Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Heroines

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week, our Top Ten Tuesday topic is "rewind". This means that we could go back through the archives and pick a topic that we missed. Since I'm fairly new to Top Ten Tuesday, there was an abundance of topics that I could choose from, but one in particular stuck out to me; favorite heroines. When I think of my favorite literary heroines, I think of characters that are strong, that do things their own way and are true to themselves. Characters that break the mold and live their own lives rather than living to please everyone else. Those things make me admire characters and make them memorable. I feel like each of the characters I've listed below hold these traits, and that is why they're my favorites.

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10: Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games

Katniss is the epitome of a strong female protagonist. After her father passed and her mother fell into a depression, she stepped up and took care of her family, overthrew the Hunger Games and won it twice, and started a rebellion that led to a better country, and all the while never says a curse word (in the books, anyway). What more could you ask from a character?

9: Lady Rosamund Easling, The Ringmaster's Wife

I'm drawn to stories about people who've left behind all they've known to pursue a better life. It takes guts to leave the country on a whim and join the circus, and Rosamund does so with grace.

8: Lanie Freeman, The Singing River Series

During the Great Depression in Fairhope, Arkansas, 14-year-old Lanie becomes mother to her four younger siblings after their mother passes during childbirth. She does so with strength and grace, putting everyone before herself and yet still finding moments here and there to pursue her passion for writing in Gilbert Morris's The Singing River Series. Not many teens at all can claim what Lanie can, and that makes her a heroine to look up to.

7: Amy Gallagher, Amy Inspired

Amy is the type of person I'd love to be friends with. She's the perfect girl to talk to about everything from books, to current events, and the little things in life.

6: Valancy Stirling, The Blue Castle

Valancy is such an interesting character. In the beginning, she was weak and timid, only doing what her controlling family told her to do. Yet as the book goes along, she develops a backbone, starts living her life fuller and becomes a happier person. She's definitely an admirable character.

5: Cassandra Mortmain, I Capture the Castle

Cassandra seems mature for her age. Sure, she doesn't know everything about life, and she makes some mistakes when it comes to Simon, but she's more sensible than her sister Rose and by the end of the story, she's learned quite a bit. It takes courage to know when to let go of something, and that makes her admirable.

4: Jem Watts and Merinda Herringford, Herringford and Watts Mysteries

These two are the perfect duo. They're both interesting in and of themselves, and they balance each other perfectly. Jem is sensible, yet with a fun loving side to her, and Merinda is feisty and a definite go-getter. And through all their adventures, they maintain a strong friendship.

3: Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice

No list of literary heroines would be complete without Lizzy Bennet. She's witty, strong willed and loves poetry. When her mother wanted her to marry Mr. Collins, she said no, because she knew it wasn't right for her. Who hasn't wanted to be Lizzy Bennet?

2: Jo March, Little Women

I relate to Jo March of Little Women in so many ways. We both love reading and writing, have felt excluded because we march to the beat of our own drums and grew up a bit tomboyish. Jo March is a timeless heroine that I will look up to for the rest of my life.

1: Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables is my favorite book for so many reasons and its protagonist is one of them. One can't help but love the endearing and imaginative Anne Shirley as many of us relate to her with her daydreams, love of beauty, quick temper, and want of love.

There are many admirable heroines in the history of literature. I've only listed ten of the best here. Who are some of your favorite heroines?

-Miranda Atchley