Are your characters likeable?

I read an article recently on book characters, and how unlikeable characters were becoming more acceptable. I'll confess to skimming it, for two reasons. 1) Characters need to have a reason to be likeable, even if they are unlikeable. 2) I've written unlikeable characters.

In past books, my unlikeable characters have been secondary characters - out of the spotlight. I had one that was SO unlikeable as to be highlighted by several readers about "why would the main character even be friends with her?" So I set out to write a book for that character to take the lead and introduce WHY she was unlikeable to create some sympathy for her. True story: she was based on a friend of mine who wasn't a very good friend, so there was that. When I redeemed the character, she was nothing like the original inspiration for her. Of course, she wasn't a true representation in the first book, either. This did lead me to having fun employing unlikeable characters in my books, however. People have nuanced personalities, and sometimes, if you understand WHY they are the way they are, that makes them more likeable.

Take for example, Jamie Fraser. I'm pretty sure a large portion of the population is familiar with him. He's a rogue, a cattle thief, and an outlaw. And completely loveable. He has a personality that is larger than life and several very endearing qualities. Is he an anti-hero? He does many heroic things throughout the course of the series, but he also does many not so heroic things. He's only human, after all. Is he likeable? Or unlikeable? The first time we meet him, he's in a vulnerable position, so he doesn't immediately project the unlikeable vibe, and that's part of the way to present unlikeable people - as vulnerable people who respond poorly to certain stimuli.

Characters will always have their Achilles Heel, things that make them act out and seem unlikeable even when they aren't so bad. The trick is in the presentation. Why are they behaving badly? Is it better to show them, like Jamie Fraser, vulnerable upon their introduction so you can garner sympathy for them before they act out? Or do you have them act out and then redeem them later? Obviously, the more successful approach is the former.

By contrast, you don't want your characters to be flawless, either. Saccharin, sticky sweet characters lack appeal, as well. It's the old "nobody's perfect" law. For me, if I read a perfect character, I lose interest pretty quickly. They are the most handsome guy ever, or the most beautiful woman ever, or some other paragon of virtue. I read a book recently where the hero had emerald green eyes that the author never let you forget about. NEVER. And a cutesy nickname. Okay, once or twice throughout the book, maybe, but EVERY TIME that character is addressed? If I was dating someone and they addressed me by a cutesy nickname (and I'm not referring to "honey" or "sweetie" or something along those lines) every time they saw me, I likely wouldn't be dating them much longer. It gets old. Fast. An example? I had a friend who called me "Special K." It was cute, but they didn't address me that way every time they saw me. 

But I digress. 

How long are you willing to stick with a character who comes across as unlikeable? I'm trying not to make my latest heroine so mean, but she keeps getting kicked when she's down... Here's hoping the hero will forgive her.