Welcome to another Top 5 Wednesday post! This week's Top 5 Wednesday post is about my favourite characters. This will obviously not be an easy post because I have read so many books, each with some amazing characters. It is also hard not to choose characters which were included in last week's post. I will try to choose characters who were not in last week's post, but here we go; my top 5 favourite characters!
1. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
So anyone who has read A Clockwork Orange may be questioning how I can have a favourite character from this book. I think it's important to begin with a reminder of the importance of this book. It is indeed an extremely violent book with detailed descriptions of murder, rape and assault throughout. These are actions which no one can every justify. However, this book shows us the importance of regulating state power and how not to treat juvenile delinquents, with themes of law, criminology, psychology and sociology throughout. I could argue that all the characters are my favourites as they all bring an important theme and message to the book.
However, for the purpose of this post, I am going to say my favourite character was the Prison Charlie, the prison chaplain in other words. There is so much that this character symbolises, but one is hope. It can be argued that the Prison Charlie helped to rehabilitate Alex and provide him with hope by making him turn to God. It is very controversial whether this was actually the end result, but I would say it is highly likely to be the intention. But looking at this from a more general perspective, it indicates hope for the criminal justice system that it may improve and even hope for the inmates that they may be released in the future, giving them something to walk towards. Therefore, The Prison Charlie plays an important yet difficult role, so I must appreciate his resilience.
2. The Children Act by Ian McEwan
This is another book where I could have had multiple favourite characters, but for the purpose of this post, I am going to say my favourite character is Fiona Maye. This is because, through Fiona, we can really see some of the realities of being a High Court Judge in England and Wales. She clearly cares about her job because she went to see Adam in the hospital before she handed down her judgment, showing that she really wanted to work in his best interests as required by The Children Act 1989. But as well as this, she was good at not letting her private life interfere with her professional life, at least too much. Furthermore, Fiona seems to be an excellent musician, and who doesn't like a great musician?
3. Shadow of the West: A Story of Divided Berlin
This book was one of my many favourites in 2023, and choosing my favourite character is quite easy. Although, yes, I could have chosen multiple, the character who is definitely my favourite is Kate. She not only settles into a new school in a completely new country at a time of war, but takes some quite significant risks to help others. She also loves learning about the world around her and the circumstances of other people's lives. This is an important attitude to learn about other people's realities, even in real life, but Kate makes an excellent role model. One of the most memorable moments involving Kate involves her taking Michael and Anika's baby to the other side of the wall, despite the risks it posed for her and the fact that she very nearly got caught!
4. A Study in Chocolate by Amber Royer
I mentioned this book, or more particularly the series, last week, and again, I refer to the series, but this week, a different character who is very close to Felicity. My second favourite character is Logan, who becomes Feliciy's business partner but also a murder mystery investigation partner. Logan always seems to want to help whoever he can, and he is a very knowledgeable individual with some amazing skills. Logan definitely has many stories to tell. Usually, I like to remain somewhat objective when referring to characters or books on this blog, but allow me to share my subjective opinion. Before I do this, I should provide a spoiler alert just in case you haven't read the most recent book, 'A Study in Chocolate'. But in Felicity's search for the right romantic partner, I really want her to choose Logan because he seems like the perfect partner.
5. The Conspiracy 3 by Lawrence O'Bryan
Finally, my favourite character comes from the series all about the Coronavirus and could be no one else but the main character, Dr Robert McNeil or Rob. Rob has been through an awful lot, yet he never gives up. It is great that he managed to create a vaccine for the coronavirus, but then one can only imagine what it must be like to think your wife is dead before learning that she has been kidnapped by the Russians. Then Rob finds himself on a chase from both Russia and China across the world and, at one point, imprisoned in America. He has been through a lot, so you must admire him for all he has been through. What an incredible character!
This has indeed been a somewhat difficult post to write as in some of these books, I could have mentioned a number of characters because they all bring something unique and important to the story. But that concludes our Top 5 Wednesday post for this week, so please let me know who your favourite characters are in the comments who are your favourite characters? If you have not read any of the books above, please look around this blog and read some reviews to find your next potential book! I look forward to next week's Top 5 Wednesday post as much as I hope you are.
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