The Good, The Bad, And The Unhinged: 5 Books For Those Who Love Messy Female Characters
For every Walter White that has multiple fanboys lining up to defend him on social media, there seems to never be the same love for a problematic, angry, or downright despicable female character.
Sarah Jessica Parker recently talked about how audiences are more critical of female characters making bad decisions and honestly, she's right. Whether it be in real life, on screen, or even in books, women just aren't always given the same space to be messy, self-destructive, or morally grey without being completely written off by fans.
So if you, like me, love your main characters flawed, complicated, and a little (okay, a lot) unhinged, here are 5 books that deliver just that.
1. Luster by Raven Leilani
2. Post Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson
3. The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
5. Circe by Madeline Miller
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Elle
a day ago
- Elle
We're Not Getting Another Season of 'Squid Game'—But We Might Get Something Else
Now that Squid Game's third and final season is out in the world, I am personally hoping for one thing: that Hwang Dong-hyuk can get some rest. The filmmaker and series creator has not been subtle about his exhaustion after creating the first season of the Netflix sensation. Imagine how he feels now, two seasons after that. 'Yeah, I'm very tired. I haven't had a deep sleep for a long time. I want to take a rest,' he told The New York Times before the season 3 premiere. 'Then I want to do feature films. I have an idea for my next feature.' There may be someone ready to take up the mantle: David Fincher, the director of Fight Club, Gone Girl, and The Social Network. In October 2024, Deadline reported that the filmmaker was eyeing an English-language offshoot of Squid Game, although neither he nor Netflix have confirmed the news yet. Still, it seems likely, given Fincher's ongoing collaboration with the streamer, which includes films and series like House of Cards, Mindhunter, Mank, and the upcoming Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood sequel. According to Deadline, 'Insiders say the Squid Game series is likely the project Fincher commits his time to in 2025.' The final scene of the Squid Game season 3 sure seems to set up an spinoff. (Warning: Spoilers ahead!) The episode closes with a scene of the Front Man in the U.S. coming across a person in a suit playing a version of Ddakji, the 'slap game' used to recruit players, with a disheveled man in an alley. When the recruiter turns around, it's a surprise reveal: She's played by Cate Blanchett. All she does is exchange a knowing look at the Front Man, their mutual recognition hinting that the Squid Game operation extends beyond South Korea. It's also the perfect setup for a U.S.-based spinoff. It's unclear if Blanchett will be the lead of that new show or just a one-time cameo, but the former is possible, since she previously worked with Fincher on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. For now though, that's just a theory. No casting announcements have been made yet. As for the creative team, Deadline reported that Dennis Kelly, writer of Matilda the Musical and the TV series Utopia, is supposedly writing the script. Hwang has also voiced his own ideas for an offshoot. He told Entertainment Weekly, 'I actually had this faint ideation about possibly a spinoff—not a sequel, but maybe a spinoff about the three-year gap between season 1 and season 2 when Gi-hun [Lee Jung-jae] looks around for the recruiters,' he said. 'Maybe I could have a portrayal of what the recruiters or Captain Park [Oh Dal-su] or officers or masked men were doing in that period, not inside the gaming arena, but their life outside of that.' That Hwang's limited series has now ballooned into an international franchise might be a little ironic, considering the show's pointed critiques of capitalism. But he hopes that at least it gets viewers to start thinking about such issues. 'If they do none of that and only enjoy the goods and experiences, that could be a problem. But as long as it entails food for thought, I'm good with that,' he told Times. And if Squid Game comes to America, there will surely be much to discuss.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
'And Just Like That…' Season 3 Starts with a Twist You Probably Missed
The day has finally arrived. And Just Like That… season three is officially here, with the premiere episode hitting HBO Max last night. First things first, hats off to the AJLT team for giving us another season in under a year. (Looking at you, other streamers. Take notes.) Now, let's get into it. I watched the season opener and I have thoughts. Overall, the first episode moves at a slow pace—but not necessarily in a bad way. It feels like the writers may be gently setting the stage for everything to come. We pick up right where we left off. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is settling into a stunning new brownstone, living solo with the hope that Aidan will return (sooner than later) and they'll eventually share it together. In the meantime, Carrie and Aidan attempt phone sex—twice. And let's just say… neither attempt quite hits the mark. Craig Blankenhorn/Max Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), single and settling into her queer identity, is out at a gay bar when she meets Mary (Rosie O'Donnell), a confident woman her age. Sparks fly, they hook up and only after does Miranda find out that Mary was a virgin nun. Yep, you read that right. Seema (Sarita Choudhury) nearly sets her mattress on fire while smoking a cigarette in bed, waiting for a call from her Hollywood director boyfriend that never comes. Although they do reconnect later in the episode, she ultimately decides to call it quits and break things off for good. Craig Blankenhorn/Max Charlotte's (Kristin Davis) storyline hasn't fully taken shape yet. She's mostly preoccupied defending her dog after it's (falsely) accused of attacking another dog. Turns out, the accuser just has terrible eyesight and mistook her pooch for another. There's also a budding plot around her daughter, Lily, who's crushing hard on a very fit ballet dancer. Meanwhile, Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker) is in full creative mode, working on a PBS docuseries about overlooked Black women, while her husband stresses over whether running for city comptroller is 'cool.' Her response? 'Herbert, you are running for city comptroller—there is nothing cool about that.' Iconic. The biggest twist? At the end of the episode, Carrie can't sleep. She heads to her laptop and begins typing—but for the first time, it's not in the first person. She writes, 'The woman wondered what she had gotten herself into.' And just like that, season three is officially underway. One episode down, nine more to go. Catch new episodes of And Just Like That… Thursdays at 9 PM ET on HBO Max through July 31. Want all the latest entertainment news sent right to your inbox? Click here. Sarah Jessica Parker Nearly Quit 'Sex and the City' After Filming the First Episode
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall's character Samantha Jones returns to spin-off show for brief exchange
Fan-favourite Kim Cattrall may have left the Sex and the City franchise years ago, but to the surprise of fans, her character Samantha Jones made an off-screen cameo for the third season of spin-off show, And Just Like That. Cattrall officially parted ways with the franchise in 2010, after filming wrapped on the second movie based on the popular Noughties series, which follows a group of single New York women as they undergo the trials and tribulations of dating. The departure came amid rumours of a feud with lead star Sarah Jessica Parker, however fans have missed her character's unapologetic sexuality and honesty. Viewers were treated to a little dose of Samantha on Thursday night's episode (26 June) of And Just Like That, as Carrie (Parker) reached out to Jones for some help. Asking for some information on her neighbour Duncan Reeves (Jonathan Cake), Carrie contacted Samantha via text. 'What do you know about Duncan Reeves?' she asked, as Samantha responded: 'They say he's a lot of fun. Why?' Carrie told her friend, 'He's living under me.' To which Samantha quipped: 'I wish he was under me.' Viewers had mixed reactions to the scene, as one person wrote: 'Damn I wish could at least get a lil Samantha Jones voice note or something instead of this weak ass text.' Another added: 'Not another Samantha texting scene UGH #AndJustLikeThat.' Some were left frustrated by the teasing, writing: 'Booooo! We don't want to see no damn text messages with Samantha!! It's either she comes on or leave her character be! This is lame!' 'CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS SHOW WE NEED A SAMANTHA JONES SPIN OFF SHOW' added another impatient fan. However, others were grateful for any reference at all, saying: 'Even just literal texts from Samantha make this show better.' One viewer posted that the character's role has taken something substantial from the show, saying: 'I miss Samantha. Even though I watch every new episode it's just not giving the same energy as the original show. I love the original even with how outdated, appalling, and annoying it can get. I just wish it had more to it.' In a three-star review of the third season for The Independent, chief TV critic Nick Hilton called the writing 'clunky' but said the show was beginning to 'find its groove' and would 'please hardcore fans'.
