Linda is the beautiful, intensely romantic second daughter of the eccentric Radlett family. Raised in a chaotic and isolated environment without a formal education, she develops a fierce desire to escape her cloistered upbringing. She dreams of experiencing an all-consuming, storybook romance and evaluates everyone she meets against her rigid ideals of love. She directs her overflowing emotional energy toward rescuing animals from local steel traps until she enters society.

Fanny serves as the narrator of the story, observing her eccentric Radlett cousins from a slightly removed perspective. Abandoned by her scandalous mother, she is raised by her sensible Aunt Emily, who ensures she receives a proper education. Fanny acts as the stable, pragmatic anchor to Linda's chaotic emotional extremes. She desires a quiet, secure life built on intellectual companionship rather than dramatic passion.

Lord Alconleigh, known to Fanny as Uncle Matthew, is the explosive patriarch of the Radlett clan. He governs his rural estate with arbitrary rules and terrifying temper tantrums. He proudly claims to have read only one book in his life and distrusts anything modern, foreign, or intellectual. Despite his brutal exterior, he operates on a strict moral code centered entirely on his land and family lineage.

Aunt Sadie is the serene and often vague matriarch of the Radlett household. She floats through the turbulent atmosphere of Alconleigh with a detached air, rarely confronting conflicts directly. She offers her seven children unconditional love but avoids providing practical discipline, allowing her husband's whims to dictate their unconventional upbringing.

Fabrice is a wealthy French duke who maintains a luxurious modern apartment overlooking the Bois de Boulogne. He is a worldly, experienced figure known across Europe as a notorious womanizer. He possesses a cynical attitude toward traditional romance but holds a deep appreciation for beauty, conversation, and the art of living.

Tony is a handsome Oxford student and the son of a prominent conservative banker. He belongs to a wealthy bourgeois family that values financial accumulation, useful social connections, and political power above all else. He frequently expresses disdain for the working class and views personal relationships primarily as tools for career advancement.

Christian is an earnest, dedicated communist journalist. He rejects material comfort and bourgeois politeness in favor of intense political debate. He is heavily involved in social causes and refugee work, dedicating his life to abstract humanitarian ideals while often neglecting the individuals right in front of him.

Lord Merlin is a wealthy, eccentric neighbor to the Radletts. His estate, Merlinford, functions as a luxurious haven for avant-garde art, modern ideas, and bohemian society. He recognizes Linda's raw potential and actively encourages her to cultivate her intellect and taste through literature and cultural outings.

Davey is an aristocratic intellectual and severe hypochondriac. He constantly monitors his health, analyzes drinking water, and refuses certain foods. Despite possessing none of the rugged traits Uncle Matthew usually demands in men, his sharp wit and willingness to critique the family's prized possessions quickly endear him to the Radlett patriarch.

The Bolter is Fanny's scandalous mother, known almost exclusively by a nickname referencing her habit of running away from marriages and responsibilities. She pursues romantic adventure endlessly, leaving a trail of broken relationships in her wake. She functions as a cynical counterpoint to Linda's idealized romantic quests.

Aunt Emily is Fanny's sensible guardian. Unlike her sister Sadie, Emily values formal education and proper upbringing, ensuring Fanny receives schooling away from the chaotic influence of Alconleigh. As a forty-year-old spinster, her decision to marry shocks the adolescent children who believe romance is strictly for the young.

Louisa is the eldest of the Radlett daughters. Eager to escape the stifling and arbitrary rules of her father's household, she happily accepts a proposal from a respectable but unremarkable aristocrat, setting an early example of marriage for her younger sisters to observe.

Jassy is one of the younger Radlett daughters. Like Linda, she possesses a fierce, uncompromising streak and a desire to bolt from the rigid constraints of her aristocratic upbringing in pursuit of personal passions.

Matt is one of the younger Radlett sons. Raised in an environment of hunting and sudden punishments, he develops a physical courage and ideological drive that eventually pushes him to leave his elite schooling behind to fight in foreign conflicts.

Sir Leicester is Tony's father, a prominent banker who despises the landed gentry as impoverished and obsolete. He evaluates all relationships and activities based on their capacity to generate capital or political influence, standing in complete opposition to the Radletts' traditional, land-based values.

Alfred is an academic living in Oxford. He represents the safe, intellectual, and completely conventional path that Fanny chooses for herself, providing a stark contrast to the turbulent men who populate Linda's life.