A Woman of Our Times

Are likable characters a prerequisite for a likable book? For one week, I read this book every spare minute I had. With every page, I disliked the main character, Harriet Peacock, less and less, but, still, I couldn't put the book down. The character of Harriet Peacock can be summed up in the description, "all business". She was too devoted to the development of her business empire, to the exclusion of her family and friends who supported her throughout the book. I absolutely disliked her character, yet I felt that the author wanted the reader to admire her character. After indirectly causing the death of the man who gave her the idea for her business enterprise, Harriet goes through a period of turmoil, deciding in the end that the death was nobody's fault. But I flew through the pages and was screaming to her in my head, "Yes! It is your fault!!" I jumped to the conclusion that, because I didn't like the main character, that I didn't like the book. Even though I finished the book a few weeks ago, I still think about it, because I realize that a well-written book is the only prerequisite to reader enjoyment, and that, perhaps, an unlikable character adds an element of conflict to the reading experience.