Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Weekly Topics 2019
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16. A book told from multiple perspectives
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Hélène
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Jan 16, 2019 09:18PM

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I do enjoy books from multiple perspectives. Jodi Picoult comes to mind.

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.

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....

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)

Do 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!




some times I do liking reading books told in multiple perspectives but they can be a hit or miss with me

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!

Next Year in Havana
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
Yes, I read a lot of them.


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.
Hey everyone! I'm in search of an LGBT book with multiple perspectives. I read What If It's Us, which would have been perfect, except I'm reading in order and I read that one back in February.
Any suggestions?
Any suggestions?

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!
Jody and dalex, I appreciate your suggestions! I knew I could count on y'all to come in with the goods!

- 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.

- 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 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.


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.



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.


Sing, Unburied, Sing
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
Yes

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!).

Do 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.

Yes, I like multiple POVs. It can be very effective.


Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives? Definitely! I think it adds more layers to a novel.




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!

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

*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!

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
- Do you typically enjoy novels with multiple perspectives?
Sometimes when is done right.

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.

- 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.

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.

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.

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.
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)
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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)
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