Fictional Dinner Guests

Susanna here, with re-faced apologies for her tardiness. It was my son's first day back at school today and in the mad rush of packing lunch and organizing backpacks and readjusting to getting up early, I completely forgot it was my day to post, and am only just now getting round to it.

So I thought I'd do something quick and fun, for a change.

While I was sorting through my files recently, trying to organize things, I came across an old interview in which I was asked, among other things,

If you were having a dinner party, and you could invite six characters (other than yours) to attend, who would you pick?

I remember finding that an incredibly difficult question to answer—I love so many characters, it was almost impossible to narrow down the list to only six. I could have filled a ballroom, even when I tried restricting it to characters from books written by authors who are no longer living.

Here are the six I chose then, with my reasons why:

Marian Halcombe, from Wilkie Collins’s The Woman in White, because she was such a resourceful and wonderful character and I always thought Walter was an idiot for preferring the beautiful but vacuous Laura to Marian.

Keith Stewart, the titular character of Nevil Shute’s book Trustee from the Toolroom, is one of those seemingly ordinary people who isn’t ordinary at all once you get to know him, and I’d love to hear him go on about his miniature mechanical creations.

Rilla Blythe (daughter of Anne of Green Gables and Gilbert Blythe) from L.M. Montgomery’s Rilla of Ingleside, has a tendency to speak before she thinks, which makes her fun and unpredictable and perfect for a dinner party.

Josh Canfield, the hero of Catherine Gaskin’s The File on Devlin, is both dashing and understated—a rare and attractive combination in my book—AND he’s both thoughtful and well-read, so he would definitely rate an invitation.

Elspeth Lamond, from Bride of the MacHugh by Jan Cox Speas, has the proven ability to hold her own in any gathering, and possesses both a lively curiosity and an original mind.

And I’d round out the guest list with the charming Sir Julian Gale, father of the hero Max from Mary Stewart’s This Rough Magic, who could regale us with endless witty tales of his life on the London stage.

* * * * *

That might have been an old interview, but all six of those characters would probably still be on my guest list today (and I'd still find it a wretchedly difficult question).

Now...who would YOU bring to the party?

 

Comments

[Mary Jo Putney]

Susanna, I get that dinner party question also (I imagine most writers do), and I HATE it! My mind doesn't work in a way that will answer this without spending months. But it's a good list you have, and I'm with you on TRUSTEE FROM THE TOOL ROOM. I need to find a copy to reread....

[Liz V.]

Sir Julian Gale, yes, with Flavia de Luce and Miss Marple. Somehow, three more seem redundancies.

[Janice]

I don't want to throw a dinner party; I'm much too lazy for that, and anyway, nobody wants to eat what I eat except me.

Instead I'd rather be a guest myself - at Rick's Cafe Americain in Casablanca, or Heininger's Brasserie in Paris, or at the Mos Eiseley Canteen :)

[Susanna Kearsley]

I probably have a spare one I could loan you :-) And I know...I never do well when I'm asked this question. You and I can sit to either side of Keith Stewart, then, at our fictional dinner party...

[Susanna Kearsley]

Liz, I'd be afraid to eat or drink anything with Flavia de Luce and Miss Marple both at the table--a sure sign someone was going to wind up getting murdered, and with my luck, it would probably be me :-)

[Susanna Kearsley]

Oooh, that's a cool twist on the theme, Janice. I like that. Fictional eateries and watering holes where we'd like to hang out. You like dangerous ones, I see :-)

[Mary Jo Putney]

It's a deal, Susanna!

[Mary M.]

I actually found this a simple exercise! I would have Marian Chesney's two old-maid sisters and their erstwhile bumbling suitors, plus any pairing of their "difficult daughter" charges and the matching stiff-upper-lip gentleman who eventually succumbs to the chaos of their strangely "good ton" world. I can't think of a more entertaining assemblage of characters. To fill out the table and have someone to enjoy the show with, I'd add Georgette Heyer's Unknown Ajax, one of my all-time favorite heroes. I know that makes eight, including me, but we mustn't have uneven numbers, after all.

[Binnie Syril Braunstein]

Susanna - I don't know if I can come up with six people. In any case, I'd start with Jo March from Little Women. She was a major influence on the way I make up stories when I write. I continually changed the ending of Little Women, so she would end up with Laurie. I would also want to sit near Charity Selborne, the widowed heroine of Mary Stewart's Madam, Will You Talk? I've never personally been to Provence, but I'll wager I could give you a walking tour. I've read the book numerous times; I wore out at least one copy. One of my favorite scenes occurs at the very splendid dinner she has with Richard. I would also like to have dinner with The Beast in Beauty and the Beast. In addition to being (eventually) a genial host, he often has a magnificent library. I'd also want to have dinner with Mercy Dane, the heroine of Sharon Sala's A Piece of my Heart. She's a really kick-ass woman who also is a fantastic baker. (Great biscuits) For the sixth person at the table, I'd chose a tortured hero from an historical romance. E.g. Mary Jo's Reggie, from The Rake or St. Just, from Grace Burrowes' The Soldier.

[Barbara Monajem (@BarbaraMonajem)]

Heh. I usually hate these questions, too, mostly because I never know what to say to people I don't know, so why would I invite them? But anyway, I agree with Liz about Flavia de Luce -- she rocks! Also Lord Peter Wimsey (who would be completely willing to carry the conversation in my stead) and Harriet Vane. Also I would like to have Nancy and Peggy Blackett from the Swallows and Amazon series by Arthur Ransome. As a child, I idolized Nancy, because she was so bold. :)

[Vicki L.]

Some fascinating characters...yes to Sir Julian Gale. Yes to Mercy Dane - she really rocks. St. Just....yep.

Unknown Ajax - he would be fun to have at a dinner party.

Keith from Trustee of the Tool Room is a great choice.

I need two more women to round out my dinner party. Hmm...I'll have to think about this.

[Jane]

I don't know who I'd chose, but I adore Rilla Blythe, that is one of my favorite books, it is incredibly deep.

This reminds me of the TV show "Meeting of Minds", hosted by Steve Allen, when he would gather together famous historical (real) people, portrayed by actors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meeting_of_Minds