Just wanted to let you know that you've been stopping by, saying kind things, and being brilliantly encouraging! I've been trying to keep up with my new followers and trying to reply to all. It's hard!
But, I'm reading all your comments and feeling very humbled. You are heard. And you are loved. Thanks.

F

F is for 'Francesca'.
I have gushed about The Bridges of Madison County here. It is the only so-called cheesy story that has ever moved me to tears. Francesca's character is practical and poetic; a simple farm wife from Iowa has to be both. When she meets Kincaid (in my eyes he competes with Rhett!), her life goes upside-down. She is a true woman, loves with boundless passion and sacrifices without tears. She is strong not for herself, but for her family. She thinks less of her own self and stolidly bears love and pain. I think she must have been an Aquarian :P

Cedar Bridge, Madison County, Iowa

For those of you that read a lot will surely find some time to read this book. And even those don't read much will fin this a very easy read, that will not weigh down your mind. A word of caution though: Francesca might touch you in a way so that you may never be the same again. I have never been...

E

E is for 'Estella'.
She is a very strange girl. The heroine of 'Great Expectations' is a mightily strange girl. She's the protege of Miss Havisham, who stopped her clocks (and her life) when she was jilted by her fiance on her wedding day. Estella takes care of her and practically runs the house while Miss H sulks in her God-knows-how-old wedding dress.
So, Estella has been part of a mentally abusive and sick household. Understandably, she hates men. But her behaviour towards Pip (the protagonist) is decidedly bizarre! I am a huge Dickens fan, but I truly believe that Estella could've been a bit more normal. Marrying Pip's rival Bentley was seriously a little too much for me to take. She was beautiful and rich, why did she have to be so mean!?
Read more about the book here.

Miss Havisham & Estella

D

D is for 'Dumbledore'.
Well, to be honest, when I noted down the names of characters from A to Z, that I'd be covering here; D was for Darcy. But, I'd never been crazy about Darcy, I didn't know why all the girls used to be fussing over him all the time. And let's admit it, compared to the greatest wizard that ever lived, what's a mere muggle!

Dumbledore was a grandfather figure, except that he was wayyyyy cooler because he was a wizard. Such a shame he died. But oh, so many things were taught and learnt. Be good, be strong, and be honest. Don't give up if you're right. Respect laws, but on't forget to break them once in a while. Love. Live. Never betray your friends. Respect your family and teachers. Everything good and kind was he. Which makes me want to repeat that good things do not happen to good people.
Words such as these still give me goosebumps  “It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Oh, I will always love him

Dumbledore, in the Great Hall

C

C is for ‘Cassius’.

Gaius Cassius Longinus, known as Cassius, was mourned as ‘the last of the Romans’. He was well-made and well-read, intelligent and brave. He was the prime conspirator in the assassination plot of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare turned him into an immortal hero; his speeches strong and impressive, his stance confident. He was a true Roman.

Caesar was brilliant, no doubt. It was no mean feat to have defeated one as great a as Pompey. But Cassius fought for his belief, he truly believed that Caesar was a bully. He was defeated in the end by Caesar’s primary avenger and a man I think better than he – Marcus Antonius. He did not allow himself to be captured, rather asked one of his men to kill him; only because he believed his good friend Brutus dead as well.

Of course, C could be for Cleopatra too, for she was Caesar’s lover and Mark Antony’s seductress. But then, I didn’t play Cleopatra in school, I played Cassius J

B

B is for 'Beth'.
She’s the second youngest of the March sisters in Louisa May Alcott’s ‘Little Women’. I was barely ten when I read this book and I was shocked by Beth’s character. She seemed so good and soft and all things nice. Then she died. It shook my faith in God-fearing and sensitive young girls. Beth, thirteen when the story starts, is described as shy, even-tempered and musical, and very close to her sister, Jo. Time goes by and she wonders what will become of her. When she suffers from scarlet fever, the whole family is scared stiff that she’d die. She lives, though, but is never healthy again.


When the family understands that Beth will not live much longer, they separate a room for her, filled with all the things she loves best: her kittens, piano, father's books, Amy's sketches, and her beloved dolls. Soon, Beth puts down her sewing needle, saying that it grew "so heavy", never to pick it up again.

Good things do not necessarily happen to good people. Life is not fair. And sometimes, it is much easier to let someone go if they are brash, vivacious, and full of spirit, like Jo. But not Beth, she wasn’t supposed to die.

I’ve written about the plot of the book here.

Elizabeth 'Beth' March

PS: I notice a pattern here. I think I’m going to be blogging about characters that pop into my head in April, as far as I can :)



A

A is for 'Atticus'. 
If you've read Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird', you'll know for sure who I'm talking about. Atticus is a fictional character, a lawyer in a small town of Alabama. He defends a black man who is accused of raping a white girl. In the process, his kids, Scout and Jem, are subjected to much ridicule and insult by the community, close-knit and rascist. The black is convicted and unpleasant incidents follow. The book is notmeant to be a balm, it is a strong voice of protest against injustice. But, the character of Atticus is strong, upright, 'one-shot', and enigmatic.
The novel won a 'Pulitzer'. Book Magazine's list The 100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900 lists Atticus Finch as the 7th best fictional character of the 20th Century and his portayal by Gregory Peck in the movie is supposed to be 'the greatest hero in american film.'
This book is a must read for all sections of society in all lands. It is a modern day tale of the eternal fight of the commoner for justice, and the fight of good against evil. Social workers, lawyers, human rights activists have all drawn immense inspiration from Atticus, and on a personal level, so have I.

From the movie, Atticus with daughter Scout.

PS: This is the first post for the A-to-Z April Challenge, yay! (http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/)