Time Traveler's Wife III

Dear wives,

I don't really know what to talk about/I kinda feel like shit right now so I'm just going to go to the ol' open-ended character analysis.

Henry. Oh, Henry, so strong and manly you are. So stunning, handsome, smart, etc, and I know that makes everyone swoon, but I can't help but be... bored. Of course, Henry isn't without his flaws, which are... being temperamental and time traveling I guess. Then again, this is coming from a man who can't even appreciate his own ability to time travel, which of course the author makes an attempt to justify. Yet, Henry seems too perfect. That, and the whole relationship he shares with Clare is a little creepy.

I'm not just pulling it out of my ass, I mean it's seriously cause for concern. He forces child Clare to house him and get him clothes and food, and spends much time "playing" with her... teaching her French? Alone, in an isolated field. At like, age 30+. I don't care if the man claimed he was my future wife, if I was six years old and I kept seeing a naked man who knew my name and everything about me, I would be out of there. I guess the book just kind of expects you not to notice the ridiculous age difference between the two. And Clare keeps this man in her mind for practically her whole life.

Now now, not as if true love isn't possible, but people change. I find it hard to believe that Henry would happen upon a beautiful, brilliant redhead at age six and woo her for the rest of her life. Because Clare literally stays totally faithful in waiting for like eighty years. I suppose this guy is just too good to be true, except, you know, he harasses your childhood memories and is gone for large amounts of time without warning. I really don't care what anyone says. No five year old can read college textbooks and contemplate the theory of evolution... not even Gary Stu here.

On to Clare... Hm. Is it just me or is the whole sexism thing totally coming into play in modern literature nowadays? I can't even begin to describe how much Clare irks me. She is the stereotypical faithful wife, waiting forever, never losing faith in her husband although he's been known to play quite a few shenanigans. She's also beautiful and pale with long, pretty hair and a sweet face. She's also an ~*~*artist~*~* which means she's in touch with her emotions, apparently. And her emotions are boring, really, really boring. I saw no multi-facetedness to this character whatsoever, and it continued to make me angry through the duration of the book.

I'm no feminist, but I do like my characters to be interesting.

It seems like you guys found these characters interesting. Why? Please describe to be what you thought about them was so intriguing, because I don't get it.

-Irene

P.S. Please ignore the snark in this letter. I'm kind of pissed off.