Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Characters Who X

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is Top Ten Characters Who X.  Solve for X!  This week, it's going to be "characters who live in another time":

Joe Kavalier from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon - Part of the reason I loved this book as much as I did was its World War II-era setting.  Joe was a product of his time, having to deal with personal tragedy as he tried to make a new life for himself in the United States.

Birdy from Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman - Birdy was one feisty young woman!  She was only fourteen, but since this story took place in the thirteenth century, she had to deal with the fact that her father kept trying to marry her off, often to much older men.  Her narration is one of the best parts of the book.  "God's thumbs!"

Emily from Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer - Emily wasn't the main character of this book, but she was definitely my favourite.  She lived in the World War I era and befriended Charlotte when the latter went back in time.  An impish and independent thinker, Emily seemed almost out of place in a time when you'd expect young ladies to be obedient and refined.  But she was only a little girl, after all.

Patricia Gardiner from Pat of Silver Bush by L. M. Montgomery - I haven't read a lot of L. M. Montgomery's books, but I am familiar with Anne Shirley, Emily Byrd Starr, and Jane Stuart.  While the books about Anne and Emily are more popular, I actually enjoyed reading about Pat the most.  I found her relatable and I liked seeing the development of her relationships.

Cassandra Mortmain from I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith - This book takes place in the 1930s, and it's one of my favourites set in that era.  (Plus, it takes place in a castle!)  Cassandra was such a well-developed character that I found it easy to put myself into her shoes and experience the story -- and the various relationship dramas swirling around her -- through her eyes.

Jane from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë - This is still one of my all-time favourite classics.  Jane seemed very modern for her nineteenth-century world, but that's one of the things I liked about her.  The first-person narration was a pleasant surprise, and Jane's voice helped draw the reader into the story (rather than making us feel as if we were watching the events from afar).

Beatrice & Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare - Okay, so technically this is two characters... but neither would be much fun without the other.  The verbal sparring between these two was the highlight of this play.  It was funny to watch them try to deny what everyone else around them could already see.

Ramona Quimby from Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary - While this book may have been contemporary when it first came out, it's plain to see that Ramona belongs in another time (the reference to the haircut of a famous ice skater -- presumably Dorothy Hamill -- really dates the book).  But Ramona is a fun character no matter what time period she might be in.

R from Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion - From what I can tell, this book takes place in the near future.  It's a world pretty much the same as our own, except for one big difference: there are zombies everywhere and the remaining humans have retreated into fortified areas.  But the narration and R's character were what made me love the book as much as I did, which is why it made the list.

Caedmon from Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury - Here's another nineteenth-century story (though one that takes place a few decades earlier than Jane Eyre).  Caedmon was the friend of Agnes, our heroine.  While the story was told from Agnes's point of view, I enjoyed the scenes with the two of them together.  Here's a guy who has respect for the intelligence of a woman.  Plus, he was kind of hot.