100 Kick-Ass Female Characters: #46
46. Kate Blackwell, as seen in the novel Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon's books are not great literature. In fact, they're delightfully trashy literature. For those who are unfamiliar with his work, Sidney Sheldon's books generally revolve around a character (usually female) experiencing some sort of ridiculous situation (nuns on the run, lover murders his wife, young attorney gets caught up in the mob) with sex scenes which are enough to make a person blush and, in my junior high, get passed around a class so we all can figure out how how certain acts are performed (thanks, Other Side of Midnight, for explaining how anal sex works!) Now, a vast majority of Sidney Sheldon's female characters are straight-up archetypes with minimal development, but Kate Blackwell is the exception, a true female antihero who literally controls everything in her world.
Master of the Game chronicles the rise (and fall) of the Blackwell family. Starting with Kate's father Jamie, a Scotsman who comes to South Africa to get into the diamond trade, it follows how Jamie makes his fortune. Kate, his only heir, assumes control of the company, and the story begins to follow Kate's son Tony and Kate's twin granddaughters Eve and Alexandra. Kate is "the master of the game"; she shamelessly manipulates and toys with people's lives as it suits her, not caring who she hurts so long as she gets what she wants. Unhappy with Tony's desire to be an artist, she manipulates Tony into marrying the daughter of a business associate, sabotages his art career, and, even after the doctors warn Tony's wife not to have children, Kate manipulates her into doing so, causing her death. When Tony finds out the depths of his mother's machinations, he attempts to murder her and is institutionalized, leaving Kate to raise his identical twin daughters. Eve is a sociopath and Alexandra, painfully sweet; Kate clearly favors Eve to take over running Kruger-Brent until she becomes aware of Eve's attempts at ruining Alexandra's reputation. Overnight, Kate goes from favoring Eve to disinheriting her completely, and the story then follows Eve's desperate acts to win back the company from an oblivious Alexandra. The novel ends with Kate's 90th birthday where her great-grandson Robert talks about wanting to become a pianist and she begins the same scheme she did to ruin Tony's art career.
What I love about Kate is that she's simultaneously likable and absolutely horrific. She destroys her family out of a twisted sense of what she envisions to be the right; she cares little for what other people want because she believes she knows best. Kate is aware that Kruger-Brent is only hers because her brother was killed when they were children and, if it was not for her mother, she would not have it all. And yet Kate obviously loved her husband David, and, when he is killed in a mine explosion, you can't help but feel sorry for her. Kate walks the line between villain and hero, and it's a difficult balance to keep. Kate is simultaneously doting on her great-granddaughters and also the grandmother from hell, and never once is Kate's story not fascinating.
And, considering the majority of her most manipulative acts take place when she's able to collect a senior citizen's discount, that's pretty kick-ass.
Sidney Sheldon's books are not great literature. In fact, they're delightfully trashy literature. For those who are unfamiliar with his work, Sidney Sheldon's books generally revolve around a character (usually female) experiencing some sort of ridiculous situation (nuns on the run, lover murders his wife, young attorney gets caught up in the mob) with sex scenes which are enough to make a person blush and, in my junior high, get passed around a class so we all can figure out how how certain acts are performed (thanks, Other Side of Midnight, for explaining how anal sex works!) Now, a vast majority of Sidney Sheldon's female characters are straight-up archetypes with minimal development, but Kate Blackwell is the exception, a true female antihero who literally controls everything in her world.
Master of the Game chronicles the rise (and fall) of the Blackwell family. Starting with Kate's father Jamie, a Scotsman who comes to South Africa to get into the diamond trade, it follows how Jamie makes his fortune. Kate, his only heir, assumes control of the company, and the story begins to follow Kate's son Tony and Kate's twin granddaughters Eve and Alexandra. Kate is "the master of the game"; she shamelessly manipulates and toys with people's lives as it suits her, not caring who she hurts so long as she gets what she wants. Unhappy with Tony's desire to be an artist, she manipulates Tony into marrying the daughter of a business associate, sabotages his art career, and, even after the doctors warn Tony's wife not to have children, Kate manipulates her into doing so, causing her death. When Tony finds out the depths of his mother's machinations, he attempts to murder her and is institutionalized, leaving Kate to raise his identical twin daughters. Eve is a sociopath and Alexandra, painfully sweet; Kate clearly favors Eve to take over running Kruger-Brent until she becomes aware of Eve's attempts at ruining Alexandra's reputation. Overnight, Kate goes from favoring Eve to disinheriting her completely, and the story then follows Eve's desperate acts to win back the company from an oblivious Alexandra. The novel ends with Kate's 90th birthday where her great-grandson Robert talks about wanting to become a pianist and she begins the same scheme she did to ruin Tony's art career.
What I love about Kate is that she's simultaneously likable and absolutely horrific. She destroys her family out of a twisted sense of what she envisions to be the right; she cares little for what other people want because she believes she knows best. Kate is aware that Kruger-Brent is only hers because her brother was killed when they were children and, if it was not for her mother, she would not have it all. And yet Kate obviously loved her husband David, and, when he is killed in a mine explosion, you can't help but feel sorry for her. Kate walks the line between villain and hero, and it's a difficult balance to keep. Kate is simultaneously doting on her great-granddaughters and also the grandmother from hell, and never once is Kate's story not fascinating.
And, considering the majority of her most manipulative acts take place when she's able to collect a senior citizen's discount, that's pretty kick-ass.