Top Ten Tuesday | Character Driven Novels

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find out everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books For Readers Who Like Character Driven Novels', so let's dive in!

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson: A gorgeous book that not enough people have read. The story is narrated by a former pornographer who survives a car crash, brought on by drunk driving, that leaves him horrifically burned. It's stunning, please read it.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins: One of my favourite classics, and believed to be the very first English detective novel. The Moonstone's dense, but it's worth getting through; it has a brilliant array of characters, some you'll love and some you'll hate, who really drive the story forward.

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë: Another of my favourite classics which, like the majority of the books on this list, has a spectacularly ordinary story. There's nothing groundbreaking about the plot, but Agnes brings this story to life. Highly recommended!

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood: For the most part this book tells us a story that we already know - or at least one that we think we know - but what makes it so fun to read is Penelope's narration. A great read for any lovers of Greek mythology.

Persuasion by Jane Austen: Honestly I'm not a big fan of Austen, but there's no denying that in terms of plot Persuasion is probably the weakest of her novels. The story is very basic, but many Austen fans still love this novel dearly because of its character development.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: If you ignore the odd twists and turns in the plot of Jane Eyre, it's actually a fairly ordinary story. What makes this novel so popular is Jane herself.

Corrag by Susan Fletcher: Another horrendously underrated novel. This book is beautifully written and stars one of the most endearing heroines I've ever come across in historical fiction. It's slow and unassuming, but it's so worth the read.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: I'm currently reading Rebecca for the first time, and even though I'm only around 20% of the way through it's already a quiet, claustrophobic read. It's up to the reader to decide which character is driving this novel: is it our narrator, or is it Rebecca?

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë: Just like Agnes Grey and Jane Eyre, when you strip Wuthering Heights down to the bare bones there isn't all that much to it plot-wise. It's a story that can be easily summed up in a few sentences, but what makes it fascinating to read is its unapologetic protagonists, Cathy and Heathcliff.

The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown: I have a lot of bookish friends, and through the blogosphere I know readers all over the world too, and yet I've never met a single person who's read this book. It's a traditional fantasy book; there are knights, witches, dragons and unicorns, and I love it. While it is a story about a quest, it's not a quest to save the world; the only thing at stake is the protagonists' happiness. If you're a fan of traditional fantasy then I highly recommend this book!

Which books made your top ten?