Tuesday 10 August 2021

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Top Ten Secondary/Minor Characters Who Deserve More Love

 

"Top Ten Tuesday" is an original feature/weekly meme created on the blog "The Broke and the Bookish". This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at "The Broke and the Bookish".

It is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.

Since I am just as fond of them as they are, I jump at the chance to share my lists with them! Have a look at their page, there are lots of other bloggers who share their lists here.

This week's topic is: Secondary/Minor Characters Who Deserve More Love

Mary Bennett, the middle Bennett sister. She gets neglected all the time, the father prefers the two older sisters (the only sensible ones), the mother the younger ones.
Austen, Jane "Pride & Prejudice" - 1813

Georgiana Maria Gargery, Pip's sister, who takes him in after the parents died. That might have been more common in those days since a lot of people died young and left young children but they also ended often in an orphanage.
Dickens, Charles "Great Expectations" - 1861

Celia Brooke, Dorothea's younger sister. She marries Sir James even though he loves her sister first but I think they lead a happy life.
Eliot, George "Middlemarch" - 1871-72

Ruby Thewes. Without Ruby, Ada would not have survived. She is the sensible person who rescues the heroine of the story.
Frazier, Charles "Cold Mountain" - 1997

Maureen Quirk survives a shooting in her school and has to live with the aftermath. She cannot forget this for the rest of her life.
Lamb, Wally "The Hour I First Believed" - 2008

Gerda Buddenbrook née Arnoldsen. She marries Thomas, the son of the Buddenbrook family. He is not happy with his destiny and cannot live the life his ancestors have bestowed on him. I would like to see her view of this life.
Mann, Thomas "Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family" (German: Buddenbrooks) - 1901

Dulcie Piper, the nice lady who offers Robert Appleyard, the protagonist, not just a roof over his head for a while but a new outlook on life. We should all have a Dulcie in our lives.
Myers, Benjamin "The Offing" - 2019

Tonya Gromeko Zhivago. Well, the main characters in this novel is, of course, Yuri Zivago. We learn a lot about him, his life, the love of his life, Lara. But what about his wife, Tonya, with whom he grows up, who is like a sister to him for many years and then becomes his wife. We don't hear that much about her, I would love to know her better.
Pasternak, Boris "Doctor Zhivago" (Russian: Доктор Живаго = Doktor Živago) - 1957

Minny Jackson, one of the maids in this story, THE maid in this story. I would love to have her courage. And to have a friend like Minny.
Stockett, Kathryn "The Help" - 2009

Hans Hubermann, the only guy in my list. He is the foster father of Liesel Meminger and there should be more stories about heroic people like him.
Zusak, Markus "The Book Thief" - 2005

28 comments:

  1. Wonderful list! I found this theme much easier with classics and my lord it has been so long since I read Middlemarch but Dorothea has stuck with me somehow! And Mary Bennett was an inspired choice.
    This is my TTT.

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    1. Thanks, Michael. I loved this TTT because it gave me more to think about the books I read than usual.

      I also really love Dorothea but she has her book already. ;)

      And thank you for leaving your link, I'll visit you soon.

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  2. I didn't have time to write my TTT this week, but I love yours. Did you know there is a book written about Mary from P&P - I bought it for my friend who loves Austen - It's called "The other Bennett sister", its on my TBR! I totally loved Middlemarch so good choice with Dorotheas sister. And Minny from the Help, I love Minny!

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  3. I love TTT, Kat, and I try to participate every week which doesn't always work for me, either.

    I don't usually read sequels written by another author but it sounds like I might have to give Mary a go. I know Jane Austen left information about what would happen with the other sisters, so I hope that author has taken that into consideration.

    Did you read it yourself?

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  4. That's so true! Celia, Tonya, Mary and Georgiana. The saddest part is I'd completely forgotten about them till I read your post. They really do deserve more appreciation.
    ~Lex (lexlingua.co)

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    1. That's what I love about those lists. We don't just remind ourselves of something nice but also others. I'm glad you recognized them again.

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  5. This is an excellent list. Classics are a good source of secondary characters.

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    1. Thanks, Deb. They are a good source for everything, I think. I just love classics.

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  6. I loved Hans so much!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/08/10/top-ten-tuesday-328/

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  7. Thanks, Jo. I'm glad you say that. Our international book club members all said how nice it was to see a nice German portrayed, even during the wartime.

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  8. I have not read a lot of the books on your list, but your reasoning makes perfect sense to me.

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    1. Thanks, Carla. That's nice that you could follow my reasoning even though you haven't read the books. I hope you will chose one of them one day. They are all great books.

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  9. Great list! I've seen the movie of The Help but never read the book. I would love to know more about Hans as well. Here is my post-https://paigesofbook.blogspot.com/2021/08/top-ten-tuesday-secondaryminor.html.

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    1. Thanks, Paige. I know "The Help" got better known through the film and it has been made very nicely, I must say. I don't often like the film versions but this one was really good.

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  10. I'd read a whole book about Minny Jackson! What a great character she is. :)

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    1. Thanks, Lark. Maybe Kathryn Stockett will like the idea, as well. Maybe we should write to her. LOL

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  11. Great list! I would love to know more about Minny from The Help! She is such a great character.

    I twisted the topic some, as I have trouble remembering secondary characters.

    When you get the chance, I hope you stop by my post: https://readbakecreate.com/10-books-that-deserve-more-love/

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    1. Thanks Pam, I just said to Lark ^^ maybe we should write to the author.

      Looking forward to your twist.

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  12. Great list, love Mary Bennett and Hans Hubermann!

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    1. Thanks, Lindsey. I loved thinking about which secondary characters I would put on the list and they came to my mind right away.

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  13. I saw Mary Bennett on another list as well. Seems like a great choice!

    I've never seen Dr. Zhivago but my mom and dad LOVED that movie growing up- I want to see it for that alone.

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    1. Thanks, Greg. I have seen the movie a million times (well, maybe about five to ten, LOL). It is fantastic. They even made a second one with the inevitable Keira Knightley in one of the main roles (I think a whole generation grows up thinking every main classic character looks like her). Not bad, but definitely the one with Omar Sharif is the best. Enjoy.

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  14. I've seen lots of P&P characters on lists today! I put Mrs. Bennett on mine because her theatrics just make me laugh :)

    Happy TTT!

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    1. Thanks, Susan. Mrs. Bennett, hmmm, do I really want more of her theatrics? While I understand her reasoning why she wants her daughters to be married to "money", she is just too dumb and theatrical for me. But, of course, what would P&P without her? LOL

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  15. "Pride & Prejudice" and "Great Expectations" seem to be popular picks this week.

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    1. Thanks, Lectrice, those are two great authors and some of their most popular works (though mine are "Persuasion" and "David Copperfield" but I also love their other books a lot). So, I'm not surprised.

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  16. Nice rich list! I would have had a hard time coming up with something along those lines

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    1. I doubt that, Emma. Your posts are always so great and well thought out. But I'm glad you liked it.

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