Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I’d Love To Swap Places With

Hello readers! Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday. This week’s bookish theme is ‘characters I’d swap places with’ and it’s a tricky one.

From pirates to persecution, betrayal and bereavement, the protagonists I love have a lot thrown at them. Do I admire them? Yes. Would I want to be them? Absolutely not.

Today, I’m looking for heroines with happy endings and stories that only contain ‘mild peril’.

If you’d like to create your own list, give it a go. Top Ten Tuesday was launched by The Broke and the Bookish and has been hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl since January 2018. To find out more simply visit the host website by clicking here. 

Celia Bowen

The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern

Hmm… this is tough. I’d love Celia’s amazing magical powers and her job within the fantastic Le Cirque des Rêves. The life-threatening competition, though? That one’s a no from me! 

Elizabeth Bennet

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

The lack of penicillin, proper plumbing and human rights mean Regency England isn’t my holiday destination of choice. Saying that, I wouldn’t mind swapping places with Elizabeth Bennet just long enough to tour Mr Darcy’s amazing grounds at Pemberley.

Prunella Gentleman

Sorcerer to the Crown, Zen Cho

Orphaned Prunella is tough, strong and resourceful. I wouldn’t want her job at an unpleasant school for ‘gentlewitches’, but Prunella soon escapes and heads off on a magical adventure with Zacharias the Sorcerer Royal.  

Alanna the Lioness

Tamora Pierce’s Tortall universe

This series was one of my childhood favourites. Young Alanna and her twin brother switch places so he can study magic and she can become a knight. 

Susan Sto Helit

The Discworld series, Terry Pratchett

Susan is pragmatic and sensible with hair that has a mind of its own. When she’s not working as a governess or a teacher, death’s adopted granddaughter (or should I say DEATH’s?) can walk through walls and step outside time. Amazing skills to put on a CV!

Hermione Granger

Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling

This swap would let me visit Hogwarts’ library (yay!). Hermione combines realistic flaws with bravery and intelligence. I might struggle with the challenges she faces: Who’d want to be petrified by a giant snake and how do you convince Ron to do his homework?

Beverley Brook

The Rivers of London series, Ben Aaronovitch

Bev is the goddess of a small river in South London and a daughter of Mama Thames. Pragmatic, proactive and an amazing swimmer, she rescues her boyfriend from the faerie queen. Even better, she drives a Mini.

Miss Marple

The Miss Marple series, Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie’s stories are of their time. I’d like to skip the dodgy pre-war attitudes to become a modern-day Jane Marple, solving mysterious mysteries in an English village with a good wi-fi connection and Netflix access.

Rosemary Harper

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Becky Chambers

OK, I have a bad habit. I’m including a book that I’m reading right now. So far, Rosemary’s space-journey has been a slow-paced, character-driven comfort read. If her crewmates are all killed by intergalactic pirates or alien viruses in the next few pages, I may regret adding this character to my list…

The Cheshire Cat

Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

The Cheshire Cat has something to grin about and I’d love to learn what it is! He also pops up without warning, which is why he’s managed to sneak onto my list.

Would you like to be any of these characters? Let me know below.