Changed my mind about the main character in our current read

I was listening to the 'If Books Could Kill' podcast episode on 'The Alchemist' and the host said something like 'this isn't a hero's journey, it's a guy being told he's special and then everything works out for him'... and it clicked for me. I'd been defending Santiago's quest in our club's debate last week, but now I see the passivity they were talking about. Has anyone else had a podcast or review completely flip their view on a book character?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthewp5212d ago

Totally get that. Had a similar thing happen with a book club pick a while back. A critic pointed out how the "strong female lead" never actually made a choice for herself, she just reacted to what men did. Once you see it, you can't unsee it, and it ruined the book for me.

richard_shah12d ago

That's such a good point. It makes the character feel like a prop instead of a person. I had that happen with a movie where the "tough" heroine's whole story was just getting revenge for her boyfriend. Felt so hollow after I noticed.