Great Books Featuring Unreliable Narrators

[@Hannah-xn4st]

I think the unreliable narrators in Agatha Christie that you are referring to are- (SPOILERS for those who haven't read them!) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Endless Night. They're such great reads!:)

[@MirandaMills]

You are right! 😄

[@marissolguerra]

If you haven't read it already, I recommend Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk. Not only does it feature an unreliable narrator, but it reminded me a bit of We Have Always Lived in the Castle in the sense that the narrator has a lot of interesting quirks and a very particular kind of logic. I love that kind of thing and how you become immersed in the peculiar way they see the world.

[@MirandaMills]

That sounds great! Thank you for the recommendation 😊

[@MyLocsareREAL]

I’m current reading “Affinity” I had to read the first 3 chapters(2 times) 🤦🏾‍♀️ then I decided to get the audiobook to go along with it..I can’t wait until Tuesday🙂...MIRANDA!!! , I started “Rebecca” and stopped on the part where the narrator gets a proposal, I love this book already..I circled back and purchased “My Cousin Rachel” on my Kindle and now I’m excited to read it too!!! I’m having so much FUN!!!! I feel like a kid days after Christmas still excited with that one present that was better than you even thought it would be...😂😂 Since I’ve started watching you videos my new Author list has grown yesss!!!! Let me just brag a little bit about my new Authors thanks to you...Rosamunde Pilcher, P.D. James, Susan Alice Kerby, Jane Oliver & Ann Stafford, Dorothy Whipple, now Sarah Waters and Daphne Du Maurier....🥰 there’s another one I can’t think of her last name but I haven’t read the book yet...Okay I paused this comment to check..Penelope Lively...oh!!! One more thing I recently finished “And then there Were None” by Agatha Christie and I was so SURPRISED at the end...I gave it 5 ⭐️ on Goodreads that narrator was really unreliable to me...

[@MirandaMills]

Oh what a lovely comment - thank you! I'm so thrilled my videos have introduced you to such terrific authors. I'm very excited for you to read both Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel for the first time :D They are too of my favourite books! xxx

[@juliebradby3225]

i'm listening to Affinity too its a good listen while I garden

[@MyLocsareREAL]

I really love the narrator, she does a great job as each character 😊

[@Sarah-nm2lt]

Such a great theme for a video! I loved Engleby by Sebastian Faulks, which has a great (and rather creepy) unreliable narrator. I also loved We Have Always Lived in the Castle :)

[@MirandaMills]

I’ll have to give Engleby a read! Thanks for the recommendation 😊📚

[@teresaparkins1255]

Hi Miranda, another fun video for us. I have read a lot of the titles today and would add Atonement by Ian McEwan and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I'll try to be cryptic but I know the Agatha Christie books and think that Anthony Horowitz references one of them with a character named after that narrator in one of his recent books too. I'd like to re-read lots of these books in this video so thank you again for bringing them to the front of my reading mind! Teresa 🍂🧡📚💛🍂

[@MirandaMills]

Thank you Teresa! Yes, those are great examples of unreliable narrators too. I don’t remember that about the new Horowitz but I think you’re right! Xx

[@karenbrowne7233]

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is next on my pile of books to read in October, after listening to your video, I’m even more intrigued to read it! I also agree that one of the Christie books has to be The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, excellent read 😍

[@MirandaMills]

The Jackson is such a brilliant book - the type you keep thinking about long after reading it! Hope you enjoy it!

[@YasmeenKhan]

oooo Affinity is my favourite Sarah Waters and people often seem to overlook it, so it's great to hear you'll be discussing it :)

[@MirandaMills]

Great to hear it’s a favourite of yours!

[@GinaHouse]

This is so exciting because I never knew that I liked books with unreliable characters - lol! So far this month, I've read Rebecca, We Have Always Lived in the Castle (I still can't decide about Merrikat!) and The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell. I have My Cousin Rachel, Bone China, The Turn of the Screw and The Remains of the Day on my bookshelf to read :D Now, I have even more books to add - yay. Thank you so much, Miranda! xoxo

[@MirandaMills]

Oh you have such wonderful reads ahead of you! Enjoy :) xxx

[@marionbuck4244]

This was a fabulous video, Miranda. I definitely must read My Cousin Rachel and reread Rebecca. And I‘ve been wanting to read Kazuo Ishiguro‘s The Remains of the Day for ages. I recently read Bone China (❤️) and now I must hurry upstairs and read a couple of pages of Affinity before I get too tired. :)

[@MirandaMills]

Thank you very much, Marion! My Cousin Rachel & The Remains of the Day are such fabulous books; I highly recommend them. Enjoy your evening reading 😊📚

[@karenwilles481]

So glad you included Agatha Christie unreliable narrators. I am sure of one of the titles. I was stunned the first time I read it. Also want to let you know how much I am enjoying your enthusiasm for books. Will be reading several of your favorites.

[@MirandaMills]

That’s lovely to hear - thank you so much!

[@yorkshirerose6334]

I agree that these books ask the reader to think for themselves what the intentions of characters are and by doing so asks of the reader about themselves and their beliefs. Brilliant to discuss.

[@MirandaMills]

yes indeed! All these books are made for discussion xx

[@TheStitchingSpinster]

I feel The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is also a brilliant example of an unreliable narrator.

[@georgiam4576]

Fab video, Miranda, on one of my favourite fiction tropes! Lots of old favourites in there which I look forward to revisiting (that's the trouble with your videos, they are either full of books I have not read and which I feel I need to read straightaway or they are full of references to my own favourite books, many from years ago, which again I get excited about re-reading. I cannot win and get too stressed about the old adage: too many books, too little time! I'm telling you, you are in complete control of my TBR these days!!). I loved what you did with Agatha there, I spent the whole video watching and expecting the reference and wondering how you were going to deal with spoilers, but you pulled it off. Inspired! Brava!

[@MirandaMills]

Thank you so much Georgia! That’s lovely to hear. I always have far too many books on my TbR pile too, but I wouldn’t want it any other way 😂 The trouble with talking about unreliable narrators is not giving too much away 😅 xxx

[@sharonlarson5331]

This is a great subject and I really enjoyed your suggestions. I have read Rebecca and now I want to read My Cousin Rachel. I think you're referring to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and maybe And Then There Were None. I recently read One by One and I thought the author borrowed from both these plots.

[@MirandaMills]

You’re half right on the Christie, but I don’t want to give the titles away to people who haven’t read them! I definitely recommend My Cousin Rachel 💫📚

[@jennieweston6767]

I think one of the Agatha Christie books is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I have not read a lot of Christie, but that one is definitely my favourite of those I have read.

[@zoemahon4749]

My Cousin Rachel is wonderful, as is the Turn of the Screw and the Agatha Christie's. I've just ordered Gillespie and I-thanks for the recommendation. My recommendation is Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller

[@MirandaMills]

Hope you enjoy Gillespie and I 💫

[@delorijabundja-sajcic7137]

Great recomendations, Miranda! Thank you, love the theme. First on on my list are Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel. I saw beside you The Thirteenth Tale, also an unreliable narrator.

[@MirandaMills]

Yes, I love The Thirteenth Tale too!

[@olivewritesblog]

Thanks so much for this excellent list of books featuring unreliable narrators! Your discussion was excellent - so erudite! I can’t wait to explore the titles you’ve mentioned.

[@MirandaMills]

Thank you so much, Olive! Really glad you enjoyed my suggestions xxx

[@prairierose1115]

So happy to have found your great channel! 🙋

[@MirandaMills]

Thank you so much! Glad you found me 😊📚

[@yumiari2469]

A little bit sympathetic towards Merricat, her character is unique and eccentric. Definitely getting your recommendations for Daphne Du Maurier books. Thank you

[@MirandaMills]

I think Jackson's strength as a writer shows from how she can create sympathy for a character who has killed and fantasies about killing....

[@yumiari2469]

@@MirandaMills that is very true, she is a brilliant writer. I’ll have to read some of her other books as well 😊

[@Sherlika_Gregori]

A great example of an unreliable narrator is a Brazilian book entitled Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis. It’s now translated into English and I highly recommend.

[@MirandaMills]

Oh that’s great to know, thank you!

[@Lethesiana]

‘The Little Stranger’ also by Sarah Waters is another good unreliable narrator story!

[@emilyhoner4069]

Great list! You mentioned so many of my favorites and now I need to track down all the others. I definitely think Merricat is a psychopath but I still sympathize with her hahaha. Have you ever read Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris? That's another example of a fantastic unreliable narrator.

[@MirandaMills]

I haven't read that one, but will add to my list! Thank you xxx

[@BeckaBella1]

I need to re-read Rebecca soon because I want to watch the new adaptation on Netflix that is coming out soon...putting My Cousin Rachel on my TBR 😉

[@MirandaMills]

I’m excited about the Rebecca film! I hope it’s good! My Cousin Rachel is really a brilliant book ❤️

[@jellyghostt]

What a gorgeous edition of My Cousin Rachel! *accidentally adds to cart*

[@MirandaMills]

It is lovely!

[@katana.kitsune]

Maybe, I just feel resentful towards unreliable narrator's for misleading the reader. It just makes me angry after all the effort I put into reading the book. I'd like to add The Silent Patient to the list.