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Don’t you just love larger-than-life characters? The ones who jump off the page and grab you? Whether you love them or hate them, you can’t be indifferent to them.
I would love to know about the characters who just won’t leave you! Most of you will probably post about how much you love (or loathe) each character, but this is a great place for the more creative ones among you to let go and have fun! Write yourself into a scene with Anne and Diana. Write a love poem in elvish for Aragorn. Draw a picture of Harry obliterating Voldemort. The possibilities are endless.
Be sure to post the book’s title and author, and be very careful not to give away spoilers while talking about how much you love your characters.
Mr. Linky will be posted here on The Introverted Reader every Thursday.
I love the Anne of Green Gables series. Anne and Diana are my dear friends, but the entire series is chock full of characters I love. One of those is Leslie Moore from Anne’s House of Dreams.
Leslie is a beautiful, haunted woman. I believe Anne first notices her when she’s first arriving at her “house of dreams” as a newlywed. Leslie is standing by the side of the road and gives her such a look of resentment that Anne feels it keenly. This is a woman she doesn’t even know!
Later, they become friends and Leslie explains that she had been having a bad day and Anne’s obvious happiness had just rubbed her the wrong way. And then we learn her story.
I can’t remember what was going on with her early family life, but it was very unhappy and she eventually ends up married to a world-class jerk, pretty much against her will. I don’t think the author spells it out, but I assumed that he was abusive and controlling. She’s happiest when he’s gone (I believe he’s a sailor). After a head injury, he’s left a huge man with the brain of a child. In spite of the fact that she doesn’t even like him, much less love him, Leslie takes him in and cares for him. He has difficult days, but at least now she can deal with him. She could throw him out on his own, she could conceivably (at least in my head, if not in the times) move to a different place and find love and happiness with someone who doesn’t know her story. But she does the right thing and cares for this largely helpless man.
There are some more unexpected twists and turns that I won’t talk about. Let’s just say that I was left amazed at Leslie’s ability to persistently do the right thing no matter how hard the choices were going to make her life.
Leslie could be a bitter, deceitful woman, and a lot of people in her shoes would have taken that path. She rises above it and does her best. She has bad days, but she is a good and faithful friend. What does it say about her that after having so many destructive relationships, she is able to open up to Anne and Gilbert and accept their friendship? She becomes a much-loved part of their circle of friends.
Who did you connect with this week? Link your post on Mr. Linky, then be sure to go check out the other Character Connections!
I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s, my local independent bookstore, and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.
4 Comments
+JMJ+
I'm not joining this linky, Jen, but I wanted to comment on this great character you're featuring.
Most people who've only read Anne of Green Gables think that the whole series is for children, but as Anne matures, so does the subject matter. Leslie Moore would never have made it into the first couple of Anne books, but she seems to fit right into this one. The more I read of L.M. Montgomery, the more impressed I am by the level of sophistication in her writing. (That's not to sound condescending, but she really is underestimated, being "just" a children's writer or girls' writer in the eyes of many critics.)
I dot remember if I read this one but I've read a few of Anne of Green Gables and she's rock!
This is the only Anne book I've read, if you can believe it. I remember Leslie and I remember feeling bad for her and happy that Anne came into her life. Everyone needs an Anne.
I really like your Character Connection idea. Before I started blogging I was always wanting to tell everyone about characters I loved.
Nice one. I don't think I ever got this far in the series. I should fix that! I'm hoping to do a character post today…hopefully sooner rather than later.