Books about secondary characters…

[SundayNightBluesAreHere]

I’ve recently really enjoyed reading a couple of books that tell the stories of secondary characters from well known stories…

The Five - telling the stories of the victims of Jack the Ripper

The Butchers Daughter - the story of Mrs Lovett, of Sweeney Todd fame

Does anyone know of any other books like this, I’d love to find some more!

TIA if anyone can help!

Wide Sargasso Sea - about the mad woman in the attic in Jane Eyre.
I didn't like the book at all, but it's quite famous.
Not exactly a secondary character, but "Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman" is fun. It's by E W Hornung who was Arthur Conan Doyle's brother-in-law. The hero is a villain, in complete contrast to Sherlock Holmes.

'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead', by Tom Stoppard, would be the best-known example. A play, though, not a novel.

If you have read the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon (or seen the TV show), she has also written stand alone books about one of the secondary characters, Lord John Grey.

Charlotte by Helen Moffat is very good - telling more of the life of Charlotte Lucas after she married Mr Collins in P&P

One book getting a ton of attention has been James, by Percival Everett. It's a different angle on Huckleberry Finn, with the eponymous character being the slave Jim in the original. I wasn't particularly interested, except that I hugely admired the movie American Fiction, which Everett wrote. It's clever (with the premise that black slaves are putting on an act, playing dumb), but not as clever as everyone thinks it is.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738749/james-pulitzer-prize-winner-by-percival-everett/

Thank you - I’ve just reserved that. I’d no idea it had been written!

March - story of the dad from Little Women
Julia - story of Julia from 1984
The other Bennett sister - Mary Bennet, P&P
Rhett Butlers People - GWYW from Rhetts POV

I would really like someone to write the story of Michael and Rachel from The Chrysalids, and their hopefully successful journey to New Zealand.

Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons
About the girl Romeo was infatuated with before Juliet with a very interesting take on Romeo!

Longbourn tells the story of P&P from the servants’ POV.

Not quite the same thing but the novel The Marriage Portrait tells the story of the last duchess in the poem of that name by Robert Browning.

GWTW not GWYW! Shouldn’t post while sleep deprived…

I’ve just finished Lancelot by Giles Kristian. Focussing on his childhood and youth, and his then his part in the downfall. Currently reading the second book in the trilogy, Camelot, ablout Galahad, his son.
Very beautiful writing too.

The Peepshow by Kate Summerscale is about the murders of 10 Rillington Place, the killer, the victims but also involved side characters like the journalist

Also The Other Bennett Sister about Mary Bennett

They are well worth a read!

March by Geraldine Brookes tells the story of the father and has a different perspective on the character of marmee.

Sarah Miller wrote a book called Marmee about the mother in Little Women. She also wrote one called Caroline about Ma in the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
All the Broken Places by John Boyd tells the story of the sister from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

Sorry, I meant John Boyne (was mixing him up with William Boyd there for a minute.) 🙄

Hazel gaynor (historical fiction writer) has a book about Aunty Em from the wizard of oz. Possibly not what you’re looking for but I’d say it’ll be a stunner

I do think Mary Bennett would have been a lot happier as Mrs Collins than Charlotte was, but wasn't she only 15ish when Mrs Collins came bride-shopping?

Thank you for recommending this - I had no idea it existed! I got it out of the library yesterday and read it in one day. Brilliant.

If you've read the Discovery of Witches trilogy by Deborah Harness, she wrote a spin off about Marcus before then continuing on with the main story in Blackbird Oracle. I think it was called Times Convert.

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

King Lear from the perspective of one of the older sisters, set in modern Midwest America

Pemberley by Emma Tennant
Death Comes To Pemberley by P D James

Both sequels to Pride and Prejudice

Or the film ‘ Wicked’ ?

Thanks for recommending this, I picked it up last week & I’m about 3/4 through. The play’s going to feel very different next time I watch it!