Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum: A Top Ten List

There might be no better way to start a Tuesday than by bastardizing some Latin. This week’s topic (as hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) is whatever I feel like writing about and that means fictional women who do not let the bastards grind them down.

In no particular order, expect number one is number one (would you expect anything less?):

10. Janie Ryan / Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma. Janie is being raised by a poor, unstable mother, but she’s never known anything else. A fascinating read.

09. Astrid Magnusson / White Oleander. Sometimes just surviving can be tough.

08. Lisey Landon / Lisey’s Story. “She was frightened because she was realizing – too late, too late – that what’s done can’t be undone, and what’s remembered must somehow be lived with ever after. Even of the memories are insane.”

07. Elizabeth Bennet / Pride & Prejudice. If you can ignore the fact that she still marries the rich guy in the end (though on her terms), Elizabeth Bennet is pretty kickass.

06. Lisbeth Salander / The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Love or hate the series, Lisbeth gets it done without relying on physical charm or social graces.

05. Beatrice / Much Ado About Nothing. Feisty, witty women cannot be kept down.

04. Daenerys Targaryen / A Song of Fire and Ice. Where to begin?

03. Nancy Drew / Various. I’m pretty sure there’s not a damn thing Nancy can’t do. I haven’t read any of these in years, but I refuse to remember them as anything but awesome.

02. Sylvia Plath. She’s on this list because of her willingness to be “to be true to my own weirdnesses”.

01. Jane Eyre /Jane Eyre. Uncompromising, resourceful, and brilliant.

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