Do you remember all the characters in a book if there are lots?

[PaperPlane]

If there are more than about 7 characters in a book, I start forgetting who they are and what happened. Do most people just naturally remember?

No I can never remember, I get a slip of paper and write their name and brief explanation of their character so that it reminds me who they are, and use it as my bookmark, then I can just flick back to it when I get confused.

More than 7 main characters and I would definitely struggle- Lord of Rings was tough the first time round! Russian literature is so tricky as there are a lot of a characters and they all have a hundred different nicknames!

If there are too many (looking at you, Death Comes to Pemberley ) then I write them down, with family trees.

I love it when authors provide a list of their characters at the start of the book, it really helps to keep track and I wish more would do it.

It depends on the book, but I am pretty sure I remember more than 7. Many books have more than 7 characters. Do you struggle with remembering names of colleagues and so on? I am generally quite good at remembering who people are and in what context I met them, and I suspect that means I'm also good at remembering people in books as well as in real life.

I do like an epic novel with a dramatic personae once in a while. Or even better, a family tree.

I usually remember the characters, but I have a copy of War and Peace that has a printed bookmark with all the various names of the characters.
You could make yourself something similar if reading an actual book.

Terrible at it. But then I’m also really bad in real life. I’ll often forget people’s names. Probably faces too. It’s really awkward at times.

Its a relief to know I’m not abnormal! Thank you. I’m reading The Stand and apart from a few of the characters, I keep forgetting who’s who and what their story is.

@DramaAlpaca
I was just about to come on here and say that I hate when the author does a list of characters / relationships at the beginning of a book. 😁
I find it more confusing and don’t usually read it.
I’m pretty sure I can remember more than 7 characters in a book.
What I don’t like is on a TV series where all the males are similar, ie, dark haired, similar clothing style. I get confused who is who then.

I really struggle too, especially if they're not familiar names.

@Sunnydaysarethebestdays
That's a good idea. Although how big would your bookmark have to be get down all the characters?!

@Twospaniels
Same here. Especially if one of the goodies and one of the baddies look similar, then I'm completely lost! At that point I'm too embarrassed to even ask DH to explain.

@EBearhug I don’t have a problem remembering my colleagues but I do usually have to meet someone twice before I’ll remember them.
Like, I often won’t remember who served me in a shop unless I had seen them before. I would be so awful if I had to answer police questions as a witness or something.
(I’m not stupid and am generally quite clued up and thought of as quite bright usually)

The Wheel of Time. I think its like one of those brain train games you used to get for the DS in terms of trying to remember who was who. There was a glossary at the end though (as there was also lots of made up words for various things too that you had to remember). Bloody brilliant series though if you can push through 6-7-8.

Yes. It's probably a skill you have to hone a bit. I've been an enthusiastic reader since I was a kid, so could easily hold a whole lengthy fantasy saga in my head and then go online and debate it with others. When LOTR and GoT became more popular after the movies, it became quite common for people who did not read often, or had never read stories with multiple threads, to confess they could not follow the different tales.

You just get better at it with practise, I guess.

I usually remember them in fiction even when there are loads of them (the exception being Dune, where I just didn't care). It's non fiction where I find it hard to remember who is who, I don't know why it should be different, but it is. Even in longish newspaper articles, when someone is mentioned by their surname because they have been introduced earlier, I have to go back to the beginning to remind myself who they are.

Only if I'm really into the book otherwise my mind drifts off and I have to go back and check who's who.

I’m usually fine. I was pondering the other day? You don’t get many duplicated names in books, they’re always unique. The closest I’ve seen was Rhys and Reece in the same book. Same sound, but easy to keep track of which was which

I read a book about a woman who married a favourite of Elizabeth 1st. Google was my friend. Lots of roberts etc.

I do struggle when there are a lot. I think the most difficult books I have come across for this are the My Brilliant Friend / Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante - I'm sure there were around 40 characters listed in the beginning and they all pop up at random times throughout despite an absence for, say, a whole book for some of them!

Normal “lots”, yes (just about managed to cope with the Wolf Hall trilogy even though every bugger is called Thomas).
Game of Thrones “lots”, no - I’m listening to a read-along podcast which talks me through it all chapter by chapter and even then I keep having to Google character.

I think that JK Rowling’s genius as a writer for children is displayed in the way that she keeps her huge cast of characters distinct in the readers’ minds. It’s not normally a subtle job of characterisation but it’s bloody effective.

Books, yes, almost all of the time. Movies and TV, no - anything above about 10 characters total, especially if they’ve casted actors who look quite similar, and I’m completely lost.

No, I write the names on a makeshift bookmark along with relevant notes. I have a terrible memory.

Yes, me. It spoils the book as I have to keep going back to re read.
One of the reasons I couldn’t get on with game of thrones on TV was that there were just too many characters.

I’m ok with tv and films and had no problems following Game of Thrones, though some names of earlier characters may have escaped me.

I would know who they were though.