Top Ten Tuesday

A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is

Top Ten Characters I'd Like to Be Best Friends With

First of all, sorry for missing the Monday meme.  I've never missed one before but it would have been identical to last Monday, I'm afraid :(  But to miss out on two memes back-to-back?  That's not happening!

In no particular order...

1) Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

As a child, I always imagined being best friends with Anne.  I always admired and tried to adopt her zest for life and her incurable optimism :)  I know what you're thinking: what about Diana?  Well, I felt that Diana grew apart from Anne when she didn't move on to college.  Aside from Gilbert, Anne needed a new gal pal.

2)  Claire Abshire in The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I felt that Gomez & Charisse were not close enough to Claire to be considered friends, and with Henry's long, sporadic absences, she really needed a strong friend.

3)  Ruth in The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton

Someone really needed to step in and protect this poor innocent girl.  I felt that nobody really loved and protected her, not realizing the need to guide her until it was too late.

4) Jo or Beth March in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Everyone loves Jo and I definitely see why.  But I always felt that Beth, being so mousy and introverted, needed a close friend as her sisters all seemed to be apart from her.

5) Celie in The Color Purple by Alice Walker
I admire Celie's perseverence to reunite with her sister, but also to build her self-esteem, self-awareness, and learning how to read.  I would have loved to be her pen pal :)

6)  Carrie White in Carrie by Stephen King

For those scratching their heads, think of it this way:  If Carrie had one true friend, would she have wreaked havoc like she did?

7)  Valentina in Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Poor Mouse.  She was the closest friend her twin Julia had but was the loneliest person in the world.  A friend would have convinced her not to go through with her unthinkable plan at the end (I won't spoil it).

8)  Duncan Garp in The World According to Garp by John Irving

The only boy character I can think of that I really connected with as a friend.  I'm not sure why, but I sympathized with him & felt that he was ignored by everyone around him.

9)  Offred in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

While I wouldn't want to live in Gilead (*shiver*), I was drawn to Offred's unwillingness to give into the regime and how she kept pining for the truth about her loved ones.

10)  Rose Feller in In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

I certainly felt like I had a lot in common with Rose (except for the shoe shopping--I have fussy feet & hate the time & effort it takes to find reasonably priced, comfy shoes), and besides Maggie & the bluntly honest Amy, Rose didn't have a necessary support system.  Maybe I could have been her shrink :D