Books With Characters in Their 50s

Whether you’re participating in the Lifetime of Reading Challenge, or simply interested in reading about life at 50-something, you’ll find your next great read on our list of books with main characters in their 50s.

What does it mean to be 50-something in today’s society?

Men in their 50s are often viewed as being in the prime of their life – experienced, mature, and competent. On the other hand, despite having gained the same experience and maturity, women often feel invisible after age 50. Forbes cites research that shows “as men age, they are viewed as more valuable and competent in the workplace.” Conversely, the same research shows that “women lose their credibility with every new wrinkle.”

Novelist and screenwriter Ayelet Waldman, in a 2015 interview, spoke about her impending 50th birthday. She explained: “I have a big personality, and I have a certain level of professional competence, and I’m used to being taken seriously professionally. And suddenly, it’s like I just vanished from the room. And I have to yell so much louder to be seen. I just want to walk down the street and have someone notice that I exist.”

Of course, the workplace is just one example. Author Hilary Mantel describes women over 50 as the “invisible generation.” Not just in their professional lives, but also in their personal lives.

But this perceived invisibility comes with some perks, as an article in Psychology Today points out. “First, let’s be clear: quite a number of these women are not issuing a lament but a proclamation of relief.” With fewer people paying attention, many women actually feel a sense of freedom. Fewer eyes on them means less fear of judgment. The Atlantic explains, “As women become older, they entertain a wider set of choices about when and how they are seen.”

Reading Trends in Middle Age Fiction

This phenomenon of the invisibility of women in their 50s is particularly fascinating to examine when it comes to books. According to The Guardian, women, particularly those over 50, “have always made up a disproportionate amount of readers.” A 2016 survey found that around 77% of the most active readers are women over the age of 45. And the largest group of readers (30%) are women between the ages of 55 and 64.

Despite accounting for the largest market share of avid readers, it’s quite challenging to find books about middle-aged women in their 50s. Throughout the Lifetime of Reading Challenge, we’ve researched books with protagonists in each decade of life. Compiling our list of recommended books with main characters in their 50s proved considerably harder than finding novels about older main characters of the septuagenarian and octogenarian sets.

An online search turns up numerous lists of midlife fiction novels that claim to speak to middle-aged women’s lives. Invariably, however, these lists mostly include stories about women in their 40s. Other search results promise “books with characters over 50,” but are typically filled with strong and interesting elderly characters. Unfortunately, there are very few 50-year-old fictional characters to be found. And even when books do feature protagonists over 50, The Guardian points out book publishers are very reluctant to put older women on the cover.

The Best Books with Main Characters in Their 50s

After extensive research, we’ve curated a diverse list of recommended books with main characters in their 50s. These titles reflect a wide range of life experiences during this decade of life. While many of these titles feature 50-something women as main characters, the list also includes some wonderful male characters. The protagonists vary in race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, class, background, lifestyle, and more. Most of the recommendations are fictional novels about middle age, but the list also includes several memoirs about life in your 50s.

One of our main goals for the Lifetime of Reading Challenge is to create understanding and reinforce an appreciation for our fellow humans in different life phases. As a result, we focus primarily (but not exclusively) on contemporary stories with 50-something main characters. These current stories can help us all understand what life in your 50s is like in today’s society. They deal with a wide range of topics, including career changes and ageism, becoming an empty-nester, caring for aging parents, marriage, divorce, midlife romance, and much more.

Eliza Starts a Rumor

by Jane L. Rosen

Eliza, early 50s

Eliza is a suburban wife and empty nester secretly struggling with a new, intense fear of leaving her house. She forces herself to go to the store in preparation for a visit from her college-age children. While in line, she hears younger moms talking about a new local online forum for women. Eliza has run a similar group for years, but these strangers call her group boring!

In a moment of desperation and weakness, Eliza starts a rumor on her board to liven it up, and the rumor reaches far further than she expected and impacts others in many different ways. It's a great look at the repercussions of fake information and what can happen if you get sucked into being someone you're not to keep up with the younger crowd.

The Book Girls Say... This book is an excellent mix of comedy and drama about a group of neighbors overcoming their individual problems when they're willing to share them and lean on other women.

We also loved learning that the author, Jane L. Rosen was over 50 when she published her first book.

Still Alice

by Lisa Genova

Alice, 50 years old

Alice is a Harvard cognitive psychology professor and linguistics expert at the height of her career when she begins to notice some unusual forgetfulness. Little by little, more confusion creeps into her life. Alice is fiercely independent, and she’s determined to hide her concerns from her husband and three grown children. But when she receives a devastating diagnosis - early-onset Alzheimer’s - she can’t keep the secret any longer.

Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live her life as fully as possible as her disease progresses. She leaves herself notes and reminders to help her along. As the book continues, told from her point of view, she becomes an unreliable narrator, and the scenes begin to feel misplaced. This does an excellent job of putting the reader in Alice’s mind. You’ll feel frustrated and mourn right alongside her.

The Book Girls Say… Angela’s in-person book club read Still Alice years ago, and it received rave reviews. The story of Alice slowly, but literally, losing her memory is terrifying and heartbreaking, but also heartfelt. This is a book that will impact you, and one you’ll find yourself thinking about it months and even years after you’ve turned the last page.

Author Lisa Genova holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard and was inspired to write Still Alice because of her grandmother’s experience with Alzheimer’s. Interviews with those experiencing the early stages of Alzheimer’s have called Genova’s novel “uncannily realistic.”

The Incredible Winston Browne

by Sean Dietrich

Sheriff Winston Brown, 52 years old

This historical fiction is set in a quiet Florida town, Moab, in the 1950s. Sheriff Brown’s daily activities usually involve gossip and drama among the town’s quirky residents. But one day, a seemingly mute 10-year-old girl arrives in Moab. At the same time, the Sheriff receives terrible personal news.

The town tries to do the right thing and take the girl, Jessie, in and help her. They have no idea where she came from, but then two suspicious strangers show up looking for her. While Winston tries to get to the bottom of the girl’s origin, he’s also trying to keep his own secret.

The Book Girls Say… If you love a mixture of mystery, drama, and heart wrapped up in a small-town story, grab this one ASAP. It’s not a well-known book but has phenomenal ratings, so we’re guessing it will be a surprise hit!

Then She Was Gone

by Lisa Jewell

Laurel, 55 years old

Laurel's 15-year-old daughter Ellie was the light of her life. But then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone. Ten years have passed since that day, but Laurel has never given up hope.

Now Laurel has met a man. Floyd is charming, and she falls for him hard. Before long, he's introducing Laurel to his nine-year-old daughter, Poppy, who is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age.

Meeting Poppy causes all of the questions that have haunted Laurel for a decade to come flooding back. What happened to Ellie? And who still has secrets to hide?

The Paper Palace

by Miranda Cowley Heller

Elle, 53 years old

Elle has been to her family’s summer home, The Paper Palace, every year of her life. However, her 53rd summer is different. Like a teenager, she crept out the backdoor to meet her oldest friend Jonas. He was her childhood love, but a tragic event ripped them apart and changed the course of their lives.

Elle and Jonas are both married to other people now, but they sleep with each other for the first time that night. Over the next 24 hours, Elle must decide if she will remain with the husband she truly loves, Peter, or if Jonas has always been her destiny. As she struggles with her decision, you’ll read a recounting of her life to see how she got to this situation and the circumstances that make her who she is.

The Book Girls Say… Reviews say this book is complicated and messy, but also beautifully written. It contains flawed characters that aren’t necessarily likable, although many readers end up liking them as they learn more about them. It’s a good look at how things that happen in childhood follow you your whole life, even after growing up and having your own kids.

HEADS UP: This book covers challenging topics beyond infidelity, including rape, incest, and abuse of children. It’s a heavy read overall, so only pick it up if you’re in the right headspace.

The Snow Child

by Eowyn Ivey

Jack and Mabel, throughout their 50s

In the Snow Child, you'll be transported to remote 1920s Alaska. Jack and Mabel are nearing 50 when they decide to move to Alaska. As newcomers to the harsh environment, it is a struggle for them. Between the intense physical labor required and the even more extreme loneliness, they're not sure they've made the right decision with the move.

Then, during the first snowfall of the year, they decide to have some fun and build a child out of snow. In the morning, the snow child is gone, but they see a young girl running through the trees with the items they had used to dress the snow child. Is she real, or are they hallucinating and dreaming of the child they've always wanted?

The Book Girls Say… This historical fiction novel also has slight aspects of magical realism and a fairytale-like quality. Melissa read it last winter and had trouble putting it down. Magical realism isn't usually her favorite genre, but she thought this book was phenomenal in both the writing and the storytelling.

The Memory of Love

by Linda Olsson
Marion, early 50s

In New Zealand, Marion has spent the last 15 years living a quiet life on the coast. She's packed away memories of her past until a chance meeting with a young boy named Ika brings her history back to life.

As she individually examines images of her grandfather, mother, brother, and lover, she tries to find new order and memories. As she strives to find forgiveness for her younger self, she also tries to save Ika from his own tragic childhood.

I Almost Forgot About You

by Terry McMillan

Georgia, mid-50s

Dr. Georgia Young is feeling stuck despite having a seemingly wonderful life. She has great friends, family, and even a great career. But the restless feeling won’t go away.

As she approaches her 55th birthday, she decides to take control of her happiness and make some major life changes. From quitting her job as an optometrist to moving to a new home, her journey is a great reminder to become the person you want to be.

The Book Girls Say… Author Terry McMillian has spent her career writing characters in her own age range, including books turned into popular movies like Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

by Maria Semple

Bernadette, Early 50s

Bernadette lives with her husband and her teenage daughter in Seattle - a city where she’s never felt she fits in. She was once a renowned architect, but now spends most of her time in the house hiding from the other moms of her daughter’s elite prep school.

Unlike her Microsoft employee husband, Elgie, who has fully embraced the granola-eating, public transport-using, bike-riding culture of Seattle, Bernadette spends her days in the house relying on a virtual assistant in India for many of her daily tasks. This becomes a real problem when her daughter's stellar report card earns her a family cruise to Antarctica, and Bernadette becomes overwhelmed by the planning and preparations.

When Bernadette disappears before the trip, her daughter Bee is determined to track her down, unraveling a web of secrets.

Much of this book is told in epistolary form, including notes from Bee’s school, email exchanges between Bernadette and her virtual assistant, and catty moms communicating about Bernadette’s eccentricities.

The Book Girls Say… If you're drawn to quirky and eccentric characters, you might love Bernadette as much as we do! Bernadette is an older mom compared to the others at Bea's school, which drives some of her feelings of not fitting in. She started a successful career and then struggled to have a full-term pregnancy. While this is only a small aspect of the book, we like that this contemporary fiction covers a part of life that is now common. More moms are having children later both by choice and because of medical challenges.

This satirical novel was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for “Best Humor” when it was released in 2012, and it’s one of our favorite laugh-out-loud reads. But it’s more than just that… Maria Semple managed to create an enjoyable, witty, smart, and emotional novel!

Golden Girl

by Elin Hilderbrand

Vivian, 51 years old

While jogging near her home on Nantucket, novelist Vivi is killed in a hit-and-run accident. After her death, Vivi is granted the opportunity to watch what happens to her family for one final summer. In addition to watching, she gets three “nudges” to change the outcome of events on Earth.

Between troubles for her children, the investigation into her death, and a childhood secret wrapped into the final novel she was writing, Vivi must be cautious with her nudges while learning to let her family make decisions without her.

The Book Girls Say... This book is a moving message about those we love and lose never being far away. We debated including it on the 50-something list since you see Vivi’s family more than her. However, we decided it’s a really great look at a common theme for many women in their 50s. As your children become fully independent adults, you can try “nudge” them in what you deem the "right" direction, but they’re also out making their own decisions.

How Hard Can It Be?

by Allison Pearson

Kate, 50 years old

With her 50th birthday fast approaching, Kate Reddy is facing the pressures of parents with precarious health, impossible teenagers, and a marriage that's lost all of its air. On top of all that, she's attempting to merge from the mommy track back into the workforce.

In this laugh-out-loud funny novel, Kate will attempt to reclaim her position at the hedge fund she founded while at the same time trying to be strangled by her own "shaping" underwear.

The Book Girls Say... This novel is set seven years after Allison Person's first novel about Kate Reddy, I Don't Know How She Does It. It's a rare instance where the reviewers agree that the sequel is significantly better than the first book. Fortunately, this book reads very well as a standalone! Or, if you want a version of Kate's back story before reading How Hard Can It Be, consider watching the 2011 movie version starring Sarah Jessica Parker.

The Island

by Maggie Miller

Olivia, Amanda, Leigh Ann, Grace & Katie, all 50-somethings

Five now 50-something sorority sisters have received a mysterious invite to an all-expenses-paid vacation to a Compass Key resort. The invite is from their beloved house mother, who has a significant surprise to share. And that surprise comes with a major decision that will require each woman to overcome her past.

The Book Girls Say... This book is the first in a series, and the first book introduces each of the characters. You’ll learn about their lives at home, along with their relationships with each other.

However, reviewers suggest that the book is not a stand-alone, and you’ll want to continue the series to get a real resolution. The second book is already published and is also available on Kindle Unlimited. Book 3 is scheduled for publication on 6/24/22, all 5 books will be published by the end of August 2022.

This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of 6/14/2022.

Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties

by Camille Pagan

Maggie, 53 years old

Maggie is described as on the verge of a nervous breakthrough. Although she’s perpetually anxious about semi-reasonable things like identity theft and airbag recalls, she’s also happily married with two mostly happy kids.

Then, the one thing she had never wasted time fearing happens. Her husband Adam leaves her. It’s only then that she realizes she’s been a shell of herself since her 30s, spending all her time caring for others.

While it would be understandable if she wallowed about her situation, she decides to take a solo trip to Rome. It was already planned as a trip with Adam, so instead of canceling, she decides to go anyways. This kicks off a more intentional rebuilding of all aspects of her life.

The Book Girls Say…If you need a quick read and enjoy contemporary fiction with a side of midlife romance, this book is only 238 pages!

This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of 6/14/2022.

Bring on the Blessings

by Beverly Jenkins

Bernadine, 52 years old

On Bernadine's 52nd birthday, she caught her husband cheating on her with his secretary. Rather than getting angry, she got revenge. She hired a cut-throat attorney and ended up with $275 million in the divorce.

Bernadine was raised in the church with the understanding that to whom much is given, much is expected. So with her newfound fortune, she asks God to send her a purpose. That purpose turns out to be a small town in Kansas.

The town of Henry Adams is one of the last surviving townships founded by freed slaves after the Civil War. Mayor Trenty July had run out of options to save his town from debt, so he put it up for sale... and Bernadine bought it.

Trent is excited about Bernadine's vision for Henry Adams, but not everyone feels the same way.

The Book Girls Say... This is book is designated as Christian Fiction. Reviewers describe this as a feel-good book with Hallmark movie vibes, and sometimes that's exactly the kind of book we need between heavier reads.

Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?

by Roz Chast

Roz, memoir of her mid-Fifties

In this memoir, famed New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast brings her signature wit to the topic of caring for aging parents.

For years, Roz had employed denial, avoidance, and distraction to deal with the challenges that arose with her elderly parents. But when she was in her mid-fifties, and they were in their nineties, she was forced to step into the role of the adult child parenting her parents.

Although the format of this cartoon-style memoir is very unique, the themes are universal: adult children accepting a parental role; aging and unstable parents leaving a family home; managing logistics; and hiring strangers to provide the most personal care.

It's an intimate portrait of any only child coping as best she can to help her parents at the end of their lives.

Additionally, this memoir also paints a portrait of her family's Jewish immigrant roots and her parents' pursuit of the American dream.

The Bette Davis Club

by Jane Lotter

Margo, 50-something

Margo is down on her luck. She’s spent decades lusting after a man she couldn’t have, drinks too much, and is running out of money. However, when her niece flees town on her wedding day, Margo is presented with a solution to her cash flow situation. Her sister offers her $50,000 to track down the missing bride.

The book follows her cross-country trip in borrowed 1955 red MG in hot pursuit of her niece. She’s not alone. Her niece’s jilted and crabby fiancé is by her side.

The Books Girls Say… This one is good for fans of wacky characters and those okay with some unrealistic situations and solutions along the way - think screwball comedy. As long as you don’t expect all the characters to make logical decisions all the time, it’s a fun and funny read.

The author sadly passed away before the book’s publishing, but her daughter says the book is an homage to her mom’s love of classic movies like “It Happened One Night.”

The Secret of Snow

by Viola Shipman

Sonny, 50 years old

Southern Californian meteorologist Sonny is used to weather that matches her name. She's 50 years old and has just received shocking news at work. The station is replacing her with an AI (artificial intelligence/computer) meteorologist. They claim it's perfect because AI "will never age, gain weight or renegotiate its contract."

Her only job offer is in a much different environment, her cold northern Michigan hometown. Sonny has quite a rough return between the lake effect snow, dark winter, a new boss, and reuniting with her frenemy from school. Beyond that, she has to deal with feelings she left to avoid, like the relationship with her mother and the death of her snow-loving sister.

To snap herself out of feeling bad about the changes in her life, Sonny decides to jump into all things winter. From skiing and sledding to ice fishing and sculptures, she's ready to embrace it all.

The Book Girls Say… If you live somewhere hot, this dose of Christmas/Winter in July might be the perfect read to cool you down! It's contemporary fiction with a side of romance, so a perfect poolside pick despite the winter theme.

Gray Hair Don't Care

by Karen Booth
Lela, 50 years old

At 47, Lela found herself newly divorced and dreading even the thought of dating again. As a make-up artist, she’s determined to keep up her youthful appearance. When Lela runs into her college crush, Donovan, she decides to do something outside her norm and sleep with him. And then she gets bold and confesses she was in love with him decades before. The next morning, he’s gone, and she sees the world in a new way.

Lela embraces her age, lets her natural gray hairs shine, and forget about men.

Three years later, Donovan is shocked when Lela becomes the new face of his daughter’s beauty brand. She’s beaming with confidence and no longer swayed by old feelings for him. However, as business booms, Lela and Donovan are thrown together repeatedly. So maybe their story isn’t finished after all.

The Book Girls Say… We love that this author gravitates towards writing older characters! It’s not common in the romance genre, but it should be. That said, reviewers mention that this book reads as women’s fiction as much as it does romance despite the Donovan storyline. There are also strong themes of women supporting each other in different ways.

Husbands and Other Sharp Objects

by Marilyn Simon Rothstein

Marcy, late 50s

As she's planning her daughter's wedding, Marcy is also trying to finalize her divorce after a long marriage. She's been separated long enough to have a new boyfriend pushing for a commitment, and now her ex-husband Harvey wants to get back together too.

Marcy's too busy with the wedding to deal with her own man problems. It turns out weddings bring out the worst in everyone. And it doesn't help that her daughter's new in-laws keep stealing items everywhere they go!

As Marcy realizes that it might be impossible to keep everyone happy, she knows it's time to make the hard choice between old and new.

The Book Girls Say… We've both read this book and loved the storyline of planning her daughter's wedding. Some of you are probably familiar with how hectic that can be!

While writing this description, we were shocked to learn that there is another book, Lift and Separate, that covers Marcy's split from Harvey after he cheats on her with a 21-year-old. Marcy is 56 in that book, so it still fits the 50-something them if you'd like to start with it, but Husbands and Other Sharp Objects reads just as well as a stand-alone.

A Single Man

by Christopher Isherwood

George, 50-something

Written and set in the 1960s, this novel takes place during just one day in the life of George, a 50-something British English professor living in suburban Southern California.

George - a gay middle-aged man - feels like an outsider in every way. He is adjusting to life on his own after the sudden death of his partner.

This classic novel is described as wry, manic, constantly funny, and surprisingly sad.

The Book Girls Say... We typically lean toward more contemporary novels for the Lifetime of Reading Challenge. However, this book, which sheds light on life as an older gay man in the 1960s, could provide a fascinating comparison to Steven Rowley's The Guncle, which many of our readers previously chose for their 40-something book. Like A Single Man, The Guncle also features a single, middle-aged gay man living in southern California, but written and set nearly sixty years later.

Other Books to Consider

If you are specifically interested in reading books about fifty-somethings that are set in a different part of the world, we recommend taking a look at our Book Voyage reading lists, which are organized by region. Additionally, if you’re looking for a book that provides a historical perspective, our Decades Challenge reading lists, which cover the 1910s through the present, are a great place to start!

We hope you enjoyed this book list and found several books to add to your TBR (to be read list). If you’re choosing a book for our reading challenge, you are also welcome to read any other book that meets the challenge prompt.

If you have a suggestion for a book that you think would be a great addition to this list, please fill out this form.

You can read all about the Lifetime of Reading Challenge and sign up for a free printable challenge book tracker here.