Those Characters I Crush On

Yesterday I mentioned the various fictional men with whom I’ve fallen a bit in love. It was by no means a comprehensive list, but it was a good start. A friend of mine wants to know what books all those wonderful, sexy, funny, smart, decent men are from. Good Question! Great Blog Topic for a med day!

• Sherlock Holmes:   Yes, I am one of those nutbar women who cherish a passion for The Consulting Detective (unless he’s played by Robert Downey Jr. who, face it, just played Robert Downey Jr.).    He can be found in many books, plays and movies.   But the best place to start is the very beginning.  A Study In Scarlet
• Atticus Finch:  When I first stumbled across the widowed lawyer with two wild-running children I couldn’t decide if I wanted to marry him or be the female version of him.   I wanted at least to name a pet after him.   Now that I’m here in the South I know at least four people who’ve named children after him.   I sincerely hope those little boys grow into the kind of man for whom they’re named.   They can find out all about him in To Kill A Mockingbird.
• Charles Butler:  He’s ugly.  He’s awkward.  He’s shy.  He’s also desperately in unrequited love with an aloof and sociopathic woman.   Brilliant and kindhearted, Charles makes me want to step into any and all of the Mallory mysteries and wrap him in a comforting hug.  The Mallory mysteries are a full series and can get quite dark.  But I recommend all folks read them.  But they MUST BE READ IN ORDER.  The story of Mallory has a beginning and an end which arcs through the series.  The first book is Mallory’s Oracle.
• Prior Phillip:  Yes, I know he’s a TV star now.  But I promise you he is a much richer and rewarding character on the page.  As are all characters except perhaps those poor unfortunate ones stuck in the miasma of those terrible Twilight novels.  Prior Phillip is mostly the Christian I want to be, although he could stand to be a bit forgiving and has a blind spot where women are concerned.   He is found, of course, in Pillars Of The Earth.
• Nero Wolfe:  Why do I like this rotund 56 year old man?  Because he believes in order and calm.   His brownstone is an island of sanity in a mad, changing world.   He weighs quite a bit more than I do, but other than that he is me in so many ways.  As Archie Goodwin (his Watson) said of him: “Which he loves most, food or words, is a tossup.”  That’s me.  And how could I not love a wealthy male fictional version of myself?   There are thirty-some books and almost 40 novellas where Nero and Archie do their thing.  Perhaps my favourite is Murder By The Book.
• Sidney Carton:  If I were to tell you why I love him I would give away the best parts of one of the best of Charles Dickens’ novels.    If you would like to know just what is so wonderful about the man, I recommend reading A Tale Of Two Cities.

No, there are no men in the Harry Potter novels I’ve had a burning passion for.  But I have never wanted to mother a character more than poor Luna Lovegood.   She makes me want to run straight to Ottery St. Catchpole with a hand-knit afghan and a box of cookies.

There are many more characters I’ve loved over the years, and as soon as I hit publish I’ll doubtless think of more.  But these are the people I’ve loved the most and longest and they’re the ones I’ll always keep around.