You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Have you ever found yourself sighing over a fictional character? Who? Why? Where can I find of copy of that book?

For me it's mainly Ron Weasley (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, etc.) and Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby). Ron is absolutely adorkable, and such an idiot, it's amazing. Jay is a little bit creepy, but he's a sweetheart, staying true to that witch for so long...Richard Sharpe (Sharpe's Eagle) is also pretty dreamy, the officer from the ranks that he is.

And, if you think that my taste in men is strange, you are probably right.

Hmmmm I was about to say Mr Darcy, but have a feeling that is more to do with Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation!

I will have to have a think on this one!

Mr Rochester! Despite us being woefully mismatched.

Captain Wentworth. There's a better match, I think.

Erm... all the pretend men got a bit boring after the nineteenth century.

Anne wrote: "Have you ever found yourself sighing over a fictional character? Who? Why? Where can I find of copy of that book?"

All the time!! It's often what makes a book so awesome :)

For me, it's Snape though, not Ron. I was hooked on the series early on and for me it wasn't about Harry anymore, it was all about Snape.

Mr. Knightley from Emma too is someone who makes me sigh. He's so dreamy :)

I've become rather obsessed with Eric from the deeply trashy Sookie Stackhouse, Books 1-7 series of late. It has to stop.

Ooo, Lord Asriel from His Dark Materials Trilogy too! So mean and nasty, I just love it!

Thing is, don't you find that the characters you swoon over are nothing like your actual partner?

Lauren wrote: "Mr Rochester! Despite us being woefully mismatched.

Captain Wentworth. There's a better match, I think.

Erm... all the pretend men got a bit boring after the nineteenth century."


Here Here! - 19th Century Heroes do tend to fit the bill best don't they!

Rochester has to be the pinicle of dreamy characters though - Indeed any Byronic Hero will do - someone with brooding passion, intelligence and perhaps an air of threat or mystery about them. Heathcliffe from Wuthering Heights is broodingly passionate and very sexy.

Ally

I understand Byronic Hero (Rochester!) but I'm not a big fan of Heathcliff, personally...I keep trying to imagine him as a cross between Hugh Jackman and Johnny Depp, but he still does nothing for me; then I'll watch bits of the 1998 movie, and got distracted by Hareton/Matthew Macfadyen. Oops.

Emma, I am a big fan of Alan Rickman, so if it's a Rickman-style Snape I totally agree. :D

Definitely Heathcliffe -- he's made me swoon for 40 years now!

Heathcliff definitely- he's so passionate and I like to think he has a deep tortured soul.

I've never been a huge fan of Mr Darcy.

I much prefer Frederick Wentworth from Persuasion. That letter he wrote at the end- " You pearce my soul.I am half agony, half hope."

This is embarrassing to admit but I always had a "thing" for Oliver Wood from Harry Potter. Though, I think it's the films thats influenced me more than anything !

Oh and when I was younger it was Howl from Howls Moving Castle- his roguish charm always made me blush!

Bethany wrote: "Heathcliff definitely- he's so passionate and I like to think he has a deep tortured soul.

I've never been a huge fan of Mr Darcy.

I much prefer Frederick Wentworth from Persuasion. That lett..."

I second the vote for Howl, book or movie version!

Jeannette wrote: "Bethany wrote: "Heathcliff definitely- he's so passionate and I like to think he has a deep tortured soul.

I've never been a huge fan of Mr Darcy.

I much prefer Frederick Wentworth from Persu..."

Jeannette wrote: "Definitely Heathcliffe -- he's made me swoon for 40 years now! "

Im with you on Heathcliffe - I studied the book at school many years ago and he's still up there as one of my all time heroes!

Can't understand all the Heathcliff adoration. A bully and a thug, anda wife-beater to boot!

Off-topic but, I've always wondered why people add an 'e' to the end of Heathcliff, when in the book there is not. :S

Lauren wrote: "Can't understand all the Heathcliff adoration. A bully and a thug, anda wife-beater to boot!

Off-topic but, I've always wondered why people add an 'e' to the end of Heathcliff, when in the book..."

Emma wrote earlier "don't you find that the characters you swoon over are nothing like your actual partner?" The idea of someone being obsessed with you mind, body and soul has it's appeal. But, yes, he was not very nice, Lauren! I think putting him next to Linton made him seem even more attractive. And, I just loved the Timothy Dalton portrayal. ;-)

Jeannette wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Can't understand all the Heathcliff adoration. A bully and a thug, anda wife-beater to boot!

Off-topic but, I've always wondered why people add an 'e' to the end of Heathcliff, w..."

I suppose I can understand that. We were discussing WH in class recently and how Heathcliff was almost definitely the result of Emily's repressed sexual fantasies. I can imagine why someone might fantasize about that engulfing, demonic love (though truth be told I found scant evidence for it in the text). Personally he does nothing for me!

I also like Thornton in North & South. But I fear I have influenced by Richard Armitage having played him o.O

I suppose I've always been attracted to the tortured soul aspect of the character, too. But, I certainly grew up and married Mr. Normal and Steady, and I'm very happy with that! :)

I can never seem to get over the type of charachter who acts like he has something to hide. It's so mysterious, and it gives me a thrill trying to figure it out!

Christa (is a sleepy kitty...) wrote: "I can never seem to get over the type of charachter who acts like he has something to hide. It's so mysterious, and it gives me a thrill trying to figure it out!"

This can be related to real life. Except, usually they do not have wives in the attic and it is something disappointing like being be a crazed fan of Doctor Who *knows from experience :(*

Lauren wrote: "Jeannette wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Can't understand all the Heathcliff adoration. A bully and a thug, anda wife-beater to boot!

Off-topic but, I've always wondered why people add an 'e' to the en..."

Richard Armitage was great as Mr. Thornton.

Absolutely! He's great in Spooks/MI-5 too. I couldn't abide the show Robin Hood though, and Armitage looks too silly head-to-toe in leather.

I have always had a thing for Harry Potter...yah yah....

Mine would be Mr. Darcy and Colonel Bradon

Anne wrote: "Emma, I am a big fan of Alan Rickman, so if it's a Rickman-style Snape I totally agree. :D "

Fantastic actor, I loved him in Sense and Sensibility, but when he was cast I remember thinking he was a bit too old to play Snape. I had him in my mind's eye as a 30 something. Not sure who I'd pick to play him actually... Brideshead Revisited-esq Jeremy Irons?

Rickman is indeed too old to play Snape. Snape would be around 40 -- the age of Harry Potter's dad. But, Rickman is so good that you almost don't notice that he is 63!

Jeannette wrote: "Rickman is indeed too old to play Snape. Snape would be around 40 -- the age of Harry Potter's dad. But, Rickman is so good that you almost don't notice that he is 63!"

No way. He's never 63?!? (runs off to check wikipedia...)

Yep. That's amazing. Wonder what skin cream he uses...?

Send me some of it! :)

I would never have believed he was 63!! I could quite happily believe that he was in his 40's.

For all of you Rickman fans, two movies that I enjoyed:

Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990) a tear-jerker, fluff
Barchester Chronicles (1982) a BBC mini-series, my favorite Rickman role!

Emma- Jeremy Irons would probably make a neat Snape; plus, he and Hermione share a birthday, Sept. 19, which is also U.S. National Talk Like a Pirate Day not that Hogwarts would care I suppose.

I think the main reason why I love Col. Brandon is because of Alan Rickman...he's just such a gentleman. And a soldier. In the Napoleonic wars. All good things.

But no, he doesn't look 63! Maybe it's Maybelline.

Alan Rickman plays the best baddie ever - 'Die Hard' anyone? or my personal favourite, the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

Ally

I'll throw a cat amongst the pigeons here and say Anne Rice's Lestat. I'd let him bite me!

Donna wrote: "I'll throw a cat amongst the pigeons here and say Anne Rice's Lestat. I'd let him bite me!"

How funny you should mention that, I've literally just finished re-reading the Vampire Chronicals. Personally - Armand, Lestat is just too self obsessed :)

Jenny wrote: "Hmmmm I was about to say Mr Darcy, but have a feeling that is more to do with Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation!

I will have to have a think on this one!"

*fans herself, thinking about Mr. Darcy* ;)
But it's his (eventual) personality, not just his looks!

john.. from dear john, dimitri... vampire academy, *swoon*

I have to speak up for Jamie Fraser (from the Outlander series)! Any time I hear a man with a Scottish accent, my heart skips a beat...

I fall hard for some guys in books, but I've never fallen as hard as I did for Edward Cullen in Twilight. When he left in the 2nd book, I couldn't function because I was so depressed! LOL. He was any and everything you could want in a man...aside from being cold and immortal.

I also adore the conflicted/evil? Light Yagami in the Death Note, Volume 1: Boredom manga series by Tsugumi Ohba. Light is an evil genius with sexy and indifference written all over him.

And Finnick Oddair in Catching Fire. He is a sensitive, loyal, handsome, one-woman playboy.

Jacob is way more attractive!!!!!!!

LOL, I hear that a lot, but attractive is where the appeal for Jacob ends. Edward is sweet and ridiculously charming. He's intelligent worlds over, and there is no chance that he could/would ever love anyone else-completely devoted.

But as far as looks go, Edward sounds so much more handsome in the book and he is, by far, more handsome in the movies!

Hahaha. He is buti dont think hes attractive. Haha. I wouldnt date either of them

I also have a little thing for Darcy - Darcy O'Mara from the Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen, that is. He's the son of an impoverished Irish lord and he likes to crash parties - my kind of guy!

Oh, and I would watch anything with Alan Rickman in it and read any book that had to do with one of his movies.

definitely mr. darcy... but Jace Wayland/Morgenstern/Herondale for me;-)

Okay,entirely off type of genre ... But John from Dear John is my idea of a swoon-er. He's utterly loyal and although he has some typical male type problems dealing with emotion (his relationship with his Dad) he is open to education. I do think it's a bit spooky in the end though when he hides out in a tree to watch his true love. There's no threat of violence there but....

I totally agree with Ron, Mr. Darcy, and John. Pretty much any of the main characters from the Nicholas Sparks books I've read/movies I've seen. Will from The Last Song, Landon from A Walk to Remember, and of course Noah from the Notebook!

Also, if we're talking young adult novels, I'd have to go with Wes from the Truth About Forever and Eli from Along for the Ride. I always love Sarah Dessen's male characters...

I'm in love with a character named Harry Bosch. He was created by Michael Connelly. When I finished all the books in the series, it was like getting a divorce. :-(

Why is it that only women are responding to this discussion? Don't men have any fantasies?

Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel is the ultimate charmer. If you don't know the story already I would highly recommend reading the book before seeing any kind of film or theatre adaptation, otherwise it kind of ruins the fun of the book.

Stone Barrington from the Stuart Woods novels. I know he is a ladies' man but wow...

Eric Northman from the Sookie Stackhouse books.

Alese, I agree with you on Dimitri from Vampire Academy.

Tory wrote: "Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel is the ultimate charmer. If you don't know the story already I would highly recommend reading the book before seeing any kind of film or thea..."

I was so in love with him when I first read that book in high school.

Pyxis wrote: "I'm in love with a character named Harry Bosch. He was created by Michael Connelly. When I finished all the books in the series, it was like getting a divorce. :-(" I love Harry, too. Connelly's latest has Harry Bosch in it but adds his half brother, a defense attorney. I like Harry better but the book's pretty good. It's called The Reversal. I hope there will be more with just Harry. He's great!