19 - a book told from multiple POVs

[Heather L]

Amanda wrote: "Would Eleanor & Park work? I'm trying to limit my book-buying this year and read what's already on my shelves..."

It didn’t look like anyone else had replied back, so to answer your question, yes it does.

[eunice]

I would recommend Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. It's one of my favourite historical fictions and it might work for "a title containing the word "salty"" if you're willing to bend a little.

[Ashley]

I would recommend "To Kill A Kingdom" by Alexandra Christo. Great book if you like Pirates and Sirens. Fun adventure too!

[Britany]

Finished There There by Tommy Orange

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Amy]

I chose On Being 40, which might be a stretch since it's a collection of essays by different women on the same topic. But it came to me at exactly the right time and is awesome!

[Ali]

I'm curious about how others would feel about using essay anthologies for this one, so it is good to know Amy is doing that. I have been debating using Growing Up African in Australia which I'm reading at the moment, and is awesome. It's just the wording of "told" which gives me pause - essays are more different stories than takes on a single topic. Or maybe they aren't - a series of essays illuminate different aspects of a common experience. Anyway - like I said, interested in others' thoughts.

Reading here that Home Fire (thanks Errlee) would work probably tipped me into just using that one, as I almost used that for another prompt but didn't at the last minute, and I'm running ahead so I can afford to read more books, but I'm still interested in how others interpret it.

[Teri]

The topic is "a book told from multiple POVs." I believe that the wording would provide for interpreting the prompt to cover stories or essays written by different authors, especially if they are about a common theme. It doesn't say whether it is supposed to be fiction or nonfiction.

[Cyndy]

I read The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth Winthrop. Wow, a one evening and a little bit of the next morning is the time frame for this book. It's told from 9 points of view. These nine characters are: a prison trustee Lane, a gas station owner Dale, Dale’s wife Ora, the convicted and sentenced to die prisoner Willie, Willie's dad Frank, the priest Father Hannigan, the prosecutor's son Gabe, Gabe's mom Nell; and Gabe's dad Polly who is also the prosecutor. There is not time for a lot of character development in a day, but each of these people touched me in different ways - some made me feel good and some made me feel sorry for them. There are additional characters we know a little about some of them also touched me even when talked of in passing: Willie's girlfriend Grace, Dale and Ora's son Tobe, Willie's mom Elma, and Frank's mule Bess. Yes, even Frank's mule touched me. I recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about the south in the 40s. My only issue I have with this book is Gabe's piece of the ending and I generally don't mind this type of ending.

[Rachel]

Just finished Sally Hepworth's The Mother-in-Law for PopSugar's 2019 prompt #19, a book told from multiple character points of view. Mostly switching between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law's points of view from past and present.

[Cat]

Did I see that someone read Nine Perfect Strangers for this prompt? This will suit me fine! I've been dreading this one!!

[Meg]

I’m surprised no one mentioned . I’ve been in love with Peter Swanson’s books since reading that one.

[Nikki]

I read Wonder. The book is divided into sections that are narrated by the character with a facial deformity, this character's sister, and by each of the character's friends from school, as well as by the sister's boyfriend.

[Stephanie]

Meg wrote: "I’m surprised no one mentioned . I’ve been in love with Peter Swanson’s books since reading that one."

I just read that book and will use it for this prompt.

[Rebecca]

Would Love, Rosie work for this one? It's told from a variety of letters/emails from the different characters.

[Josie]

Rebecca wrote: "Would Love, Rosie work for this one? It's told from a variety of letters/emails from the different characters."

I love this book! I definitely think it works for this prompt.

[Jaclyn]

I read The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore for a prompt but after finishing it felt it needed to be elsewhere. I now want to put it on this prompt for multiple POVs but I'm not sure if it fits here either. It has multiple characters that it follows individually but it is written in 3rd person omniscient. Any input on the matter from y'all?

[Lynette]

The third of Chinua Achebe's Nigerian trilogy works great for this prompt, and can be read just fine as a stand-alone. (good for an own-voices choice, multiple POV, and African author)

Arrow of God

[Ilham]

A novel I read recently with multiple POV would be “Whisper Network” by Chandler Baker. This was the July pick of the Reese Witherspoon Book Club. The story is inspired by the #MeToo era- wherein 4 women, 3 of them successful lawyers (there’s a surprising reveal with the 4th woman) of a big multinational corporation have their own longstanding but hidden stories of sexual
Harassment and assault against the man, who’s about to become the newly installed CEO. Will they spill their secret and ensure that this man doesn’t get to become a CEO, but jeopardize their own career and risk getting sued in the process? There’s also a murder mystery here too. The POV’s are from each of the 4 women and in the 3rd person with a Greek Chorus style beginning (talking about the variety of ways women are assaulted and beaten down in their daily lives) at the start of each chapter

[Tropes_and_Taboo]

I read Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong for this one. it bounces between the point of view of the twins.

[Trish]

I read The War Outside for this prompt! It's the story of two girls who are in an internment camp in the U.S. during WWII. One is German and the other is Japanese, and the story goes back and forth between their perspectives as they talk about their daily life and the struggles they face being in the camp. It was pretty good and was gift one of my students gave me during our unit on Night!

[Lizzy]

I read Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life.

[SadieReadsAgain]

I went for Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. This book is quiet and subtle, but it hits you hard and explores so many issues. It really is beautiful, without being fussy or busy. For me it was how parents can try so hard, to think they're doing their best, but can be so blinkered that they don't even see who their child really is as a person. It's tough, as a parent, to not have that underlying desire to make sure your kids don't have your own faults, don't hit your own dead-ends, or to just simply want more, better, different for them. This is a story of what can happen when you become too focused in making sure they don't inherit your unhappiness, and end up causing them unhappiness anyway. This book shows the extremes of that. Of course I felt sad for Marilyn's thwarted dreams and James' lonely childhood as the victim of racism, but at times I could have climbed into the pages and slapped the pair of them. The real sadness in this book for me is how they are so blinded by their history that they don't appreciate their children - they smother Lydia, neglect Nath, and as for poor Hannah... I think these characters will stay with me for a long time, as this is such a strong character study without becoming too bogged down in minutiae. Beautiful.

[Leona]

Maureen wrote: "I'm new to this challenge, so hopefully I am doing this correctly, but I really enjoyed reading The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. If I am understanding things correctly, one ..."

I count two prompts sometimes or I would never finish. I also count audio books as I listen when I am in the car.

[Joana]

Lethal White

[Teri]

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly - told from the POVs of the three main women in this historical novel set during World War I. It is a prequel of Lilac Girls and it is very good.

[Nicole]

Just finished One Day in December for this prompt...loved it!