Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Weekly Topics 2019
>
16. A book told from multiple perspectives
message 51:
by
Hélène
(new)
Jan 16, 2019 09:18PM
I read Lincoln in the Bardo for this prompt.
reply
|
flag
I just finished One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. A good YA read, too mature for my grade 7s but would be great for high school.I do enjoy books from multiple perspectives. Jodi Picoult comes to mind.
For this topic I read Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg. It is about a house fire and the impact it has on the lives of several people, with alternating chapters telling the story of one of those people. It was very readable and compelling and I enjoyed it quite a lot. The book was nominated for the National Book Award and I had originally planned to use it for that topic but when I started reading and realized it had multiple perspectives I decided to use it here instead. So, if anyone is looking for ideas for this topic or the National Book Award topic, I would certainly recommend this book.
What are you reading for this category?Let me lie by Clare Mackintosh
Do you typically enjoy books with multiple perspectives?
Yes, they are a great way to introduce twists and turns....
- What are you reading for this category?Malevolent by E.H. Reinhard
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
I don't read them often but I do enjoy them. It is always nice to get more than one perspective, especially in first person perspective (which is my preference)
What are you reading for this category? The House of the Spirits by Isabel AllendeDo you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives? Yes I really do. And I've heard so much about this author I'm really looking forward to this one!
I am on this prompt right now, and I am reading The Glass Forest by Cynthia Swanson. I had originally put this book into a different prompt, but I'm switching it to this one. I didn't realize the book had different perspectives. It's an easy read, and the story is intriguing. I'm enjoying it.
I finished The Glass Forest this morning, and I have to say - I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you are still looking for a book for this prompt, I definitely recommend this one. It did take me 35 pages or so to get into, but then I was hooked.
for this one I went with The Last Night Out
by Catherine O'Connellgive it 2 starssome times I do liking reading books told in multiple perspectives but they can be a hit or miss with me
What are you reading for this category? I'm really looking forward to The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. It's been recommended to my by several people.Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
Yes, and the comment at the top of this page expresses the "why" beautifully.
"The beauty of novels with multiple perspectives is that they provide a more complete picture of the same story which gets us, hopefully, a little closer to the truth, or at least a little more depth. "
Exactly!
- What are you reading for this category?Next Year in Havana
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
Yes, I read a lot of them.
I noted down The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood as an option for this prompt, but I can’t find confirmation that it indeed has multiple perspectives. Can someone who read it tell me please? 🙏🏻
- What are you reading for this category?I read The Tower and the Hive by Anne McCaffrey
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
When it is well-written, yes. Experiencing the story from multple perspectives can provide a greater depth of storytelling than a single point of view. Some stories are enriched by multiple viewpoints.
Mod
Any suggestions?
Emily, have you read Fingersmith? That would work and I think you’d enjoy it!
Emily wrote: "Hey everyone! I'm in search of an LGBT book with multiple perspectives."The book I read for this challenge topic has a very very minor GLBTQ character - Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg. It's a rather sad book but I quite enjoyed it.
I recently finished reading Everything Under by Daisy Johnson, which is told from multiple perspectives and has a gender fluid character. I thought it was magnificent and would definitely recommend it.
The Fair Fight by Anna Freeman was my first 5 Star read of the year. It's told from the perspective of a female boxer in the 18th century as well as the perspectives of several other characters, two of whom are GLBTQ.
Those are just recent reads that I can recommend.....I could easily come up with a list with a few dozen titles!
Mod
- What are you reading for this category? Catch Me- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
I do, it seems like it can add a layer of understanding you might not get otherwise.
- What are you reading for this category? Dark Places- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives? I'm not a huge fan because it takes a while for me to get into the story and then by the time I am, it switches. I also forget details and plots when things switch a lot. Dark Places was ok for this, but I also read Gardens of the Moon this month. There would 7 or 8 POV changes in a chapter. I still have no idea how many different character POVs there were because it changed so much. I have no idea what happened in that book.
I read House Rules by Jodi Picoult. I do like novels with multiple perspectives, but I think they take a little longer to get into than single perspective. Once they do get going though, I move faster through them. Also, if I don't like one of the characters, it's not so bad as when the whole story is told from the point of view of someone I dislike.
I was thinking of reading THE SEVEN DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE or THE CLOCKMAKERS DAUGHTER (which I have but was planning to read it for another reading challenge prompt). I will look through the suggestions at the top for more ideas.
- What are you reading for this category?Dirty Work by Larry Brown
story of two Vietnam vets and the story goes between the perspectives of the two men.
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
If they are done well. I'm not a stickler for point of view, as long as it is clear who is speaking and makes sense to the narrative.
For this prompt I read The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (finished on 4/9/2019). Most of the novel is told by the main therapist's viewpoint but some of the novel includes journals from the patient. And what we read, I never saw coming!!
What are you reading for this category?I read The Graveyard Book for this week
Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
Yes I sure do, but the book needs to make it clear when it switches perspective. I hate trying to guess who is speaking or who's point of view we are now seeing in the book. That can make the book less enjoyable for me.
I just finished The Obelisk Gate, which I wanted to fit in soon so it was nice to have this prompt come up (reading in order). Books with multiple perspectives seem really common, maybe just in genres I tend to read?
- What are you reading for this category?Sing, Unburied, Sing
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
Yes
I read Yesterday by Felicia Yap and decided to slot it in for this category.I do often read books with multiple perspectives and I enjoy them. However I like single POV books as well.
EDIT: I really enjoyed Yesterday and gave it 4 stars. I was just thinking that it would also have worked for the speculative fiction category, I guess, as it is set in a version of our world where people have only either 1 day of memory (monos) or 2 days of memory (duos). It was an intriguing concept (although sometimes I feel like I actually have less than 24 hours' worth of memory anyway!).
What are you reading for this category? Swan Song, by Kelleigh Greenberg-JephcottDo you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives? I think it all depends on how well it's done and whether the perspectives add anything to the story. In this case, I think it was essential.
Review
Chronicling the rise and crushing downfall of Truman Capote, this book channels the nonfiction novel style that Capote himself made famous. The story focuses on the fallout following Capote's decision to publish, as thinly veiled fiction, the secrets his high society friends have trusted him with. To me, it's a story about horrible people doing horrible things to one another, though that is coloured by my bias against rich people problems. Far from taking away from my enjoyment, the fact I disliked most of the characters - including Capote and his harem of society "swans" - actually made this book even more of a page turner. Last year I read both Capote's In Cold Blood and Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann, giving me insight into his work and the world in which he lived. But apart from recognising a few names, I knew nothing of the high-profile people who inhabited Capote's universe, and was still able to enjoy the cattiness and bitchy gossip which forms the backbone of their existence. Underneath the bad behaviour and betrayals, though - not only Truman's but the myriad affairs, deceptions and using of others - runs something deeper. There are genuine friendships based on love, high emotions fueling misplaced actions, and true hurt feelings. Greenberg-Jephcott's strength lies in creating characters who can be bitchy and vapid while at the same time complex and vulnerable in their way. That combined with the depth of detail in this book shows this to be a real labour of love. I finished that last page with a tear in my eye not only for the whole sorry way things played out for Capote and his friendships, but also because there were no more pages left.
The Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean E. PendziwolYes, I like multiple POVs. It can be very effective.
I just finished For Lila, Forever for this category. I enjoyed it, probably 3 stars since it was pretty good and just a light read! I love books when they're told from both of the main character's perspectives!
I have read 'The weight of Silence' by Helen Gudenkauf. It was excellent
What are you reading for this category? Trust Exercise by Susan ChoiDo you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives? Definitely! I think it adds more layers to a novel.
I read Dark Places. I have a few multiple perspectives books and it depends on the book and the layout. This one was easy to follow and I enjoyed it. Some are confusing and easy to lose track of what is going on.
I read Heinrich Böll, Group Portrait with Lady for this topic. Leni, the central character, is portrayed through a series of interviews with witnesses. I can see why Böll was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature - the book is beautifully crafted on so many levels.
currently reading Evidence of the Affairs and its told by exchanging letters so you get to see two points of view (by how far I’m in the story). very nice.
- What are you reading for this category?I read The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta by Mario Vargas Llosa
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
I do, complexity is great!
What are you reading for this category?I read Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
I really don't mind one way or the other as long as the book is interesting
- What are you reading for this category?*Finished reading THE LOST CAROUSEL OF PROVENCE by Juliet Blackwell last night.
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
* Actually, I don't "typically" enjoy any "perspective" types - am pretty eclectic re novels. I do like multiple perspectives if the writer does it well, if I can really "hear" the voices of the characters enough to distinguish them. Also, this book's narrator seems to be omniscient, but does give the reader many perspectives - insights into the stories of the main characters, settings in different time periods as well as on a couple different continents. So I decided it met this challenge. Wrote a review of the book & rated it at 5 stars! Loved it!
- What are you reading for this category?An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
Sometimes when is done right.
What are you reading for this category?Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell
Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
Typically I do - I find I enjoy reading about events from numerous characters’ unique viewpoints and experiences.
- What are you reading for this category?Atonement- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives? Yes I do. I get annoyed though if they switch and don't make it obvious for me. Usually in the beginning of a book I have to double check whose perspective it is until I get the flow of a book.
- What are you reading for this category?The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
I do. I didn't know this about this novel before getting into it, but it really works here.
What are you reading for this category?Children of Blood and Bone
Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
It depends how compelling all the perspectives are--sometimes I feel like the author does it so they can keep having cliffhangers instead of letting the story take its natural pace.
Emily wrote: "What are you reading for this category?Children of Blood and Bone
Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
It depends how compelling all the perspectives are--s..."
Yes! I think that's one of my big problems with multiple perspectives! If I'm really invested in that cliff hanger it's sometimes hard to switch over to the "resolution" of three cliff hangers ago.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Far From the Madding Crowd (other topics)Salt to the Sea (other topics)
Ayesha at Last (other topics)
Children of Blood and Bone (other topics)
Children of Blood and Bone (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Isabel Allende (other topics)Shari Lapena (other topics)
Sarah Waters (other topics)
Mario Vargas Llosa (other topics)
Susan Choi (other topics)
More...
