The Best Character Focused Books 

"The films I constantly revisit have held up for me over the years not because of plot but because of characters." - Martin Scorsese

The Raven Boys series wasn’t the best books I’ve ever read, but the friendships in that book were so well crafted and so captivating and entertaining to read about. I think Pride and Prejudice has some pretty good character-driven story acrs and development.

I wholeheartedly agree with the Outsiders. That book (and the sequel) were probably the best books we were forced to read in school, and I honestly can't say if anyone seriously disliked them.

I’m half way through book three, I think Jean is one of my top ever characters, Locke is right up there too.

Prediction: You will use this video as a way to talk about your favourite book, the Lies of Locke Lamora. EDIT: I was right, it was the first book hahah. I love it so much

I've been suggested Lies of Locke Lamora soooo many times, still haven't managed to get to it!

Your thoughts on Little Women vibe with how I’ve been feeling about the Anne of Green Gables series which is also extremely character focused and so wholesome! Maybe I’ll check that out next on my “classics TBR” “And Every Morning...” is a book that has been on my radar for a while due to your videos. I’m TERRIFIED to read it! I think it would completely dismantle me to my core and burn the pieces

When you started talking about Little Women I got so happy, I’m reading it now and I love it so much 🥰

I’m a simple Guinea Pig. I see Merphy, I click

I'm loving these recommendations videos! As a character driven reader, I am very excited to try these books. PS I recently read My Dark Vanessa because of your recommendation and LOVED it!

I've got The Lies of Locke Lamora from Goodwill for $2 and it's been sitting on my shelf for months. You reminded me to put it in my queue to read soon shelf.

I'm so glad you like The Lies of Locke Lamora so much! It's been one of my fav books for years and it's great to see someone else with as much love for it

Well Merphy bringing that straight fire again with book recommendations. My tbr list just got 6 books larger (added wot from previous video). Btw my favourite character driven book is Candide by Voltaire, very interesting characters and quite comedic at times.

I started Lies of Locke Lamora yesterday!! I'm newish to your channel and love your passion for this book!

Thanks for doing this video. I love character-focused books. Will look into those here I haven’t read already!

"The Outsiders" & one of her other books, "That Was Then, This is Now" are two books I discovered on a teacher's shelf in 6th grade, and completely re-shaped my taste in books. Up until then, I was all fantasy all the time. But I fell in love with how real and personal those two books were, and it opened up a whole new world of stuff like "The Catcher In The Rye" and John Green's whole bibliography. All fantastic books focused around young adult characters that are made to feel very real.

Just found your channel and I've been binge watching through your reviews from books I've read. Love it. Will definitely look into these books your recommend

It's great to hear your reviews of the books.

One of my favorite videos from you! Love this!

Wow it feels like yesterday you had 50k subscribers. So happy for you. i love your videos .

I'm always happy when you promote Backman!

I have started reading the First law because of your review. Your recommendations are as usual great.

The Outsiders is my absolute favourite book! I first read it when I was 12 and I STILL think about those characters today. Love love love!

I read Lies of Locke Lamora because you recommended it in one of the first videos I watched from your channel aaaannnddd....I LOVED it! It was written in a very fast, to the point kind of way that works for this type of story. I couldn't put it down. I have the second book and plan on reading it once I get through Mistborn and the Name of the Wind (also recommended by you). I just have to say Merphy, your channel changed my relationship with reading. I always had the excuse that I didn't have "time" to read or I couldn't get into any books and I bought a Kindle and dived in and now I CAN'T STOP!!!! I've read more books in the past three months than I have in YEARS!!!! Thank you Merphy! Keep up the great work!

Love love love your videos!! ♥️🙏🏻

Again, Merphy. Thank you very much for introducing me to The Gentleman Bastards series. It’s now my favorite series next to Stormlight Archive :)

I picked up the Lies of Locke Lamora and am trying to get to it soon. I also have the Blade Itself on my shelf that I need to pick up!

The 2019 Little Women movie is hands down my favorite adaptation of that book to date. You will love it.

Ooo yes, I love The Outsiders 😭

Merphie's Quarantine Video 🙌🙌🙌

You’re one of the first people I’ve seen around here to mention Just Ella! I was obsessed with it when I was younger too, it’s SO underrated. My childhood was full of fantastic Cinderella retellings! I think I read my copies of both Just Ella and Ella Enchanted ragged when I was young.

Hey merphy it's because of you I picked up lies of locke lamora yesterday and I finished it just now when I saw your this video uploaded. I like it but man was it tough to read. But eventually I liked it and locke is very interesting,witty and Scott's writing style is very witty and gut-punchingly humourous at times. Thanks for recommendation!

You should read Flowers for Algernon. It's a great book, especially for you since you love Backman

I read The lies of Locke Lamora and I'm now reading the second book. So far I think the first one was better but I'm enjoying it. Good series!

Wonderful video and you featured a good range of books across genres. I've read both of the Fantasy series and Little Women and hard agree that characters are their strenght. For fantasy I'll add Wheel of Time and David Edding's Belgariad and Mallorean series as character driven and with excellent chatacters. But my all time favourite author is Ilona Andrews and I love her Kate Daniels, Hidden Legacy and Innkeepers characters (all 3 are Urban fantasy and some of the best series that subgenre has).

I’ve never been this early before! Great video, has always!

I only discovered Little women Last year due to the movie trailer and just absolutely feel in love. And I agree fully with the characters are just amazing. I know I will read it again and again over the years. Also, your editions are so lovely!

Just Ella is my all time favorite Middle Grade "princess story." I've probably read it like 10 times or so like you I just reread it all the time as a good.

Oh, I think I might have to get Just Ella. I've never heard of it before, but it sounds good.

I have to start The Lies of Locke Lamora! Also, you need to read the Liveship Traders trilogy by Robin Hobb! It has the best realized characters I've read so far!

Same with Little Women! My heart goes warm everytime I think about it, I really enjoyed that book, and I'm reading Little men right now. Guess no matter what characters she's talking about, Louisa stories're always wholesome♡!

In regards of great charakters and relationships between charakters, I have to mention the Realm of the Elderlings series. I really adore Hobb for her character work. Also the plot is great...

Real of the Elderlings. Fitz and the Fool. My personal favourite friendship! But you really make me want to read the Gentleman's Bastards and The First Law!

I bought The Outsiders just becuase you recommended and HOLLY MOLLY one of the best books I have ever read, I LOVED the characters and I was left feeling empty after I finished the book because I just wanted to spend more and more time with them... cannot thank you enough Merphy

ahhh yay, I'm so happy you're loving Little Women!

Currently rereading First Law and I love that even though the characters are so different I can understand them all. Like Merphy said, they and their actions feel real :) And thank you for mentioning the humor! haven't seen any reviews mentioning that but it's probably my favorite part of the series :) "Say one thing about Logan Nine-fingers, say he can butcher a joke" :P

Hi merphy I like character based books Thankyou for this video and all your videos You were my first booktuber and my favourite booktuber

I LOVE The Lies of Locke Lamora. I just rec'd to a friend yesterday. Watching this I think I have to go re-read the series.

Little Women! I've been waiting ages for you to talk about it. Yay! Oh, man, The Outsiders!

I'm very much a character-centric reader so this list is awesome! To add others, Percy Jackson is fantastic for characters, The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee, The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, and finally Holes by Louis Sachar I love me a good plot but I'm definitely one of those people that if I don't enjoy the characters I can't enjoy the story as a whole. Brilliant list!

I actually recommend the 1994 film version of LITTLE WOMEN, with Winona Ryder, over the recent 2019 one.

THAT WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS TOO!!! that and Ella Enchanted! That’s awesome lol

I'm planning to read the first law trilogy this year!!! You're last video really got me and now I have to read it! have you heard of Kids on the slope? it's a manga focused on character also and it's so good!!!

I read The Outsiders because when I met your channel you wouldn’t shut up about it hahahaha and now listening to you saying how your experience reading it was, I remembered mine and it was so different, but in a good way. I consider myself more of a plot driven reader, but when I was reading The Outsiders I never once felt like I was looking for the plot. I don’t remember ever thinking “oh, so this is the point” or “this is the story”. I guess the characters are just so brilliantly executed that I didn’t really care about WHAT was going on, but I cared SO MUCH about those boys! ♥️ I was really just having a blast following them around!

I recommended the Lies of Locke Lamora after hearing it so much on your channel. It turns out I already bought it for her years ago. She loved it.

I love character-driven books and most of I had read are character-driven. That's reason why I love Vampire Chronicles,because each books focused on different characters by telling their backstories and I even love their relationship between them.😆 I finishing up reading The Highwayman and Gossamer Axe is good one. ☺

I'm so looking forward for you to watch Little Women (the Greta Gerwig movie, right?) and the video review.

The gentleman bastards seem so good omg!! Currently reading six of'crows and it lowkey seems like the adult version of it sooo i will read it soon

I'd say Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is also like this. It's not so much the plot but the characters. It feels like a chill journey, getting to know your spaceship mates. I loved it! Also, for the longest time I thought I should put Little Women on my tbr, little did I realize that I had already read it when I was young. But the French title is: Les Quatre Filles du docteur March (Doctor March's four daughters). And I agree with everything you've said. Haven't watch the movie yet, either! Should probably do that soon!

Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan has two amazing main characters. The first book starts off really rough, but if you can get through it, the series and prequel series Riyria Chronicles are really excellent!

Holmes and Watson!

I would love a video on books with interesting plots!

Great video!

For another twist on Cinderella, I recommend Rossini’s opera La Cenerentola. Cinderella is completely in control in this one, and she and the prince establish that they really love each other before she knows he is the prince. Even if you’re not into opera, I think you’ll really love it if you make the effort. I love Cecilia Bartoli in this role, but I love Cecilia Bartoli in most anything. But there are many other wonderful versions of the opera out there on DVD and streaming. I certainly fell in love with the opera before Bartoli ever appeared in it.

The characters in Naomi Novic’s Temeraire series are very well done...plot sometimes drags, but you come back for the characters...and dragons in the Napoleonic war, why not?

Great first sec! (All i've watched so far)

Joe Abercrombie is golden. I am reading the second book currently but his First Law is strongly a contender to be my new number one favorite series of all time. These characters are now part of my life.

I read Locke, and first law and love it!

Video starts Me: I wonder if she will talk about the characters fromThe Lies of Lock... Merphy: The Lies of Locke Lamora

I'd love to see a video on Dune if you've seen it! Especially with the movie coming out at the end of the year. I just read the book and loooooved it

I drop everything I was watching when you posted 😂

Beartown is near the top of my TBR and I've heard so many great things so I'm really looking forward to it - fingers crossed I feel the same! I read and loved A Man Called Ove, but that's the only Backman I've read so far. Have you read the sequel to Beartown? I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on that as well!

I feel obliged to mention the Artemis Fowl series right now (read iiiitt) because the crappy Disney movie about it is coming out, but hooboy, the characters were just so disturbingly human, especially towards the end. Even though the main character was a genius and the three best side characters were prestigious and unique brawns, they all failed in their respective areas at least once and had their own demons, baggage, and flaws to work through. The villain as well was a fantastic psychological examination of what happens when intellect meets ego and money spun out of control. A lovely character-driven series, highly recommend.

Every time you talk about "Every Morning" it makes me think of "Tuesdays with Morrie" and I just can't believe you haven't read it yet. I might have to send you a copy just to make sure you read it...

I've been reading the Riyria books for a bit now. At first, I wasn't super sold on them, but the overarching plot started to peak out a bit more and then I just fell in love with the characters. The Hadrian/Royce friendship is wonderful. It's definitely just a fun, fairly light fantasy read (and it doesn't try to be anything but what it is) but the character work is great and Riyria Revelations has such a satisfying ending. Agreed on the Gentleman Bastards books. I'm also reading The Books of Babel and those thrive on world building and character work (especially the development of the main character). Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion are up there for me, too.

Just Ella sounds awesome. I've always thought the "romance" in Cinderella to be shallow. I much prefer the czech reimangining "three wishes for cinderella" better. Especially the movie. The original, not the recent reboot. The prince still falls in love with her for her beauty, but they meet three times before and they have amazing chemistry and he accepts her even though she is a bit of a tomboy and cheeky and not quite a lady. But he doesn't recognize her all dressed up. I really recommend you watch it, it's very popular in Germany (where I live). It's actually a christmas tradition in many households to watch it. It's set in winter and that's basically all there is when it comes to a christmasy-vibe but it's still viewed as a christmas movie.

The SHATTER ME series was 💜💜💜, such awesome characters

If you loved Bachman's Beartown, you should check out his first novel A Man Called Ove. A beautiful novel about love, loss, family and friendship. A character so well-written, it stays with you after finishing the story.

When you get to read The Realm of the Elderling Series by Robin Hobb, you'll surelly want to add that to your list

I just bought the Lies of Locke Lamora. It should be arriving soon at my door :-)

How did I know that Lies of Locke Lamora would be at the top of this list 😂😂 I just started Red Seas Under Red Skies and I’m really loving this series!! I read Bear Town because of your recommendation and it’s incredible!! I’ve read two other Fredrik Bachman books since then 😂 Did you read the sequel, Us Against You?

I love the characters in Little Women! And The Outsiders!

The Outsiders is one of my all-time favorites, pretty much all of S.E. Hinton's "YA" books are on my list.

The First Law! Yes! (sorry, containing oneself) But, absolutely, characters are overall despicable but so, so compelling. "Click, tap, pain", the rhythm of Glokta's life, and how that tied into one realization in the House of the Master Maker...how Abercrombie tied that character trait into the setting was a masterful moment.

The Sin Eater's Confession by Ilsa J. Bick is so focused on character that the plot doesn't actually get resolved on character arcs and I love it. Frankenstien by Mary Shelley is a really cool character study. Malazan Book of the Fallen is so character driven that usually you can tell the perspective you're reading before the character is even identified. Finally, literally every single Stephen King book I've read is rooted in amazing character work but if I had to pick a specific one, I'd be stuck between Dolores Claiborne and The Tommyknockers.

YUSS. I am a Backman STAN! If you didn't mention him, I was gonna do it myself! Haha.

I really want to pick up some Joe Abercrombie. Do you think I should start with this series?

I just picked up the first law trilogy. I'm in the middle of Shades of Magic, once I'm finished with that, on to The Blade Itself.

Oh wow. I've read everything on that list! That usually doesn't happen. Lol. Guess you've just got good taste! 😆

You look beautiful in this video. Great video btw. Did you every do a review on Robin Hobb Rain Wild Chronicles series?

Faithful and The Fallen series! I havnt seen anybody talk about this series.

The book which instantly comes to my mind when thinking about character focused novels is Hands off the Emperor by Victoria Goddard. I'm pretty sure it's self published, and honestly I wonder if a mainstream publisher would ever publish a fantasy novel with so little action or plot (especially as its a pretty long book)! The characters and relationships are superb though. I saw a recommendation for it online, downloaded the ebook and was instantly hooked. I must have read it about 4 times now. The other book which comes to mind is The Goblin Emperor, which I think is a Hugo award winner? There's a little action but ONLY a little, it's basically about characters and politics, and it's amazing.

Wonder is another great one. It was really hard, yet also compelling, to watch otherwise “good” people still be hurtful towards August, even if it was unintentional. It really makes you wonder, “If I knew a kid like that, could I treat him normally?”

I watched Little women 2019 twice and I loved it. I like the new perspective for the ending. I started reading the book and I loved the characters, but Beth... fever... current situation. I want to finish it and I can't which makes me so sad.

If you like character driven books, or coffeee, you need to read Nathan Lowell's Solar Clipper series. Quarter Share is the first book. It is Sci-Fi with very little sci-fi, hardly any gadgets, no battles or aliens, or action for that matter - yet it is one of the most brilliant books I have read. The characters become like friends. Amazing series.

Yess! First Law!!!

While I love an intricate and involved plot, it's never what keeps me coming back. To me characters are everything, and I love nothing more than finding a series where, by the end of the first book, I feel like these characters need to be my best friends, and every time a new book comes out I get excited because I get to see these people that I absolutely love. It's not easy to complete a series where you're just as in love with the leads as you were in the first book, but when it happens, it's magic.

I need to check "Lies of Locke Lamora"... I am currently on a Sanderson bench... But the guy writes faster than I read 🤣. Regarding characters... I love the Mistborn gang, the Two Rivers 5 and the Fellowship of the Ring. Currently listening the audiobooks for Dresden Files... And I gotta admit I find Harry really charismatic too.

The books I have read with child protagonists often show a lot of character development. For example, in one series, The Ranger's Apprentice, Will (the protagonist) has a bully (Horace). However, early on they become friends and the evolution of their relationship is very compelling; from enemies to comrades to friends to almost brothers. The series has many evolutions of this sort. I would definitely recommend this read.

Have you ever watched the movie adaptations of books you have read? If you have the chance watch "The Outsiders". In the 70's and 80's when I was in school our assignments would be to read these classics and do book reports on them. We would have classroom discussions and as a surprise/reward we would watch the movie adaptation of the book. No RU-vid back then so by doing this it brought fresh perspectives and reinforced the value of the story. Kind of what you do. Looking forward to your next video