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Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share our top ten “dynamic duos” this week. I can think of a few ways to interpret this. I decided I didn’t want to feature romantic couples; that’s a post for another day. I decided to feature best friends instead. You know, those ride-or-dies who will do anything for each other. But then while I was scrolling through my books, a couple of other duos jumped out of me and I thought it would be fun to feature those…unique…relationships as well. So here we go!
Best Friends
The Crow Girls from Someplace to be Flying by Charles de Lint–I’ve written a whole post about how much I love these girls who seem to come from a generic Native American pantheon. Sometimes silly, sometimes deadly serious, but always operating by their own code, Zia and Maida are so close, they’re practically two halves of the same whole.
Prudence and Primrose from Prudence by Gail Carriger–These two complement each other nicely. I love them both but Rue is a bit more reckless while Prim is the planner and more down-to-earth. Among a madcap airship of memorable characters with realistic, complicated relationships, Rue and Prim’s friendship stands out to me.
Maddie and Weaver from A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly–I love these two so much. In rural New York in 1906, both of these intelligent young adults have big dreams but the world is trying to hold them back. Maddie was born to be a writer but her dad expects her to stay home and take care of her younger sisters since their mom passed away. Weaver is a young Black man with college dreams. Weaver has enough confidence and belief to carry them both through the hard times. These two have fun together but still bring out the best in each other.
Gus and Call from Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry–These two old friends go back decades together. They fight and disagree and irritate the heck out of each other–but they’re always side by side through thick and thin.
Calpurnia and Grandpa from The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly–These two are an odd pair but Calpurnia would be lost without Grandpa. The lone girl in a houseful of boys, the scientifically-minded girl in a time when girls were only meant to be wives and mothers, Grandpa finally came out of his abstraction to see her and start training her as a scientist. It’s heart-warming to watch their relationship grow.
Not-Quite-Human Besties
Batty and Hound from The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, read by Susan Denaker–Batty is the youngest of four sisters, the one who doesn’t remember their dead mother, and the shy, quiet dreamer. She gets a bit lost in the shuffle but she always has faithful Hound by her side during her own little adventures.
Cinder and Iko from Cinder by Marissa Meyer, read by Rebecca Soler–Cinder is a cyborg and, as you can imagine in a retelling of Cinderella, her early life is…kind of miserable. But Iko the quirky android with a personality is a bright spot in her life. She’s one of Cinder’s first friends and she’s the one who will be there no matter what else happens.
Flavia and Gladys from The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, read by Jayne Entwistle–Flavia is a brilliant, lonely child, the youngest of three girls. She doesn’t remember her dead mother, something her casually cruel older sisters throw in her face often. So she spends time in her chemistry laboratory, solving murders. But she does have one companion when the series starts–her faithful bicycle, Gladys. Gladys gives Flavia the freedom to race around the countryside and get away from her sisters.
Unhealthy Duos
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from the book by Robert Louis Stevenson–Mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll and evil Mr. Hyde are complete opposites. I won’t say more just in case someone isn’t familiar with the story and wants to avoid spoilers.
Dorian Gray and His Portrait from the book by Oscar Wilde–Once this portrait comes into existence, Dorian is inextricably linked to it in creepy, mysterious ways.
That’s my list! Have you read any of these? Which books did/would you choose? Link up every Tuesday at That Artsy Reader Girl!
31 Comments
Nice twist on the topic! I finally read Lonesome Dove last year and the relationship between Gus and Call is the best thing about the book, to me. Love Cinder and Iko! A Northern Light is waiting on my shelf and this makes me want to pick it up sooner. 🙂
Great list! I’ve read a few of the books, but you’ve reminded me that I still need to get to Lonesome Dove. I would add Anne (of Green Gables) and Diana to your list. And Liesel and Rudy (The Book Thief). Oh, and Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir (Louise Penny’s mysteries). 🙂
Hi Jen! I’ve missed your post yesterday, but luckily I stumble on it now. Oh this is clever! Love the Unhealthy duos, Dorian Grey and his portrait. Wha ha ha!!! That’s brilliant indeed.
I still want to read the Flavia de Luc books….
Hope you are doing well Jen!!!
Thanks! I’m glad others found my twist at the end amusing! I really like Flavia de Luce so I hope you get to them someday.
Cinder and Iko are a good choice! Otherwise, I haven’t read any of those books, which is a little bit embarrassing.
Oh, my book choices are all over the place, so it’s not that surprising.
Fun way to sort this out! I’ve only read a few– Dorian Gray, Jekyl & Hyde (this is a great one!), and Cinder.
Thanks! I amused myself by adding those last two classics to the list.
I tweaked the topic today and I also shared the Penderwicks 🙂 https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2022/02/top-ten-tuesday-celebrating-palindrome.html
I just love The Penderwicks! I discovered The Melendys after I finished reading The Penderwicks. I recommend those books if you haven’t read them.
I haven’t!
You have some great duos here. I love the “not quite human” section! LOL. There are some great robot characters in literature.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
There are! Which reminds me that I need to continue with Murderbot…
I love Iko so much, she’s such fun!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2022/02/22/top-ten-tuesday-356/
She is! Have you read the Wires & Nerve graphic novels? She’s the star in those.
I’ve not actually, but I’d like to!
Oh the Jennifer Donnelly book! It was called A Gathering Light in the UK and I read it as a teen. I’ve not seen any mention of it online before so this is cool!
My post: https://laceanddaggerbooks.com/2022/02/22/top-ten-tuesday-dynamic-duos/
It’s one of my favorites! I mention it frequently.
I really must get to Lonesome Dove one of these days. Nice choices…we shared one.
Lonesome Dove is fantastic. The movie is great too.
‘Ride-or-dies’, yes! Gus and Call epitomized. Great list! My post: https://pagesandpaws.com/2022/02/22/ttt-dynamic-duos/
They fit that description in a few ways, don’t they? I just realized it! 🙂
Great list! I have only read the Unhealthy Duos from your list (though some of the others are on my TBR) but I love that you included them! Jekyll & Hyde and Dorian Grey are perfect additions to this list!
My TTT: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2022/02/22/top-ten-tuesday-quotes-again/
Thanks! I thought the last two added a fun twist to the prompt.
A fun twist for sure—plus a unique one, from what I’ve seen this week!
I love your interpretation, especially for the last book!
My post: https://wordsandpeace.com/2022/02/22/top-ten-books-with-dynamic-duos/
Thanks!
The carriger books look fun. Who doesn’t love airships? I had a blogger recommend that series to me once, but I never did get to them. Darn it all.
Jekyll and Hyde- love that pick! :):)
Carriger publishes pretty quickly so I’m behind with her books, but I’ve loved the series that I’ve read. They’re so much fun with all the steampunk technology and witty banter.
Dorian Gray and his portrait! I love it.
Lauren @ http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
It amused me when I thought of it!