Character Murder

Can you forgive an author who kills off your favorite character? I've always been able to, but recently my husband stopped reading a book because he was so devastated by the death of a main character.(I don't want to give anything away, but he's really missing out on the rest of a very good book). He has called the author "evil" and "mean-spirited". But, really the story could not move forward without this pivotal plot twist.

I have heard others complain that they can't read a book because they don't like a character. Do we really need to be best friends with these fictional creations? Can't we read a book to gain some insight into other people(even people we may not like)?

I have found that some people read to escape--they want stories that transport them to places they want to be. While others read to be challenged or to learn.
What kind of reader are you? And do you think you can forgive an author for creating unlikeable characters, or killing off ones we like too much?