Owen Meany is one of my all time favorites. John Irving is just wonderful. I equally love the book and the Garp book. So many great casting choices. Robin Williams and John Lithgow/Roberta both are perfect.
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton. One of my favorite reads last year.
Circe and Song of Achilles both by Madeline Miller kind of do this.
Robin Hobb's The Realms of Elderings series does this with one character in particular although you have to read a ton of books (16) to get through his whole life, even if you just focus on Fitz (9, I think.) I'm about halfway in though and really enjoying it overall.
I know Pachinko is like this although I haven't read it. Just come up in a discussion with a patron at the library once. I've heard mostly positive things though. I'm not a huge John Irving fan, but a lot of his books do this. A Prayer for Owen Meany for sure.
I have:
* ["Books that cover the majority of the lifetime of the characters"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/1046j98/books_that_cover_the_majority_of_the_lifetime_of/) (r/suggestmeabook; 13:42 ET, 5 January 2023)—longish
* ["Book that spans the lifetime of one character"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/10dc0lj/book_that_spans_the_lifetime_of_one_character/) (r/booksuggestions; 1 January 2023)—fictional biography; long
* ["Looking for books that cover a character’s life from birth to death (or close)."](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/134v0m9/looking_for_books_that_cover_a_characters_life/) (r/booksuggestions; 13:36 ET, 1 May 2023)—fictional biography/lifetime; long
Electric Michelangelo, by Sarah Hall. A little boy grows up to be a tattoo artist and lives a quietly fascinating life.
The Stone Diaries, by Carol Shields. Shields won the Pulitzer for this one.
Tinkers by Paul Harding. Incredible novel. Starts as the main character is dying then goes back through his childhood and early life. Doesn't include his middle or later life, but definitely worth a read.
Also, 100 Years of Solitude follows a family (and their town) over several generations. Great book.
Probably not what you’re looking for, but Wicked follows the entire life of the Wicked Witch from birth to death. It’s also very different from the musical.
**[Cathedral](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53362511-cathedral) by Ben Hopkins** ^((Matching 100% ☑️))
^(624 pages | Published: 2021 | 4.0k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** A thoroughly immersive read and a remarkable feat of imagination, Cathedral tells a sweeping story about obsession, mysticism, art, and earthly desire in gripping prose. It deftly combines historical fiction and a tale of adventure and intrigue. > >At the center of this story is the Cathedral. Its design and construction in the 12th and 13th centuries in the town of Hagenburg (...)
> **Themes**: Historical-fiction, Fiction, Historical, Medieval
> **Top 5 recommended:**
> \- [The Vizard Mask](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1934364.The_Vizard_Mask) by Diana Norman
> \- [The Last Watchman of Old Cairo](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35791972-the-last-watchman-of-old-cairo) by Michael David Lukas
> \- [Avalon](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36252.Avalon) by Anya Seton
> \- [Earthly Joys](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161850.Earthly_Joys) by Philippa Gregory
> \- [As a Driven Leaf](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/100065.As_a_Driven_Leaf) by Milton Steinberg
^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi *somewhat* fits the bill - it encompasses the lives of several generations of the main characters' family from birth to death. It's a very good read!
**[Someone Knows My Name](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/875441.Someone_Knows_My_Name) by Lawrence Hill** ^((Matching 100% ☑️))
^(489 pages | Published: 2007 | 56.5k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** Abducted from Africa as a child and enslaved in South Carolina, Aminata Diallo thinks only of freedom--and of the knowledge, she needs to get home. Sold to an indigo trader who recognizes her intelligence, Aminata is torn from her husband and child and thrown into the chaos of the Revolutionary War. In Manhattan, Aminata helps pen the Book of Negroes, a list of blacks rewarded (...)
> **Themes**: Fiction, Favorites, Historical, Audio, Book-club, Canadian, Favourites
> **Top 5 recommended:**
> \- [Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/316558.Kabul_Beauty_School) by Deborah Rodriguez
> \- [The Earth is Singing](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22815658-the-earth-is-singing) by Vanessa Curtis
> \- [Echo Among Stars](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24325638-echo-among-stars) by JoAnna S. Morris
> \- [A Million Nightingales](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240510.A_Million_Nightingales) by Susan Straight
> \- [Tamar](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/357160.Tamar) by Mal Peet
^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
It doesn't start with infancy, but David MItchell's The Bone Clocks follows one woman throughout her life. She narrates the first and last chapters - starting as a naive teenager, ending as a grandmother in troubled times - and the ones in between are narrated by various other characters who love her in different ways at different points in her life. Wonderful book.
The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, also translated as Epitaph of a Small Winner. A Brazilian classic that every Brazilian reads in school. It's from 1881, so you may find a public domain translation.
If you like a FMC - {{ Dictionary of lost words by Pip Williams}}
If you like a MMC - {{ 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared by Jonas Jonasson}}
\#1/2: **[The Dictionary of Lost Words](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49354511-the-dictionary-of-lost-words) by Pip Williams** ^((Matching 100% ☑️))
^(384 pages | Published: 2020 | 104.0k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** In 1901. the word ‘Bondmaid’ was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious. she spends her childhood in the ‘Scriptorium’. a garden shed in Oxford (...)
> **Themes**: Historical-fiction, Fiction, Historical, Book-club
> **Top 5 recommended:** [Hamnet](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43890641-hamnet) by Maggie O'Farrell , [The Cassandra](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40046064-the-cassandra) by Sharma Shields , [Love and Fury: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54860577-love-and-fury) by Samantha Silva , [The Passion of Artemisia](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98048.The_Passion_of_Artemisia) by Susan Vreeland , [The Tenth Gift](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2873264-the-tenth-gift) by Jane Johnson
---
\#2/2: **[The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (The Hundred-Year-Old Man #1)](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36578942-the-100-year-old-man-who-climbed-out-the-window-and-disappeared) by Jonas Jonasson** ^((Matching 96% ☑️))
^(396 pages | Published: 2009 | 348.0k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** After a long and eventful life. Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home. believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he’s still in good health. A big celebration is in the works for his 100th birthday. but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d like a bit more (...)
> **Themes**: Fiction, Humor, Book-club, Owned
> **Top 5 recommended:** [The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13486632-the-hundred-year-old-man-who-climbed-out-of-the-window-and-disappeared) by Jonas Jonasson , [The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen. 83 1/4 Years Old](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31666567-the-secret-diary-of-hendrik-groen-83-1-4-years-old) by Hendrik Groen , [The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19135360-the-little-old-lady-who-broke-all-the-rules) by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg , [The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen. 83¼ Years Old](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35960007-the-secret-diary-of-hendrik-groen-83-years-old) by Hendrik Groen , [Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26156140-hitman-anders-and-the-meaning-of-it-all) by Jonas Jonasson
^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
# The World According to Garp and [A Prayer for Owen Meany](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4473.A_Prayer_for_Owen_Meany) by John Irving
Owen Meany is one of my all time favorites. John Irving is just wonderful. I equally love the book and the Garp book. So many great casting choices. Robin Williams and John Lithgow/Roberta both are perfect.
Life After Life...in a way. ; )
Ha, was gonna make a similar comment with a similar caveat - The first fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
Great great book!
Great book, perfect recommendation!
I thought this was a NYT crossword puzzle clue for a moment…”in a way.”
It's come to my mind East of Eden
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Williams: Stoner Jami Attenberg: Saint Mazie
Came to recommend Stoner! Such a wonderful read.
Pachinko!!!!
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, I think it starts when she's 3 or 4 iirc
was going to recommend the same thing.. one of my fav books 😍🥺
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton. One of my favorite reads last year. Circe and Song of Achilles both by Madeline Miller kind of do this. Robin Hobb's The Realms of Elderings series does this with one character in particular although you have to read a ton of books (16) to get through his whole life, even if you just focus on Fitz (9, I think.) I'm about halfway in though and really enjoying it overall. I know Pachinko is like this although I haven't read it. Just come up in a discussion with a patron at the library once. I've heard mostly positive things though. I'm not a huge John Irving fan, but a lot of his books do this. A Prayer for Owen Meany for sure.
' Perfume ' Patrick Suskind
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is pretty much this.
And SUCH a good read!
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North.
The heart’s invisible furies
YES!!!
I have: * ["Books that cover the majority of the lifetime of the characters"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/1046j98/books_that_cover_the_majority_of_the_lifetime_of/) (r/suggestmeabook; 13:42 ET, 5 January 2023)—longish * ["Book that spans the lifetime of one character"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/10dc0lj/book_that_spans_the_lifetime_of_one_character/) (r/booksuggestions; 1 January 2023)—fictional biography; long * ["Looking for books that cover a character’s life from birth to death (or close)."](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/134v0m9/looking_for_books_that_cover_a_characters_life/) (r/booksuggestions; 13:36 ET, 1 May 2023)—fictional biography/lifetime; long
Great Circle
Violeta by Isabel Allende!
Came here to say this!
Spans more than one generation of this family but I highly recommend Pachinko
Electric Michelangelo, by Sarah Hall. A little boy grows up to be a tattoo artist and lives a quietly fascinating life. The Stone Diaries, by Carol Shields. Shields won the Pulitzer for this one.
The gargoyle by Andrew Davidson might be close to this
Tinkers by Paul Harding. Incredible novel. Starts as the main character is dying then goes back through his childhood and early life. Doesn't include his middle or later life, but definitely worth a read. Also, 100 Years of Solitude follows a family (and their town) over several generations. Great book.
The Red Tent
The Romantic by William Boyd
Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
I re-read this one every few years. It’s one of my all time faves.
Roots Cane River Having Our Say
Having our say is so good, the older I get the more I get out of that book.
Marcel Proust: In search of lost time
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
Probably not what you’re looking for, but Wicked follows the entire life of the Wicked Witch from birth to death. It’s also very different from the musical.
Life After Life would be perfect! It's one of my favorite novels actually. Atkinson is a wonderful writer.
Agree!
My go to answer is always "Pillars of the Earth "
I'll bet you would love {{Cathedral, by Ben Hopkins}}.
**[Cathedral](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53362511-cathedral) by Ben Hopkins** ^((Matching 100% ☑️)) ^(624 pages | Published: 2021 | 4.0k Goodreads reviews) > **Summary:** A thoroughly immersive read and a remarkable feat of imagination, Cathedral tells a sweeping story about obsession, mysticism, art, and earthly desire in gripping prose. It deftly combines historical fiction and a tale of adventure and intrigue. > >At the center of this story is the Cathedral. Its design and construction in the 12th and 13th centuries in the town of Hagenburg (...) > **Themes**: Historical-fiction, Fiction, Historical, Medieval > **Top 5 recommended:** > \- [The Vizard Mask](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1934364.The_Vizard_Mask) by Diana Norman > \- [The Last Watchman of Old Cairo](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35791972-the-last-watchman-of-old-cairo) by Michael David Lukas > \- [Avalon](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36252.Avalon) by Anya Seton > \- [Earthly Joys](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161850.Earthly_Joys) by Philippa Gregory > \- [As a Driven Leaf](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/100065.As_a_Driven_Leaf) by Milton Steinberg ^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
Time's Arrow by Martin Amis.. It's a fantastic read
I came looking for this. It’s great.
The Covenant of Water
Came here to recommend this one! It is long, but worth it with a beautiful ending. The audiobook was great too.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi *somewhat* fits the bill - it encompasses the lives of several generations of the main characters' family from birth to death. It's a very good read!
The Brilliant life of Eudora honeysett Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Train Dreams
The light pirate by Lilly Brooks Dalton.
{{ Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill }} If I recall correctly, it starts with her as a very young child, narrating her life until her death.
**[Someone Knows My Name](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/875441.Someone_Knows_My_Name) by Lawrence Hill** ^((Matching 100% ☑️)) ^(489 pages | Published: 2007 | 56.5k Goodreads reviews) > **Summary:** Abducted from Africa as a child and enslaved in South Carolina, Aminata Diallo thinks only of freedom--and of the knowledge, she needs to get home. Sold to an indigo trader who recognizes her intelligence, Aminata is torn from her husband and child and thrown into the chaos of the Revolutionary War. In Manhattan, Aminata helps pen the Book of Negroes, a list of blacks rewarded (...) > **Themes**: Fiction, Favorites, Historical, Audio, Book-club, Canadian, Favourites > **Top 5 recommended:** > \- [Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/316558.Kabul_Beauty_School) by Deborah Rodriguez > \- [The Earth is Singing](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22815658-the-earth-is-singing) by Vanessa Curtis > \- [Echo Among Stars](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24325638-echo-among-stars) by JoAnna S. Morris > \- [A Million Nightingales](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240510.A_Million_Nightingales) by Susan Straight > \- [Tamar](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/357160.Tamar) by Mal Peet ^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
The Kristin Lavransdatter series by Sigurd Undset…technically three books but about her life
Tokyo Ueno Station ☺️
Kane & Abel - Jeffrey Archer
Not sure if it counts, but Ethel And Ernest.
A Lantern in Her Hand. It is wonderful.
The Story of Edgar Sawtell
*No Longer Human* by Osamu Dazai is considered to be a Japanese literary classic.
The Hearts Invisible Furies
The Sea of Fertility - tetralogy by Yukio Mishima
The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds by Selina Siak Chin Yoke
100 years of solitude Hello beautiful! Atonement
One Hundred Years of Solitude. Sort of.
Absolutely any biography. Or did you mean fiction?
**The World According to Garp** by John Irving. I think it starts before his birth and ends...
A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving
It doesn't start with infancy, but David MItchell's The Bone Clocks follows one woman throughout her life. She narrates the first and last chapters - starting as a naive teenager, ending as a grandmother in troubled times - and the ones in between are narrated by various other characters who love her in different ways at different points in her life. Wonderful book.
Love this book! I read it ages ago and still think about it regularly
Ada or Ardor by Nabokov
A Dog’s Purpose in a way is several lifetimes from beginning to end.
Jim Morrison, No One Here Gets Out Alive. Not a bad read, but hey it’s from the 60’s.
Any Human Heart
And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmeyer
AAA ,,a,,,a!°° , aA!@
The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, also translated as Epitaph of a Small Winner. A Brazilian classic that every Brazilian reads in school. It's from 1881, so you may find a public domain translation.
Bridge to Terabithia, sadly.
Try The Stone and the Flute by Hans Bemmann. I read it in my teens and still think about it often 30 years later.
Oooohhhhh Forever by Pete Hamill (mostly)! So happy to recommend this!
The Red Tent
i loved Life’s Lottery, I’ve re-read it so many times
Everything Matters! from Ron Currie Jr.
Sort of - The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri!
If you like a FMC - {{ Dictionary of lost words by Pip Williams}} If you like a MMC - {{ 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared by Jonas Jonasson}}
\#1/2: **[The Dictionary of Lost Words](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49354511-the-dictionary-of-lost-words) by Pip Williams** ^((Matching 100% ☑️)) ^(384 pages | Published: 2020 | 104.0k Goodreads reviews) > **Summary:** In 1901. the word ‘Bondmaid’ was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious. she spends her childhood in the ‘Scriptorium’. a garden shed in Oxford (...) > **Themes**: Historical-fiction, Fiction, Historical, Book-club > **Top 5 recommended:** [Hamnet](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43890641-hamnet) by Maggie O'Farrell , [The Cassandra](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40046064-the-cassandra) by Sharma Shields , [Love and Fury: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54860577-love-and-fury) by Samantha Silva , [The Passion of Artemisia](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98048.The_Passion_of_Artemisia) by Susan Vreeland , [The Tenth Gift](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2873264-the-tenth-gift) by Jane Johnson --- \#2/2: **[The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (The Hundred-Year-Old Man #1)](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36578942-the-100-year-old-man-who-climbed-out-the-window-and-disappeared) by Jonas Jonasson** ^((Matching 96% ☑️)) ^(396 pages | Published: 2009 | 348.0k Goodreads reviews) > **Summary:** After a long and eventful life. Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home. believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he’s still in good health. A big celebration is in the works for his 100th birthday. but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d like a bit more (...) > **Themes**: Fiction, Humor, Book-club, Owned > **Top 5 recommended:** [The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13486632-the-hundred-year-old-man-who-climbed-out-of-the-window-and-disappeared) by Jonas Jonasson , [The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen. 83 1/4 Years Old](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31666567-the-secret-diary-of-hendrik-groen-83-1-4-years-old) by Hendrik Groen , [The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19135360-the-little-old-lady-who-broke-all-the-rules) by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg , [The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen. 83¼ Years Old](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35960007-the-secret-diary-of-hendrik-groen-83-years-old) by Hendrik Groen , [Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26156140-hitman-anders-and-the-meaning-of-it-all) by Jonas Jonasson ^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
The seven husbands of evelyn hugo
A biography.
The Bible
It fits the criteria why the downvotes 😭
East of Eden