Do you need to like or connect with the characters in a book to enjoy it? ?????
Do you need to like or connect with the characters in a book to enjoy it?
?????
64 Answers
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Do you need to like or connect with the characters in a book to enjoy it?
?????
No
No
No
Yes
No! For example…Rachel in “The Girl On The Train”. She was pathetic.
Yes
I don’t need to love all the characters, but there has to be at least one or two that I like. I can’t stand books that only have unlikable characters. And if the main character is unlikable I have a pretty hard time enjoying the book.
Not all but st least 2 for me
No. I didn’t like those folks in Baby Teeth, but that was a good book.
At least one of them needs to be somewhat relatable.
FYI I edited the question a bit
No.
No, some of my favourite books have characters that annoyed me, it didn’t take anything away from the story. A book with just annoying characters, that’s another story?
As long as the plot is good, connecting or liking characters isn’t a big deal for me.
I don’t need to like them, but I do need to be able to relate. I have to be able to understand why they act a certain way, even if I don’t agree with them. I prefer to like the characters, and I enjoy books where I like the characters more, but if they’re relatable, I can usually get along with them.
No I don’t have to like them, but we must relate on some level.
No, but characters who become likeable even loveable makes a book that much more memorable. Especially if it’s a series.
To a point if not the characters the situation.
Not at all
No
Yeah kind of. If not, I’m just mad the whole time. Haha
I do need at least one character that I like and can root for. I hate books where everyone, including the protagonist, is extremely unlikable. It makes me not care what happens to any of them. I’m talking to you, Girl on a Train!
No
No need to like but the connection is must to enjoy the book…
No, and in fact I’m more intrigued if I don’t understand, relate, or empathize at all. It makes me work more and I love the challenge. Of course one character with common motives and energy is nice; but not necessary
Yes..struggling with that now. I’m reading The summerhouse by Jude Deveraux
I enjoy murder mysteries, so no.
No
No
no
I’m reading Markus Zusak (The Book Thief author) new book, Bridge of Clay. It has to do a lot with really rowdy brothers who beat each other up all the time. I guess it is a form of communication with them. It was so different from any family experience I’d ever had that I struggled. But now I’m in the middle of the book and totally drawn into it. It’s like a gift that gradually unfolds
No
No
Yes. It really helped while reading Valley of the Dolls. ?
@Wils I thought I was the only one who has read that book. (This past Spring in fact) what a trip into the past….
Nope. Sometimes, if I don’t understand them, it makes me think more and makes the story better.
Not always as long as there’s some aspect that connects with me. Whether it be the plot or the writing. I do tend to enjoy books more if I have a connection to the characters.
No
Not really..
Not really. As long as the book has a decent plot, and good descriptions, I’m good.
Nope.
No
No
it depends
I haven’t connected with Ray Garraty in The Long Walk by Stephen King, and I still love the book. My favorite character is Stebbins, the silent boy who saw the Walk before.
no, but I prefer it if I do like them
no, but I like it better when I like the characters.
No.
No, but within reason. If I’m reading from the perspective of a villain, I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t like the main character, but if the main character drives me nuts, I probably won’t care for the book.
Yes
No.
No
I feel that if I don’t like a character, especially if it is a main character, that my enjoyment in the book goes down. For example, Julia Jarmond in Sarah’s Key. I loathed Julia. The way she acted, the way she presented herself, the way she was so whiny, the way she constantly compared France to the United States, the way she constantly cried about everything. Ugh, it’s because of this character that I didn’t like Sarah’s Key. In another book that I read recently, one of the female characters that was a main character, but she isn’t a main character in the overall book series was so unlikable that my enjoyment in the book was pretty none existent… but since Sir Baldwin Furnshill is one of my favourite characters in the universe, I just put up with whiny, weak, constantly fainting Sara. It depends though. I prefer character and plot development. If the character doesn’t change and grow, then I hate both the character and don’t enjoy the book.
@Tiffany same here. I was reading A is for Alibi and the main character didn’t like dogs. And i personally love dogs….so….yeah…couldn’t read it because of that ?
No. As long as there is a good story line, I don’t have to like the main character at all
No. I try to find the reasons behind the character’s behaviors, just as I would do in real life. The story in the story, I suppose.
No
Yes
Yes, usually.
Usually, but not always. I can think of “Blindness” off the top of my head – that I did not connect and still enjoyed
Or HATE or Dislike them.
No, but it sure makes for a better read.
I need to be able to understand why they behave the way they do. Not necessarily throughout the book, but by the end of it, at least. A book with only unlikable characters with little insight on their background/ motivation/development will not be an enjoyable read for me. It also depends on the genre. I can overlook the weakness of having two-dimensional characters in a quick-to-read thriller, for example, as long as their actions are understandable (and therefore relatable) on some level. It also depends on the storyline, of course, but I am more likely to be drawn to a book with characters who are ‘human’ – who have flaws, as well as well as goodness, in them. .
No, I prefer when my characters take me to another setting with another style of life.