Depending on genre, there seems to be a bias towards younger protagonists in literature. That is a shame.
Older protagonists benefit from having more life experience. They have stories to tell, wisdom to share, perspective to add. Furthermore, they know, who they are and are typically not afraid to show it. Think of the quirky Janina in Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, the adventurous Alan in The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared or the wise and philosophical Daniel in Autumn.
Seeing the commercial success of books like A Man Called Ove or the recent phenomenon The Thursday Murder Club, featuring the world’s favourite septuagenarians, one could hope older protagonists become more common.
Below I’ve gathered ten books, which illustrate the richness and diversity mature protagonists can bring to literature.
1. The Remains of the Day [1989] by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Remains of the Day is ideal for the autumn. The butler Stevens has reached his own personal autumn and a road trip gives rise to a series of reflections on his life at Darlington Hall. Beautifully written, this quiet and introspective novel about misguided priorities, failure to interpret life around him and unrealised love absolutely broke my heart.
2. Elizabeth is Missing [2014] by Emma Healey
Maude is 82 and in the process of slowly losing her grasp on reality due to dementia. She has one fix point though, her friend Elizabeth is missing. Whilst the novel revolves around solving a mystery, at its core is a tender, realistic portrayal of a dementia-stricken person with all the sadness, confusion and practical issues it entails.
3. Our Souls at Night [2015] by Kent Haruf
Addie and Louis, both in their 70s, form a relationship to mitigate the loneliness they are feeling. Talking late into the night, they share their life stories with each other. Whilst gradually growing closer, they have to deal with prejudice and judgement from people around them, who disapprove of their unconventional relationship. Our Souls at Night is my type of book; quiet with sparse, beautiful writing and a story which goes straight to the heart.
4. The Old Man and the Sea [1952] by Ernest Hemingway
In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago puts up a fight with a magnificent marlin. The novel illustrates the human condition; how it’s all about finding the strength within, tackling life the best we can and eventually finding peace with that. Furthermore, the friendship between the old man and a young boy illustrates the circle of life. The old man’s life may be coming to an end, but his skills and values will live on in the boy.
5. Old God’s Time [2023] by Sebastian Barry
Old God’s Time is told in a stream of consciousness style by retired police officer, Tom Kettle. It meanders between present and past, between imagination, dreams and reality. Little by little, snippets are revealed, which enable readers to understand Tom’s traumatic backstory, which continues to dominate his present life. Whilst the flickering stream-of-consciousness writing-style can be frustrating, this is undoubtedly some of the best writing I’ve come across in a while.
6. At Bertram’s Hotel [1965] by Agatha Christie
Interestingly, there seems to be a whole sub-genre of pensioners solving murders. Whilst I love the quartet in The Thursday Murder Club, I have chosen to highlight Miss Marple who may have led the way for elderly ladies solving murders across the world. Miss Marple is a great example of how you shouldn’t underestimate people of age; behind her fragile appearance, a razor sharp brain and determined personality reside.
7. An Elderly Lady is up to no good [2013] by Helene Tursten
A positive aspect of getting older is knowing your own preferences, caring less about the opinion of others and being reluctant to put up with any nonsense. That certainly applies to Maud, who takes it to the extreme and bumps off people who try to interfere with her life. The author originally came up with Maud when asked to contribute to a Christmas anthology. I feel it says a lot about Scandinavian humour, when our answer to cosy crime is a noir story about an no-nonsense elderly lady with a tendency to commit murder.
8. Mr Loverman [2013] by Bernadine Evaristo
Seventy-four years old, Antiguan born and bred, Barry lives what looks like a traditional life with his wife Carmel. But for the past sixty years he has been in a relationship with his childhood friend, Morris. With his marriage breaking down, Barry decides to leave his wife and live openly with Morris. But is it too late to realise the life he has always wanted? Barry is a larger-than-life character, lovable and infuriating in equal measure. A delightful novel for sure.
9. Olive Kitteridge [2008] by Elizabeth Strout
Retired school teacher, Olive Kitteridge, is hardly a likeable protagonist. But to me she didn’t provoke any bad feelings, rather I felt sorry for her. Olive Kitteridge is a collection of short stories all revolving around Olive and her local community. I loved slowly getting to know her by seeing her through the eyes of other people and getting her own point-of-view as well. The big question is, when reaching a certain age, are you so set in your ways, it’s too late to change? For Olive’s sake, I hope not.
10. The Summer Book [1972] by Tove Jansson
A grandmother and her six-year-old granddaughter spend summers on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland. The Summer Book is a quiet, real and unsentimental portrayal of the dynamics between generations, interaction with nature and dealing with small and large matters. Through her depiction of life on the tiny island, Jansson manages to say a lot about human nature. Wonderful stuff.
There you have it, ten books featuring older protagonists. Do you like reading about older protagonists? And do you have any examples you would like to recommend to me and other readers?
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by ThatArtsyReaderGirl.
I love that Kent Haruf. He remains a bit under the radar for some reason, don’t you think? The Barry, the Evaristo are also favourites. I’ll have a think about older protagonists and get back to you!
I have only read Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf, but will certainly pick up more of his work in the future. Is he underrated? It feels like he has a loyal fanbase, but maybe he has been overshadowed by other authors. Sad that Our Souls at Night was the last we will hear from him, I really loved that book.
Me too. Underrated? Maybe not. But widely known? I tend to think not.
The Remains of the Day is one of my favourite novels and I’ve read and enjoyed many of your other top ten books. I recently watched The Leisure Seeker after reading the book some time ago. Both were terrific, but also a reminder that getting old isn’t for wusses.
I haven’t heard of the The Leasure Seekers before, but a quick browse indicates it could be my kind of book. The adaptation with Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland could certainly tempt me as well. Thanks for the recommendation!
Love this, and I love that you’ve included Miss Marple!
She is legendary, isn’t she! 😆
I love this list so much! I generally read more YA so the characters are pretty young, but I’d love to read more books with older characters 🙂
If you’d like to visit, here’s my TTT: https://thebooklorefairy.blogspot.com/2024/12/top-ten-tuesday-books-with-black-covers.html
It is unsurprising that YA has young protagonists, but I feel it’s interesting to read about people at different stages in life. Some of the books with older characters are well worth a read!
An Elderly Lady and the Tove Jannson book look amazing!
I would highly recommend both of them! An Elderly Lady is just a bit of fun, but the Jansson book is quite a profound little book.
Here’s one I liked a lot: Dubin’s Lives, by Bernard Malamud.
Thanks for the recommendation, I will have a look! Another one, I haven’t heard of before.
This is such a great list, what a good idea! Old God’s Time sounds particularly interesting and Mr Loverman. I was reminded of Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler, she often goes for older protagonists doesn’t she?
Ah, Ann Tyler is a good suggestion, she is already on the list of authors I want to try (but haven’t got to yet). I wasn’t aware, she often writes about older protagonists.
This is a good topic too! I don’t have a preference but prefer not kids or teens anymore 😂
Haha, child protagonists sometimes exasperates me no end! 😆
I couldn’t agree with you more. We need older protagonists to be included more often!
Absolutely!
What a fun topic! I feel like I’ve seen some really good shows (like The Marlow Murder Club) with older heroes/heroines and most of the time, I quite enjoy them. I don’t know that I’ve read a lot of books like this though, but the ITV Marple series is also a favorite and one I’ve rewatched many times. 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting my list today.
Ooh, I haven’t watched the ITV Marple series, but I love the BBC adaptation. I would like to read (or watch) The Marlow Murder Club.
I enjoy reading books with older protagonists. Some I would recommend are Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson; The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules by Catharina Ingelman-Sundburg; The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley; and The 100 Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin.
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Thanks so much for the recommendations, I will look into these! I’ve heard good things about the Lenni and Margot book, but for some reason never picked it up.
What an awesome topic to do! I love it, and want to borrow it for a rainy day. I really enjoy reading books with older protagonists, since I’m of a certain age now, and one of my favorites is the cozy mystery series ‘The Secret, Book, and Scone society’ because it features a group of women in their 40s and 50s.
Of course, I would love if other bloggers do this topic and help spreading the love for older protagonists! 😊 I like a cosy mystery so will check out your recommendation.
I’ve only read Elizabeth Is Missing but I saw the TV adaptation of Olive Kitteridge.
Yeah, I will probably watch the adaption of Olive Kitteridge as well at some point.
I’m not sure I’ve read a single thing with an older protagonist. I’m a little embarrased.
https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2024/12/top-ten-unread-books-i-own.html
Well, it doesn’t really matter, does it? I am sure it will happen, sooner or later. 😉
I couldn’t agree more about older protagonists. Quite a few of the romances I’ve been reading have a main storyline of a younger couple and a secondary storyline of an older couple, it’s often the secondary story I’m most drawn to.
That is interesting. I wonder if it’s because romance between more mature protagonists may have more interesting complexities and fewer silly misunderstandings and groundless jealousy? To be honest, I don’t read a lot of romance, so I may be completely wrong.
Great post!
After I finish the Moomins, I want to try this book by Tove
You really should, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.
Really thoughtful post. I like Kent Haruf’s books and have read others of his which have older protagonists. Thanks for this idea.
Thanks! I need to read more of Kent Haruf’s books, I really loved Our Souls at Night.
I love reading books about older protagonists! Many of my all-time favourite books fall into this category, including the one topping your list – The Remains of the Day, but also Nabokov’s Pnin and Balzac’s Old Goriot. I also enjoyed Kingsley Amis’s Ending Up that features many older characters and is about retirement, and Leonora Carrington’s The Hearing Trumpet, a fantastical tale about a 92-year old woman’s time in one strange sanatorium.
Thanks for the recommendations, I will look into those. The Hearing Trumpet intrigues me – Carrington was part of the surrealist movement, wasn’t she? I wonder how that comes across in written format.
Love your selection, Stargazer! I’ve read and loved 4 of them and have 4 on my wishlist already. Only 1 I’ve not heard of and now want to read. And sadly I couldn’t get started with Mr Loverman. My most recent elderly protagonist was Florrie Butterfield in The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher. A wonderful character and a heartwarming read. You have several suggestions in the comments which sound good too!
Thanks Sandra! I am glad you have loved four of them already and will cross my fingers that any additional books you may pick up from the list will be enjoyable as well. I am not familiar with The Night in Question, but after a quick check on Goodreads, it sounds like the type of heartwarming story I would like. It doesn’t hurt, it revolves around a mystery. 😊