Are Likeable Characters Important in a Good Novel?

[Chris Tusa]

I'm wondering . . . when you read a book, are you looking for characters you can relate to, characters you like, etc.? Or, are you simply looking for a good story and good writing? Have you read and loved a book containing characters you didn't admire (relate to) or even like?

[Heather Pennington]

For me, I'm looking more for a good story and good writing. I've read excellent books where I can't relate to the characters and sometimes even find them frustrating, but finish the book because the writing is just good and by the end I often have a new perspective from these characters and maybe even a little understanding as well.

[Vanessa Dow]

Characters are key. I don't necessarily have to like them, but they have to feel real and believable, or I just can't get into the story, no matter how well written.

[Rachel Hare]

I agree with Vanessa. I'm very interested in the story and the character development. It was funny - I read a review once that said that she didn't like the book because she thought the main character was a jerk. I thought a jerk for a main character actually sounded like a fairly compelling read! :) I would say that you have to be able to empathise with the characters a LITTLE bit. If they're all bad, I might not be able to connect with the story. If they're mostly bad, with a hint of good (think Tony Soprano - one of the all-time greatest tv characters), you love to root for the good in them...

[Harvee Lau]

I try to be objective and look at the writing and the story. However, being totally objective isn't always easy. Was I fair in my review of Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven? I was appalled by the naivete, carelessness of the two girls. Did I manage to hide that in the review?

[Dusty]

I think that if the writing is good, the characters will fall in line and on the other side of that coin, if the characters are good, the reader will probably like the story.

Some examples: I just read Queen's Cross by Lawrence Schoonover and I didn't connect with the characters but I did with the story. My favorite book, Widow of the South by Robert Hicks didn't have the best story but I loved the characters and wound up loving the story once I had given it a chance.

[Patricia Ramirez]

For me, I don't think it is as much likeable characters as believable characters. I can fall in love with a character (whether I like them or not) if I can really be made to believe they are real and can see things from their point of view.

[Dusty]

Good point...writers can reach readers with abhorrent characters as much as with likeable characters.

[Deleted]

Likeable is too easy. Compelling characters who have all the nuances and conflicts for any given situation. That's a lot harder and far more interesting to read.

[Insert Book Title]

I have liked a novel without characters I connect with, but that is very rare. I mostly have to connect/like the characters to really enjoy a novel. To me characters are the core of any great story!

[Book Calendar]

Interesting characters are important in a good novel. It is perfectly reasonable to write about villains or people you can hate or people who are just a bit odd.

[Maria Gustafsson]

Yes I can love a book and not sympathize with the character. Look at Tom Ripley in the series written by Patricia Highsmith, for intsance. Maybe there are a few others out there, but she is the best.

[Anastasia Fitzgerald-Beaumont]

My goodness, if likeable characters were important I think one would have to pass over much of the world's best literature in silence! I suppose it's nice to have someone in a book you can relate to, though there is then a danger of losing critical objectivity. There are so many things that go into making a good novel, but I would agree with others that characters have to be believable, no matter how extraordinary they are. As far as your final question is concerned, Chris, the answer is yes, I have, lots! One of my favourite books is Joyce's Ulysses, but I did not relate to either Stephen Daedalus or Leopold Bloom. My favourite author is Dostoevsky, but could anyone, I ask myself, relate to or like his neurotic characters? :-))