Foley is such a great character, and Forest so good at conveying sympathy and repulsion all at once.
I do think some of the current book discourse can lend itself to uncharitable readings - specifically, a difficulty distinguishing between views expressed by the characters and views expressed by the author - and a lack of tolerance for growth during the course of the story (conversely I have also seen some very poor choices by authors!!).
To pick a not terribly obvious author - Jilly Cooper, at her best, could create a large cast of characters and make them all appealing and awful and, above all, understandable simultaneously. Her characters can be impulsive and make bad decisions without it feeling like the author has pushed them into it.
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I do think some of the current book discourse can lend itself to uncharitable readings - specifically, a difficulty distinguishing between views expressed by the characters and views expressed by the author - and a lack of tolerance for growth during the course of the story (conversely I have also seen some very poor choices by authors!!).
To pick a not terribly obvious author - Jilly Cooper, at her best, could create a large cast of characters and make them all appealing and awful and, above all, understandable simultaneously. Her characters can be impulsive and make bad decisions without it feeling like the author has pushed them into it.