Yeah, it was just too bad she was more like her father.(Although I think he was more kind-hearted and generous, but they had similar drive.) In a more peaceful South, maybe she would have gotten a calm man like Ashley and proceeded to make his life hell by doing the "power behind the throne" thing with someone who completely lacked her fire and ambition.
'Lessons'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
She'd have invited all the cotton buyers to a lovely soiree, dickered the prices, robbed them blind and made they happy to be so, and she'd have arranged very good marriages for her children.
For those interested, GWTW is on TCM tonight, 8 p.m. EST.
freaky synchronicity, huh?
Today is the 70th anniversary of the movie premiere in Atlanta.
Somewhat random question: How important is it to you to like the characters in a book in order to like the book? I've had a few conversations lately where I've said I liked a book and someone else replied, "Oh, I hated it -- the main character was such a bitch" or "Ugh -- that main character was a horrible person." And I was kind of stuck in, "Well, yes, but they're entertaining horrible people." I can think of lots of books that I love where I'd probably strangle any of the characters if I had to actually interact with them for more than five minutes, but I still say I love the book because I love watching what happens to these horrible people or how they do their horrible stuff. In several of these cases, the person said, "I hated that character," and my response was a confused, "Were we supposed to like her?"
I dislike books where the unlikeable person is the focus of the book, because I've get better things to do than spend that much time with someone I don't like.
If they are unlikable but entertaining I will enjoy reading about them. The guy in High Fidelity is a jerk for a good part of the book, but he is fun to read about, for example. Sherlock Holmes would be another example.
And I was kind of stuck in, "Well, yes, but they're entertaining horrible people."
That I can live with. I've started and not finished too many books recently where I was more like "I wouldn't want to spend two minutes around these people in real life, I'm not doing that on the page either."
I'm looking forward to partaking of American Psycho in one form or another, and I understand there's no liking to be had there. I also liked A Clockwork Orange and there's no feeling for Alex until possibly the end.