We'll, yes, to some extent, they do. My cousin loves pretty much every book she reads regardless of originality, writing quality, plot. But the one point on which she will not compromise is the characters. If she doesn't like them, she won't like the book.
I tend to be a little more flexible. Take The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. I hated the MC, but loved the book.
I guess I just want to know where to draw the line. So I pose this question to you: how unlikable does a character have to be to make a book unenjoyable? Further, should you ever sacrifice making a character realistic to make them likable?
Sorry for the rant.
I tend to be a little more flexible. Take The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. I hated the MC, but loved the book.
I guess I just want to know where to draw the line. So I pose this question to you: how unlikable does a character have to be to make a book unenjoyable? Further, should you ever sacrifice making a character realistic to make them likable?
Sorry for the rant.