I am the first to admit that I am a bookworm. I read close to a hundred books a year, which is outrageous, I know. I put my heart and soul into the books I read, and I often feel emotionally drained afterwards. I find a lot of my life is rooted in a fictional universe I am not entirely apart of. That being said, when people ask me about lessons I’ve learned from people in my life, I don’t automatically think of things I learned from my grandmother or my favorite teacher. I have learned many great things from the people in my life, but more often than not, the best advice I have ever gotten has come from fictional characters.
Anne Elliot, of Persuasion fame, is one of those characters that has helped me come to terms with my own character and the path my life may take. When you’re a female heroine created by Jane Austen, your odds of being amazing are pretty stacked. That being said, Anne Elliot has made mistakes in her life. No, she’s not a fallen woman, but her choices in the past, especially in regards to men, have not faired her well. Who can’t relate to this? What I love about Anne, and take from her story, is her determination to continue on seeking happiness. Spoiler alert: she eventually finds it, and her past mistakes are remedied quite well. As a young adult who looks back on some past relationships with sorrowful eyes, I can only hope that my future holds a happy ending, just like Anne’s.
I started off talking about an Austen heroine so you wouldn’t judge me too harshly for this next one. Another fictional character I admire tremendously is Massie Block. Yes, the mean girl from the Clique books by Lisi Harrison. There are several reasons behind this, I swear. Firstly, I have never been accused of being too nice. I have a slightly abrasive personality, just like Massie, and it is nice to meet a character in a young adult series who isn’t raining sunshine and bubbles. Besides Massie’s killer style and her super funny In and Out lists, she and I also share a very important characteristic. Neither of us accept mediocrity. Whether it be in school, style, friends or boys, Massie Block takes crap from no one. I like to think I have a similar tactic when it comes to dealing with mediocrity, and enjoy reading books where characters don’t just take the good with the bad, but try and weed out the bad.
This next character came to me later in life, but she holds a special place in my heart already. I discovered America Singer the summer before my freshmen year of college and absolutely fell in love with her (even if she does have red hair). If you haven’t read The Selection Series by Keira Cass, I cannot recommend it highly enough. America Singer is not the type of girl who grew up dreaming of being a princess, but sometimes the cookie crumbles in your favor. As the series progresses, it becomes quite clear that America is the only one cut out for the job. In a world full of feminists who throw rocks at you for talking about wanting to be a wife or the first lady, I absolutely love a strong female character that actually becomes a princess! Take that, modern feminists.
Ariana Osgood is another one of those fictional characters I love that I probably shouldn’t say out loud, or tell the FBI. If you haven’t read the Private or Privilege series by Kate Brian, you’re probably unaware that I am going to talk about the advice I have taken from the fictional life of a teenage murderer and prison escapee. Yes, I know it sounds crazy. But the life advice I took from Ariana is very simple. Ariana’s murderous rampages, and all her other actions, are driven by her pursuit of perfection. As someone who finds herself often controlled by this same dream of perfection that can never be achieved, Ariana’s downward spiral at the hands of her own obsessive-compulsive disorder has forced me to confront my own obsession with order and perfection and, as I often say, take a chill pill.
Cath Avery from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is not the type of character, on first reading, that I thought I would take life advice away from. I have never been that shy, awkward girl and having a sibling anywhere near my own age is an outrageous thought. When I closed that cover (in a horrible shade of green, may I add?) I was actually surprised by what I was thinking. More than the budding story between Cath and the male protagonist, I was thinking about Cath and the fandom she loved so deeply. As someone who still considers herself an avid Jonas Brother and Harry Potter fanatic, I completely identify with Cath and her struggles. Yes, I even wrote fan fiction back in the day, but it was nowhere close to being as detailed, thought-out or followed as Carry On by Cath. Fangirl taught me that it is okay to be just that, a fangirl, and that is doesn’t have to hold your life back (except when you should be writing an English paper and can’t stop cranking out fiction—Sorry!)
How can a teenage girl talk about fictional characters she admires without mentioning the Queen B, Blair Waldorf? If you need me to tell you what universe she comes from, you’ve already lost the game. Gossip Girl defined my middle school and high school years (and my freshman year of college, when I rewatched the entire series). Of course, there are a million and four lessons to be taken from both book and television Blair Waldorf, and they extend far beyond style. The point that has always stuck with me about Blair Waldorf is that she is proof that sometimes, your best friends aren’t what is best for you. If you think Serena Van Der Woodsen is worthy of Blair’s friendship or time, you‘ve got another thing coming. As someone with some toxic friendships in my rearview mirror, I take solace that in the climb to the top, some will want to bring you down. You have to pick the weeds before the flowers can grow.
If you are interested in falling in love with any of these characters, check out the following books on Amazon:
