What Do You Like in a Character?

For me, the characters are what make the book.  Obviously, there needs to be an engaging plot, excellent writing, and an interesting setting, but if I don't like the main characters, I most likely will not enjoy the book.

What is it we look for in the characters we read about?  I often find myself drawn to those who have the qualities I admire most: intelligence, resourcefulness, goodness.  Jane Eyre and her level-headed, no drama self is probably my favorite, even if she isn't always the most fun.  In modern, YA terms, I've really enjoyed Grace Brisbane in Shiver and Eleanor Douglas in Eleanor & Park.  Grace and Eleanor are each more mature than the adults who should be guiding them and while each deals with vastly different issues (Shiver being paranormal and Eleanor & Park, realistic fiction), they both do so with a minimum of unnecessary drama.

It's interesting, then, when I come across a character who is the complete opposite of these things and still find him incredibly appealing like Marshall Holt in Places No One Knows by one of my favorite authors, Brenna Yovanoff.  The word I run across most often when reading a description of Marshall in reviews is "loser," and yet I didn't think so at all.  Yes, he is everything I usually hate: a slacker, a stoner, etc., but the way the author infuses him sweetness, sensitivity, and innate goodness, makes me want to forget about that.  Instead of being attracted to the super genius, perfectionist Waverly Camdenmar, I was Team Marshall all the way.  In the end, I suppose it is the author's talent for developing complex characters that sent me in this unexpected direction.

So what is it you like in a main character?