Top Ten Tuesday: The best and worst of literary fathers, according to C.J.

top ten tuesday dads

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When the fathers haven't been mysteriously killed off, that is.

c.j.'s selections ten ten ten
one		Best Arthur Weasley Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling Arthur is like #1 dad. He's quirky and dorky and tells bad jokes, and he loves his family with a ferocious intensity. He loves his children even when they crash flying cars or run illegal shops out of their bedrooms. And even when his kids don't fit the typical mold (c.f. Fred and George), he appreciates the talents they do have. He's so good a dad, he even took in poor parentless Harry.
two		Worst Lord Kent Royal Bastards - Andrew Shvarts Murdering a foreign dignitary is already pretty bad, but then putting a bounty on your child's head--alive optional, dead preferred--after years of sticking her at the bastard table? That's gotta be worst father of the year behavior.
three		Worst Henry Montague, Sr. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee Not only is he a debauching, austere sadist, but he's spent his son's entire life publicly emphasizing to him how worthless he is, causing one hell of a complex. Come on, pick one: sadist or hypocrite. Both is just too many.
four		Best Paul Words on Bathroom Walls - Julia Walton Paul is a stepdad who more than earned his place on this list. With a stepson who turns out to have Schizophrenia, who screams at you and is iffy around knives, a lot of steps would falter. But Paul never wavers. Even when Adam accuses him of wanting him dead. Even when Paul's mom raises a fuss. He goes beyond just decency; he really cares for Adam. He goes to bat for Adam when Adam doesn't even know it, expecting nothing. He's not perfect, but his love for his stepson is crystal clear.
five		It's Complicated General Esladas Court of Fives - Kate Elliott Esladas is such a complex figure, I couldn't leave him off the list. He loves his wife and children enough to buck social convention and acknowledge them as equals, but then caves under the pressure to abandon them and marry a noblewoman when his military career is at stake. He continues to risk life and livelihood to care for them, but shows cowardice in his hesitancy to publicly support them.
six		It's Complicated General Trajan The Winner's Curse - Marie Rutkowski Trajan is another complex figure. He dearly loves Kestrel and, though he has no sons, proudly holds her up as his heir and legacy. He also uses her as a political pawn and lets his rigid legalism trump his love for her--but not without guilt. In a twisted way, he thinks he's doing what's best for her.
seven		Best Mr. Gardner Splintered - A.G. Howard Alyssa's dad is a truly devoted husband and father. He steadfastly visits his wife in the asylum every week, even though she harmed their daughter in a fit of delusion. He supports Alyssa in all her strange hobbies and has a genuine, reciprocal relationship with her. He also has a few secrets of his own, mwuahaha.
eight		Worst Mr. Mead A Cure for Dreaming - Cat Winters You know you're headed for this list when your daughter, in early 1900s America, has pro-suffrage notions and you take it upon yourself to hire a hypnotist to change her personality and make the very thought of suffrage painful to her. You just do.
nine		Worst Lord Azriel The Golden Compass - Phillip Pullman As I do my audio reread, I'm reminded of just how cold and manipulative Azriel is. He's not outright evil, but he's calculating as hell. Anything is worth furthering his plans, even extracting the souls from children and practically disowning his own daughter. The way he calls Lyra spoiled and useless is so incomprehensibly vile.
ten		Best Prince Phillipe Renaldo The Princess Diaries - Meg Cabot Yes, movie-watchers: her dad's alive in the books. He's the balding cancer surviving prince of Genovia, and even when he's keeping Mia's royalty a secret from her, he's supportive and in her life. He has a genial relationship with Mia's mom. Though he asks certain grand responsibilities of Mia as princess, he also respects her wishes and goals.