Elphaba(Gregory Maguire's Wicked) is definitely a kick-butt heroine, and also one of my very favorites.  Complex,  tortured, incredibly strong, NOT known as beautiful in any sense of the word.  But I would say that her looks still defined her.  Her ostracism based on her unusual skin informed almost every decision she made.  So I do think it can go both ways.  As women, I'm afraid no matter how hard we try, physical appearance is always going to be a factor in how we perceive ourselves, and how others perceive us.

Great post! 

Sara

saraplayshouse.com/blog

I like characters who are fully realized.  I don't read books to find heroes.  I just like well-written stories that pull me deeply into them and whose characters feel authentic.

The books I read when I was young whose protagonists still resonate lo these many years later are:  Anne Shriley, Jo (Little Women), Zeely (Zeely by Virginia Hamilton).

I remember that Celie in The Color Purple was unforgettable and had enduring resilience.  Janie (I thnk that's the name) in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston was also a female who made me sit up and take notice.

I could go on and on,  You've got me to thinking!

Thanks.

blog.candelariasilva.com

Good and plenty!

As a kid, I loved Nancy Drew, Jo March (Little Women), Sara (A Little Princess), Anne Shirley...

As an adult...Ursula Brangwen (The Rainbow).

There are many more that I know I'm forgetting.

Michelle writes at Michelle's Blog

Certainly Eliza Bennet.  I think that her not being the great beauty in the family is very important as it certainly helps me identify with her!

Lyra in "His Dark Materials".  Tough little girl growing up half on the streets of Oxford, half in the halls of Jordan College. She is vulnrable and strong, very honest, loyal, stubborn, brave, loving - love her. 

Actually, Phillip Pullman does pretty good heroines.  In his other series - "Ruby in the Smoke", "Tiger in the Well" etc, he has created Sally Lockheart. Victorian detective girl. Tough, vulnrable, intense, driven - she is great.

Paul Berna's book "a hundred million franks"  has a heroine called Marion who was apparently one of the inspirations for Phillip Pullman's Lyra.  She is a sharp young ruffian who cares for a huge pack of abandoned dogs. Tough girl with a big heart and a quick temper.

Titty Walker from Swallows and Amazons - the youngest of a family of four boat obsessed children camping in the Lake District -  dreamy, intense, thoughtful, honest.

Nancy Blacket from the same series - oldest sister of the two "amazon pirates" who live in the lake district and go camping with the Walker children - tough, honest, brave, sympathetic, funny.

Meg Murray from Madeleine l Engle's "A wrinkle in time" - daughter of two super bright scientists - self doubting but brave, loving, steadfast.

And so many more!

Not that you would have guessed that from my username.  Emily is the lesser known heroine by LM Montgomery (creator of Anne Shirley).  Love Anne though I do, I've always related to Emily much more.  She was a writer in spite of a lack of support from most of her family, not to mention disapproval from a pretty conventional society where women didn't do things like that.  And she generally did what felt right to her, without too much concern for what others thought.

Anne Elliot (Persuasion) came to it a little late, but she finally got to the point of choosing what was best for her, turning down the marriages her family would have wanted her to accept (though in the end, I'm sure they didn't mind her marrying the now-wealthy Captain).  At least she learned her lesson of not sticking up for what she wanted.

And one of my all-time faves, Scarlett O'Hara.  Perhaps a bit ruthless, but no one was ever going to defeat her.  And even as she was stealing her sister's fiancee, she never acted just for herself.  She acted for the sake of all of her family, even that mealy-mouthed Melanie.  She was a terrible mother, though.  But if I were trying to rebuild after a devestating war, I'd want to be in her household! 

Preaching to the Choir

  Who would have thought that everyone’s favorite tomboy Jo March would become one of the most enduringly popular characters in American literature? 

Flash forward to today and it is no longer the damsel in distress; it's the damsel who causes distress. Take a look at Hollywood’s neo-feminist heros — showcasing beauty, brawn, and brains. Think Sigourney Weaver (Alien), Linda Hamilton (Terminator), Angelina Jolie (Tomb Raider), Keira Knightley (Pirates), Jessica Alba (Silver Storm).Clearly women can be strong without sacrificing their beauty.

For girls who love sports, and love to read there’s a great new series of YA novels featuring girl power. “Pretty Tough” and “ Playing with the Boys” (Razorbill) by Liz Tigelaar supports girls in their quest to be both strong and tough athletes without losing their sense of girlie-ness and femininity.   

The Pretty Tough books were developed so that sporty girls could find good books with a female athletic main character. Definitely worth checking out and adding to your list of “kick-butt” heroines.

www.prettytough.com
sport.life.style.

Elizabeth Bennett gets my vote, I've always loved her.

An adventurous author (ok, not a character but is a character of sorts in her books) of books like Color is Victoria Finlay - she travels all over the world into some really remote areas to get her story. I give her cred.

All the best,

Belinda

Great Earring Holders - great Christmas presents and no more messy jewelry tangles!

Seriously, though, Claire Fraser from the Outlander series, and her daughter Brianna from the later novels in the same series.  

The Circus is in town!

Granny Sue Stories from the Mountains and Beyond www.grannysu.blogspot.com susannaholstein@yahoo.com

like Mma Ramotswe of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. She's like many women--loves her tea, a bit overweight, puzzled by her husband, not perfect, and the mysteries she solves are everyday life things. It's her understanding of people and their weaknesses--and strengths--that makes her a kick-ass herione in my book.

I have no patience with the 'victim woman' (like that caterer woman in the series by Diana Mott Davidson) who must be rescued, who suffers bad treatment by everyone and in the end gets the man whose butt she should have kicked way back on page 20. What kind of happy ending is that! Give me a woman who can think, take care of herself, and is no one's victim.

Anne McCaffrey's Restoree has it all a kidnapped librarian taken to another planet who rescues the Regent and constantly solves problems. I read it as a teen and loved that everyone was equal but she was the container of knowledge.

This is a review of the book:
http://www.rambles.net/mccaffrey_restoree.html

It is a little dated and things change but I like a story where the woman is on level ground and is the focal point of most of the action.
Gena - Out On The Stoop

The heroic names dropped above are due credit.  But I give my vote to Hillary Fames in Potatoes Don't Grow On Trees, Journeying In The South authored by Nash.  Hillary's appearance is barefooted, braided hair, lengthy, femine, yet muscular.  I think she is a hero because she is mild tempered, but get her way with the guys regardless.  She beat up Wootie in What I Am, while he was supposingly the strongest creature on earth.  At least he thought he was in the deep south.  That playboy and others got their butts kicked by Hillary, who was less than age 14 at the time.  Her mother was a gun slinging Annie Oakly, but the smartest of Hilliary outweighted the Momma.  Of course nobody played around with Hillary's Momma, because she was subject to ram her fist and gun down some throats.  In the I Am Somebody Hillary was a hero galloping through thickets, unafraid with rapist.  She taught guys how to straightn up.  In Whose I Am, Hillary is a tiger in her own way to get her way.  That's what I call a strong woman and a hero that kicks butts.

The heroic names dropped above are due credit.  But I give my vote to Hillary Fames in Potatoes Don't Grow On Trees, Journeying In The South authored by Nash.  Hillary's appearance is barefooted, braided hair, lengthy, femine, yet muscular.  I think she is a hero because she is mild tempered, but get her way with the guys regardless.  She beat up Wootie in What I Am, while he was supposingly the strongest creature on earth.  At least he thought he was in the deep south.  That playboy and others got their butts kicked by Hillary, who was less than age 14 at the time.  Her mother was a gun slinging Annie Oakly, but the smartest of Hilliary outweighted the Momma.  Of course nobody played around with Hillary's Momma, because she was subject to ram her fist and gun down some throats.  In the I Am Somebody Hillary was a hero galloping through thickets, unafraid with rapist.  She taught guys how to straightn up.  In Whose I Am, Hillary is a tiger in her own way to get her way.  That's what I call a strong woman and a hero that kicks butts. (dotrockpublisher.com)

Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg!  Even the villains they must face are well-rounded.

 Oh, and let's not forget Tiffany Aching (sp? cause I'm too tired to be responding!)  This is a pre-teen that I would hand to any boy and girl as a good example of "normal kid does good."  Yeah, I know she isn't normal by our standards, but she is for the Discworld novels!  Her enemies are not unattractive or less intelligent.  They are her real peers.  I love these books.

Of course, Agatha from Girl Genius comes to mind.  And, again, her enemy is not all that simple. She is one of a very small number of kick-ass comic strip/book female characters who have not been totally ruined by some writer.  Marvel and DC have terrible habits when it comes to their female heros.  Of course, when she is well-written,

Not all kick-ass female characters are good guys either!  Catwoman is the ultimate female anti-hero who can truly kick-ass. They should have someone from either Buffy or BSG writer a Catwoman story. Of course, there are the absolutely awesome characters of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.  Gee, it does seem Batman's universe of baddies has some kick-ass females who sometimes do outwit him (Catwoman).  (Um, am I showing my geek girlness?)

Let's see, the female characters on Firefly are all pretty kick-ass.  I'm counting them here because of the comic books.  I guess that means I have to include Season 8 of Buffy.  The female teens in the Runaway series are pretty good.  And, if you have a young girl in your life who likes manga - Spider-Girl series.  It is YA but awesomely done.

The line of heroines in the Harlequin Luna Line are pretty kick-ass as well.  As have a number of other romance lines.  I really love the character of Kitty in Kitty and The Silver Bullet and it's sequels.  She finds herself in an impossible situation and still finds a way out of it - even if what she ends up with is not exactly the perfect solution.  Somehow, she perseveres.

Miles Vorkosigan's mom in Bujold's Miles' books.

Any of Octavia Butler's characters.  I wish she had not died so tragically young.

Ok, now I'm gonna have to do a post on kick-ass female leads.

MLO / Melissa

Yes to Nanny Og and Granny Weatherwax!  They are the ultimate female leads.

Then I've just finished reading the Garth Nix trilogy, and Sabriel and Lireal are some excellent characters too.  

 Not exactly literature, but Miyazaki always has strong female characters as his heroines.  Chihiro in "spirited away", Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa, actually, all of them are excellent.

And that reminds of of Dianna Wynne Jones.  All her female characters are strong too.  

I've done my own post on "girls and stories" here