Reading

Against my better judgement I started reading a novel last night while I took a bath.  I am in the middle of another "how to" book, and that didn't fit the bill for this occasion.  There's just something about reading a self-help book that does not lend to a relaxing bath.

This novel is the second of a trilogy that I bought from a local author at an art fair.  It is obvious that the author has limited skills in storytelling and writing, however, I've read my share of books by less-than-stellar authors.  My problem with this series is the main character.

The story takes place in early 20th century England.  What I know of this period of English history (which isn't much) is that it wasn't a great time to be in the lower, working classes, and it especially wasn't a great time for working women.  

So, the main character in this book is a working class woman, which isn't so bad, but she's a MEEK working class woman.  She routinely lets the men in her life railroad her into doing and being something she doesn't want.  She looks with envy at every woman around her, including her sister.  Now this may be an accurate portrayal of what women were like during this time, but there is a reason why the best stories from that period were about strong women who bucked the system, against all odds.  There's a reason Little Women was about Jo, and not one of her younger sisters.  No one wants to hear about the daily life of an ordinary person.  How is that interesting?  We all live that every day!

Characters should be someone who we can relate to, yet that can still leave us inspired to be more, or do more, or accomplish more.  Characters should have character!  Am I wrong here?