Sunday, April 10, 2011

But What Sort of Friend Would She Be?

I can think of four series in the last decade that have taken readers by storm, and all of them have young female protagonists. Since I haven't yet read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, I won't be commenting on it.  But with Hunger Games, Twilight, and Harry Potter, I wonder. If the female protagonists of these series were real, would I want them as a friend?
  • Katnis Everdeen from The Hunger Games – She’s obviously a bad ass, and she’s extremely loyal and devoted to the people she loves. But I doubt we’d have much in common. I don’t hunt, and I would always be scared she’d judge me for being too girly. For instance, I doubt she’d ever want to just veg on the couch and watch a Sex and the City marathon. Also, she’s not exactly in touch with her emotions, so it would be hard to have heart-to-hearts.
  • Hermione Granger from Harry Potter – I know she's not the main character of the series, but she counts. So she’s super smart, and brave, and there’s a ton to admire. She seems to have a sense of humor, although it’s not always easy to tell since she spends most of her time trying to help Harry save the world from he who won’t be named. But like Katnis, she doesn’t seem to have a lot of female friends. Should I hold that against her? Maybe it’s just circumstance.
  • Bella from Twilight – Uhgg. I know there are lots and lots of people who love this series, but I never got past the first book. If Bella was real, what would we talk about? I’d have to hear her go on and on about whether she should be with Jacob or Edward, and if we ever had plans to do something, I know she’d dump me the moment Edward called and said he wanted to hang out.

So if I had to choose one, I’d go with Hermione. I believe once she graduated from Hogwarts and life became somewhat stable she would loosen up and we could have some fun together. And I like her choices. Ron is definitely not a bad boy. Girls who choose bad boys can be pretty needy (Bella?).

But I welcome comments on this one. What do others think?

Now for book news.
First, I am reading A Modern Witch by Debra Geary. It’s charming: sort of a chick-lit version of Harry Potter. The main character, Lauren, discovers she’s a mind-witch when she’s twenty-eight years old, and the plot centers around her, the witches who then come into her life, and her best friend Nat. If you have a kindle it’s a cheap download on Amazon.


Also, to toot my own horn a little, Starring in the Movie of My Life got reviewed by Midwest Book Reviews, which is a big deal if you’re an independent author. “A riveting romance and drama, highly recommended” was the title line of their review on Amazon. You can read the whole thing if you follow this link:

2 comments:

  1. Laurel,
    I'm a new follower from book blogs. Great post. I loved and agreed with your summations of the female characters and what kind of friends they would be. I'd be far too girlie for Katnis, adore Hermoine (who carries so much weight on her shoulders with great poise), and I'd gag Bella. I made it through the second book, though her wallowing for Edward made me want to scratch my eyes out. And I say this not as a part of a backlash. I thought so when I read it three years ago and refused to read the third. I have many friends who adore the series.

    I'm intrigued by A Modern Witch and have added it to my wish list on Amazon (don't have a kindle, yet).

    Kudos to you for your review. I saw the book image on the right but didn't realize it was yours. Very exciting! I definitely want to read it.

    Cheers,
    Ellen
    http://mymotherstuttered.blogspot.com/

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  2. I'm a new follower from Book Blogs. Great post. I'd probably pick someone not on your list. Alice from Twilight. I'd love to have a friend like her! Maybe Clary from The Mortal Instruments.
    Out of your list... none of them sound like awesome friends. I do think Bella has some good qualities and she'd make a good friend. I don't know enough about Hermoine and Katniss is too bad ass for me.
    See you around :D
    Talia
    http://taliajager.blogspot.com

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