyal to. I suppose that’s why she stayed with me so long. She made me think. She made me evaluate my own beliefs. And root for her, too. 😉
(There’s another Romulan named Ael in the Bloodwing books, but hardly anyone knows those).
Then there are of course Nanny Ogg (the one I want to be like when I grow up) and Lady Ramkin from Terry Pratchett’s discworld books, Hermia from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, kick-derriere Brienne from GoT, Leia from Star Wars, and of course Wonder Woman.
All geeked out now 🙂 and going to find my “Anna Karenina”.
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I see you are a fellow sci-fi, fantasy fan! I don’t know most of these characters, but Brienne is kick-ass!
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I love Katy Carr from What Katy Did. Jo March too. I could do this all day!! Oh and Becky Sharpe. She is deadly.
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I think you should do this all day lol.I just started with 3 because I wanted to say a few words about why I liked them. And I didn’t want to bore readers to death. But I’m hoping we’ll all give each other ideas for “to read” lists.
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I especially like Jo March.
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I really like Claire Fraser in the Outlander books. She is such a strong woman, that is opinionated, brave, and incredibly bold.
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Other people have mentioned the Outlander books. I may have read the first one, but I’m not sure. Is this the series set in Scotland?
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Yes exactly, it’s the one where claire time travels from the 1940s to the 1740s Scotland.
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I have to read the first one…if I don’t like a book I put it down after the first 255-50 pages. But I may not ever have read it. Just read or heard people talk about it. So here is yet ANOTHER book to add to my Goodreads list!
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