49. A book with an ensemble cast

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Some books give us insight into one character's mind and motivations. Other books give us an array of characters and highlights the relationships between them. This week, we are reading a book with an ensemble cast. How you choose to define ensemble cast is up to you, but it is generally defined by more than one character sharing equal focus without having one singular protagonist. Whether you choose to go with a dual timeline historical fiction, or you go all in with A Game of Thrones, the choice is yours.

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Suggestions:

Books Shelved as Ensemble Cast
29 YA Books with Ensemble Casts
ReadItForward's Favorite Ensemble Cast Books
Books with a Large Cast of Characters
10 Best Full Cast Audiobooks
Full Cast Audiobooks Listopia
(While full cast audiobooks do not necessarily denote an ensemble cast, I thought it was worth including here as it could be a KIS option for this prompt.)

ATY Group Listopia

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Optional Questions:
1. What are you reading for this category?
2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include?
3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?

[Thomas]

I will read The Folk of the Faraway Tree although any in that series would work

[Ellie]

This is one of those prompts that will depend on if I read in order, because I'm expecting The Silvered Serpents, Rule of Wolves and Black Sun to have ensemble casts, but I'm not waiting all year to read them.

[Sam]

I'm reading Cloud Atlas for this, it's another one of those books I own and meant to read in my 2017 challenge, so 2021 is the year. It's very ensemble-y, covering loads of characters that are maybe connected somehow across time and space.

For recs, I tend to think of this prompt with POV shifts and ensemble fantasy books work really well for this - Black Sun, Six of Crows, The Final Empire and all the ASOIAF books.

In terms of regular fiction, I'd recommend Lincoln in the Bardo, The Devil and the Dark Water, The House of the Spirits and The Ensemble.

4321 and Life After Life are variants on the POV theme and do have a rich tapestry of characters spent time with, so might count as ensemble (and A God in Ruins definitely would).

[Nancy]

My options for this are The Most Fun We Ever Had, which I keep seeing recommended, or The Summer House, which I have a paperback copy of from a friend.

[Kathy]

Maybe I'll finally read The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. Other choices areThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers or Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

[Serendipity]

Glad to see On Beauty will work here. Another Woman’s Prize winner slotted in to the 2021 ATY challenge.

[Aimee]

I'm currently reading a funny, feminist fairytale retelling called Darkwood for another reading group and it's got a great ensemble cast of misfits with magical abilities.
It's middle grade but there's a lot in it that will appeal to adults more than kids (the author writes for the Horrible Histories TV show so it's that kind of humour that works on multiple levels).
I'd highly recommend it to Discworld fans as there's a lot of Pratchett influence in it.

[SadieReadsAgain]

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include?
I'm using an audio version and it has three different narrators, and I understand that this is told about three different women at different points in time.
3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?
Blackbird House, Big Little Lies, Summerwater

[[deleted user]]

Does anyone know if Beautiful Creatures would work for this? I'm planning on reading that for a PopSugar category and would love to get double credit... ;)

[Aimee]

1. What are you reading for this category? A Thousand Ships
2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include? Alternating POV chapters which focus on different women involved in the Trojan War (e.g. Cassandra, Hecabe (Paris' mother), Penelope). I haven't counted the characters as there are so many - some only get one POV chapter but many more are recurring characters.
3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt? I highly recommend If We Were Villains, a murder-mystery with an ensemble cast comprised of students at a prestigious acting school.

[Beks]

I just finished reading Anxious People which I think is an excellent pick for an ensemble cast. The author spends time with each of them, picking through their anxieties and how they all weave in an out together.

I read it in one sitting and wish it hadn't been a library book because I wanted to mark it all up. I may end up buying this one we'll see. I will end up reading more by the author.

[Jillian]

Sherri wrote: "Does anyone know if Beautiful Creatures would work for this? I'm planning on reading that for a PopSugar category and would love to get double credit... ;)"

It has been awhile since I read it but if I remember correctly it is told from the teenage boy’s perspective. It does not really fit the ensemble prompt unless you choose to stretch the prompt. It does work for other prompts though.

[Jillian]

I’m going with Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson for this prompt. Ummm, I don’t want to have to count how many different points of view there are : ). There are several though.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I am rereading Driftless because I recommended it to a book group and I will be leading the discussion. It is definitely an ensemble cast, that is part of the point. It is one of my all-time favorite books because of the writing and the message. If you liked This Tender Land, you may enjoy this one. I can't explain why I downgraded Where the Crawdads Sing as "unrealistic", when I love Tender Land & Driftless, which are much more unrealistic. Maybe it's because overall, in Crawdads, other people are a source of danger, while in the other books, other people (mostly) are a source of support.

[Stacey]

Cherokee America was a happy surprise. Many readers disliked it for its too large cast of characters, so I had some doubts going in. Now I'm so glad I chose it. Yes, there were about 40 characters who made their appearance, but only about 15 of them are main characters. And they're all so appealing that you want them to stick around. For those who are fond of the old west and good storytelling, this one's for you. Recent novels featuring ensemble casts I'd recommend: The Son (also a western), Homegoing, Americanah; older novels would include Rich Man, Poor Man and The Magus.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I ended up using Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo for this prompt. It fits a lot of prompts, but I thought it was the perfect example of an ensemble cast, so I slotted it in here. There were 12 different POVS, all of them connected to the other characters, and the final chapter brought them (most of them, anyway) into the same room.

[Tabatha (tab.talks.books)]

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Finished 2/13/21

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

I read Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 36 for this prompt. Technically, there is one 'most main' character for the series, Soma, but there are a LOT of characters who share screen time through most of the series. Especially since this was the last book in the series, a fair amount of time was spent wrapping up ALL the character's storylines, so it definitely has the feel of an ensemble cast.

My best recommendation for this prompt is the later books in the Lunar Chronicles series, especially Winter.

[Amy]

I've got several on my TBR that would fit this, so I'll see how the dust settles as my year goes on... but my choices are:

Murder on the Orient Express
The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea
The Princes of Ireland
She Caused a Riot: 100 Unknown Women Who Built Cities, Sparked Revolutions, and Massively Crushed It

Some ensemble casts that I've loved (5 stars, for sure!):
This is Where I Leave You
The Pillars of the Earth
Daisy Jones & The Six
The Westing Game

[Alexx]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I read Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include?
The book is told from the perspective of 12 characters, and all of their lives are intertwined in one way or another

3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?
I really enjoyed The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

[Ruth]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I've just finished A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o.
2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include?
There are about half a dozen main characters in this novel set just before Kenyan independence in 1963. To begin with I found it difficult to get into but as the narrative progressed I came very taken up with the relationships between the characters and the difference in how they are perceived by others and what secrets and anxieties they have. This deals with love, betrayal, loyalty to a cause and whether the future will bring Uhuru (freedom) and a better life.
3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?
My previous read Homecoming: Voices of the Windrush Generation fits this topic perfectly.

[Severina]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I read Archangel's War by Nalini Singh

2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include?
The two main characters are Raphael and Elena and the story is told from their points of view, but a big cast of characters is brought in for a huge battle that ends up taking up about half of the book. I'd say there's about 6 or 7 more who have life-altering events in the book.

3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?
This is a prompt that I figured I would struggle with, so I don't have any other recommendations.

[Sherri]

I read What's Mine And Yours by Naima Coster for this prompt. There are at least 8 characters. There' s a couple of characters that have smaller parts but have their own chapters. The characters highlight each others thoughts, personality, & relationships.

[Leah]

I read Honour by Elif Shafak.

There are eleven point of view characters - six of whom are main characters. I loved this book and would recommend it - it would also be a good book for Muslim character/author (I originally bought it for that prompt), book about siblings, book with flowers on the cover, book about an immigrant.

Other recommendations; Celestial Bodies; Possession; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Hamnet; Girl, Woman, Other; The Two Towers

[Samantha]

1. What are you reading for this category? Girl, 11
2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include? I wanted to do an audio book with full cast for this. There is only one main character but she is doing a podcast and there are various voices for those characters.
3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?

The audiobook for Daisy Jones & The Six was really well done.
I recently listened to and enjoyed The Lost Apothecary which had three main characters.
I didn't do an audiobook for The Vanishing Half but it does have three main characters and such a good book!

[Karen]

I read The Nest for this prompt. It's about a group of four adult siblings, their significant others and friends, and the relationships among them. I enjoyed it, but don't really have other suggestions for this prompt off the top of my head.

[Anne]

I will be reading 'The Hills is Lonely' by Lillian Beckwith.
It includes several ensemble characters who live on a small island in the Hebrides.
I can recommend other books in this series by Lillian Beckwith.

[NancyJ]

I read these so far.

Anxious People
Girl, Woman, Other- also works for short story collection, and new-to-me BIPOC author
The Guest List - also works for the letter u, and mystery
Before the Coffee Gets Cold

[Laurel]

1. What are you reading for this category? Lovecraft Country
2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include? 7 main characters; each interrelated story focuses on a different character
3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt? Girl, Woman, Other and Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

[Jill]

What are you reading for this category?
I read The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include?
There are 4 members of the club but they work with 2 members of the police force.

[Marie]

1. What are you reading for this category?
Far from the Tree by Robin Benway
2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include? Three main characters, three siblings who were given up, two adopted and one to foster care, who meet as teenagers.
3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?
I do recommend this book, it was really good.

[Donna]

I read Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre

There are several main characters, each telling the events from their own perspective.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

For my 2nd time around, I read The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland. I was expecting to see the musical Come from Away on that subject this year but unfortunately it isn't coming (if any of them are.)

[Marta]

Jill wrote: "What are you reading for this category?
I read The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters d..."
I read that one, too! It is a great new twist on the elderly sleuth theme, depicting the joys, but also challenges and sorrows of old age with lots of compassion. It is a twisty mystery story, too.

[Jordan]

I've just finished Madness is Better than Defeat, about two separate, ill-fated expeditions to a long-lost Mayan temple in 1938. There were a host of main characters (5+ I'd say), though I'm convinced they were tied together terribly well. I'm a big fan of Beauman, but wouldn't say this is his best. The prose was gorgeous, as ever, and the hijinks were amusing, however the plot tangled itself up far too much about two thirds in.

I'd definitely recommend Girl, Woman, Other for this prompt! I couldn't put it down.

[JessicaMHR]

The Perfect Couple - Elin HIlderbrand

[K]

We Are the Brennans

[Pearl]

I read Little Fires Everywhere. It is amazing


I definitely recommend Little Fires Everythere.

[Suzanne]

1. What are you reading for this category?
Sushi for Beginners

2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include?
There are three main female characters and a large number of supporting characters in this story which takes place at a start up fashion magazine.

3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?

Malibu Rising
The Secret History
Bridge of Clay
Ask Again, Yes
Nine Perfect Strangers

[Joan]

Would The House in the Cerulean Sea work for this prompt? It seems like it would from the description.

[Pam]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I read Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin

2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include?
It's a murder mystery and one of an identified group of people on the ship Leviathan is the murderer (murder was committed in Paris). There are 8 main characters including a French police commissioner and the main Russian detective (of the series) Erast Fandorin.

3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?
- One of my all time favorites - The Winshaw Legacy: or, What a Carve Up! by Jonathan Coe
-The Hobbit
- Harry Potter, of course
- Dune

[Trish, Annular Mod]

1. Did you read for this category? The Vanished Birds, Simon Jimenez

2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include?

Two starship crews of six, a distant village, a thousand-year old genius and her girlfriend, and a boy who's the answer to making spaceflight instantaneous. More to the point, each chapter has a different character as its focus, so you get a lot of different points of view making up the whole.

3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?

Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series (https://www.goodreads.com/series/1708...).
The Lord of the Rings
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

[Joan]

1. What are you reading for this category? The House in the Cerulean Sea
2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include? The book is about six children in an orphanage and three other adults.
3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt? I was going to read the 4th book of The Mortal Instruments series. Those books would qualify for this prompt. This was kind of a hard prompt for me this year.

[Dana]

1. What are you reading for this category?
For this one I read The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket.

2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include?
3 characters: Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire.

3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?
I recommend the audiobook of Peter Pan Audible Drama by J.M. Barrie as it has a big cast of narrators.

[Andrea]

So, this may be a stretch, but I read Crossings by Alex Landragin for this prompt. Souls travel across bodies to reside in various times and places. Sometimes memories are retained and sometimes not, but the reader experiences the lives of many different characters while the souls jump.

[Joanne]

I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers which I have put off reading for years for some reason. I ended up loving it though and it was a well rounded ensemble cast of characters.

[Brittany]

1. What are you reading for this category?
It by Stephen King
2. How does this fit the criteria of ensemble cast? How many main characters does it include?
It is told from the POV of an entire group of friends when they are both children and adults. I want to say 5 main characters.
3. What other ensemble cast books would you recommend for this prompt?
Malibu Rising
Daisy Jones & The Six

[Marie]

I read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I chose it because the blurb said it was about a travelling theatre group, so that sounded perfect for "ensemble cast". It wasn't quite as ensembly as I'd hoped, but there are several POV characters, with two or three that would count as main characters.

I'd recommend The Passage, London Falling, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Bridge of Clay and most of the Discworld books (maybe go for Moving Pictures, Monstrous Regiment or Unseen Academicals).