Because you like Fantine in Les Miserables

Romantic, impulsive, and captivated by the joys of life, Natasha Rostova is on the messy path of growing up. See them in War and Peace.

Though raised to think of himself as a monster, Quasimodo has a heart that holds nothing but compassion. See them in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

As Marlena Rosenbluth is finding out, confidence in the limelight doesn't always translate to power at home. See them in Water for Elephants.

Sharply perceptive and stubbornly principled, Jane Eyre might not have a very loud voice, but she knows when and how to use it. See them in Jane Eyre.

Catherine Linton was once spontaneous and rowdy but ever since marrying the wealthy Edgar, she has morphed into a boiling pot of emotional outbursts. See them in Wuthering Heights.

Celie Johnson says she's poor, black, and may even be ugly. But dear God she's here. See them in The Color Purple.

Anna Karenina doesn't want to be a respectable woman any more. She thinks respect was invented to cover the empty place where love should be. See them in Anna Karenina.

Daisy Buchanan is beautiful and rich, and seems to have it all. But beneath the glitter and the glam, things are more complicated for her. See them in The Great Gatsby.

Stuck on a lifeboat with zoo animals without food and fresh water, Pi Patel uses his intelligence to face the greatest test of all: survival. See them in Life of Pi.

Despite the undeniably awful turn her life has taken, Rachel handles herself with remarkable grace. See them in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl .

A girl who grew up on stories, Meggie Folchart is as loyal and intrepid as one of her fictional heroines. See them in Inkheart.

Years of being a social outcast have taken a toll, but Elphaba is willing to be wicked if it means she can do good. See them in Wicked .