Whether you’re participating in theLifetime of Reading Challenge, or simply interested in reading books about life in your 70s, you won’t want to miss these titles! Our list of books with older characters in their 70s includes a mix of charming and feisty septuagenarian protagonists.
What is a septuagenarian? A septuagenarian is a person between 70 and 79 years old.
Based on our recent reader survey, nearly 20% of our readers are over age 70. But for those of us who haven’t reached our seventh decade, representations in movies, TV, and books have shaped our views over time. Fortunately, we’re seeing a shift in popular media that’s reflecting a wider range of 70+ life experiences.
We’ve curated a diverse list of recommended books with characters in their 70s. Many of these books reflect the happiness and optimism described in the research about this age range. But, of course, others deal with more difficult topics like grief and health challenges. In addition to reflecting a wide range of life experiences, the main characters also vary in ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, class, background, lifestyle, and more.
Best 70-Something Book Characters
Literary Fiction
The Correspondent
Virginia Evans
Publication Date:
04/29/2025
Setting:
Maryland
Book Summary
Sybil Van Antwerp is a 72-year-old grandmother, wife, and distinguished lawyer. Almost every day at 10:30, she sits down to write letters. And she sends most of them – whether to her brother, her best friend, or authors like Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. But for one common recipient, the letters are never sent.
She expects the rest of her life to continue as normal before receiving letters from someone who was part of one of the most painful periods of her life. Is it time to finally share the unsent letters she has been writing over all these years?
The Book Girls Say…
This epistolary gem highlights the many kinds of relationships formed throughout a lifetime through the words of a witty, spunky, book-loving woman who has endured grief yet retains hope. After reading, one reviewer said, “Sybil van Antwerp is my first choice for literary best friend.”
Jenny has spent a lifetime putting everyone’s needs above her own. Now, at the age of 77, and after 59 years of marriage, Jenny decides she wants a little something for herself. Without telling anyone she knows, she applies to be a contestant on Britain Bakes, a Great British Bake Off-style TV show.
The world of TV cameras, timed baking challenges, and judging quips is all new to Jenny, and she’s sweetly embarrassed at her own stardom.
As she bakes, recipes unlock decades-old buried memories. Chocolate teacakes remind her of an errand involving a wedding ring, while sugar donuts make her recall a stranger’s kindness. But there’s more than flour in her heart—Jenny’s carrying a long-buried secret that could crumble her quiet, predictable world. Can she handle a pinch of fame without her carefully kept past toppling everything?
Shelley House may be crumbling—but it’s bursting with secrets. Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling, the building’s long-time, cantankerous resident, keeps a careful eye on everyone from behind her window and with her trusty notebook in hand.
Enter Kat Bennett, a prickly 25-year-old who’s just moved in. Her neighbors find her unapproachable, but her tough exterior hides the guilt from her past.
When eviction threatens Shelley House, these sworn enemies must team up: Dorothy to protect her home, Kat, because it’s the first place she’s ever felt a sliver of belonging. But things take a darker turn when one of their neighbors is seriously harmed. With the police backing off, Dorothy and Kat—alongside a mischievous Jack Russell—become unlikely sleuths, digging into secrets and pulling together the tight‑knit group of tenants.
The Book Girls Say…
If you enjoy the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building for its mix of mystery, wit, and intergenerational friendship, Nosy Neighbors offers a similar blend—just swap New York glitz for a crumbling English house.
Seventy-something Evelyn’s husband turns up dead, wearing his best suit, and with a diamond ring in his pocket (one that doesn’t fit his wife). Evelyn isn’t the type to make impulsive decisions, but when she finds a letter from her husband addressed to a woman on the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England, she decides to deliver it by hand.
On the coach, Evelyn meets two other women in their 70s. Cynthia, blunt and outspoken, and Joy, shy but kind. Both women are also headed to the island for their own private reasons. Though wildly different, the three women form an unexpected trio whose journey turns into far more than just a holiday. Together, they travel through loss, laughter, and new beginnings.
The Book Girls Say…
The cover might suggest that this is a light, fluffy book, but readers describe it as a moving and poignant story. While it deals with some serious issues, it does so with plenty of joy mixed in for an ultimately uplifting story.
Keep in mind that this novel is set at Christmas time, and the holiday atmosphere is the backdrop of the story. However, the central focus of the book is on the relationship between the women rather than on holiday traditions.
In 1929, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast. While the police could never find evidence to support this theory, the town all believed that seventeen-year-old Lenora was to blame. Since that night, she has never left Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.
By 1983, Lenora is in her seventies, uses a wheelchair, and has been rendered mute after a series of strokes. She communicates by tapping out messages on an old typewriter. Kit, a home-health aide, is assigned to Hope’s End to assist Lenora after the previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. One evening, Lenora types a surprising message: “I want to tell you everything.“
As Kit helps Lenora tell her story, new details emerge. But Kit also begins to suspect that Lenora still isn’t telling the full truth.
The Book Girls Say…
Riley Sager is the pen name of Todd Ritter, who also writes under the name Alan Finn.
In this charming debut novel, 70-year-old widower Tova works at the Sowell Bay Aquarium to occupy her mind and time. She takes pride in cleaning perfectly every night, even though she doesn’t need the money. She loves all the aquarium life but forms a special bond with the intelligent (and curmudgeonly) octopus named Marcellus.
He’s just as surprised to feel friendly toward this human who visits him nightly. Soon, he connects the sadness he sees in her with something he saw in the ocean long ago. Can he help her solve the mystery of her son’s disappearance 30 years ago?
The Book Girls Say…
Neither of us expected to have a book partially narrated by a giant Pacific octopus on our best books of 2022 list, but Marcellus stole our hearts. Beyond that, we loved each of the human characters and their struggles in different phases of life. Young or older, so many people deal with loneliness and loss. Watching characters process and evolve through that was a heartwarming treat.
Missy is 79 years old and lives alone in a stately London home. Her husband, Leo, passed away after a challenging illness, and her favorite child, son Allistair, broke her heart by moving to Australia. Daughter Melanie lives much closer in Cambridge, but they have a contentious relationship.
As Missy walks alone through a park, her primary mission is to experience something worthy of including in her next email to Allistair. While she prefers keeping to herself, she forces herself to interact with some interesting characters she encounters on her walk. When she faints, her new acquaintances not only help her in the moment, but they also invite her to a nearby coffee shop.
But is 79 too old for new friends and a new outlook on life?
The Book Girls Say…
While unexpected friendships are a common theme on this list because of our reading for the Lifetime Challenge this year, each one has something a little special. In this case, it includes a dog helping break down emotional barriers and flashbacks to Missy’s earlier years.
Melissa found it to be a good reminder of how little we know about those we meet as adults, and especially how their personalities are impacted by things they survived in the past. But also that it’s never too late to see things in a new way.
Valerie is an experienced hiker, but disappears two hundred miles from her destination in the heart of the Maine woods. While she’s alone, she writes letters to her mother as she battles the elements to survive.
Beverly is the determined game warden tasked with finding Valerie. But she’s not the only one on the case. Lena, a 76-year-old birdwatcher in Connecticut, becomes an unlikely armchair detective. As the story unfolds from these three points of view, it becomes clear that Valerie’s disappearance may not have been accidental.
The Book Girls Say…
This slow-burn mystery is told through a mix of letters, interview transcripts, news articles, transcripts from tip-line voicemails, and more. Readers who don’t mind a slower pace rate this 2025 novel very highly.
When Venetia is widowed after fifty years, she’s left with plenty of cash, a huge house, and plenty of qualms about her past. She’s ready to fully embrace her life again after feeling like she’s mentally missed the last five decades.
While some think it’s reckless, seventy-four Venetia buys the dilapidated Phoenix Ballroom, which also serves as a spiritualist “church.” She’s a witty and spunky character whose generosity, courage, and kindness provide a refuge for a touching cast of damaged and lonely people.
As she develops relationships with many of the ballroom’s attendees, the Phoenix lives up to its name with fresh starts and a newfound family being formed.
Seventy-seven-year-old Judith Potts lives in a faded mansion near Marlow, England. She enjoyes the doing crossword puzzles and is happy not to have a man in her life telling her what to or to how much whisky she can drink.
While our for a swim in the Thames one evening, Judith witnesses a murder. When the police don’t believe her story, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
She begins conducting an investigation with the help of Suzie, a dog-walker, and Becks, the prim wife of the local Vicar. Togeher they form the Marlow Murder Club. But when another person winds up dead, they realize they might be dealing with a serial killer and they might be in danger themselves.
The Book Girls Say…
There are currently four books in the The Marlow Murder Club series, with a fifth on the way. A television adaptation of this series premiered on Masterpiece in the UK in 2024, and season 3 is in the works.
Instagram influencer Gloria Rose is 70 years old and lives the good life in her Upper West Side loft. But then she discovers a boyfriend from her past has been arrested for an old art theft. She was involved in his crime, so she worries she’ll be the next one arrested if she stays put.
Before she can flee, she needs to protect her 30-something nieces from any fallout. That’s a tough job because the sisters are still struggling in life and constantly fighting with each other.
When Gloria Rose and her nieces are reunited, it’s the perfect chance to deal with decades of interwoven trauma.
The Book Girls Say…
This novel, from the author of the hit book When We Were Mermaids, has high reviews for the rich characters and their relationships with each other. However, some readers are disappointed that the art theft isn’t more of a plot point.
This book would also work well as a multi-generation read since the nieces are also prominent, but we LOVED that Gloria Rose is a 70-something influencer since that job title is usually applied to younger generations. It’s a great example of never being too old to try something new!
Seventy-two-year-old Geraldine hasn’t left the house in three months since losing her husband of 50 years. Before he died, he made her promise to spread his ashes somewhere exotic and that she would not give up on life after he was gone.
Despite getting out her red suitcase, she can’t seem to fulfill either of her promises. However, an accident leaves Geraldine temporarily unable to do everything she needs around her house. She is mortified when Meals on Wheels arrives with food. However, young volunteer Lottie brings more than just food. Like Geri, she’s struggling to let go of something in her past.
Together, an unlikely friendship blossoms, and Geri begins the bumpy ascent out of her deep grief.
The Book Girls Say…
Reviewers of this book often say that this is an uplifting read despite the themes of grief.
This clever British murder mystery is full of surprises. Felix has an unusual volunteer job. He’s an Exiter, helping people die with dignity and aiding the terminally ill in their last moments. The role requires careful adherence to the law, and Felix is there to comfort but not physically assist.
However, as he’s training a new Exiter, something goes horribly wrong. Soon, this 75-year-old pensioner is on the run from the police, simultaneously trying to solve the mystery before getting caught.
Seventy-two year old Carl is a bookseller who makes special deliveries through the alleys of his German town after hours. Carl has never married and has no children. His regular customers, many of whom are loners like him, are his closest friends.
One evening, he meets nine-year-old Schascha, who insists on joining him along his route. And not just once, the persistent girl now shows up for every delivery and begins befriending his customers as well.
When something unexpected threatens to change everything for Carl, it’s up to Schascha and their bookish community to help.
The Book Girls Say…
We’re excited to pick up this translated international bestseller from Germany. It’s such a good reminder than the power of connecting through books is a universal, global experience.
Andi Parker is a vibrant 70-year-old businesswoman who is easing her way out of the marketing business she founded and into retirement. She adores her grandchildren and her charming silver fox husband, Jed. Life as she knows it is golden.
But when something unsettling pops up on social media, Andi’s seemingly perfect marriage starts to unravel. With her world flipped upside down, she’s forced to confront the question of what comes next after decades of routine. Alongside her friends, Andi dives headfirst into healing through unexpected adventures that help her reinvent herself.
The Book Girls Say…
Despite Andi’s heartbreak, readers say this novel is packed with romantic comedy energy thanks to her post‑betrayal misadventures. This is the perfect pick if you are looking for a third-act rom-com.
At nearly seventy years old, Ruth Winters is a widow whose orderly suburban life depends on routine and solitude. She’s retired, emotionally guarded, and has settled into a comfortable isolation until three unexpected events upend everything.
First, her beloved niece drops a life-changing announcement. Then, an old high-school flame reaches out. Finally, her estranged sister resurfaces with news that challenges their fractured past.
Suddenly, Ruth finds herself reevaluating long-held beliefs about family, forgiveness, and joy.
The Book Girls Say…
This is a character-driven novel that readers describe as quiet and charming.
Lou’s vintage shop in the charming English town is a cozy haven full of stories, personality, and unexpected connections. Every item in the shop has a history, and every customer who walks through the door is searching for something—though it’s not always what they think.
Maggy is a septuagenarian divorcee who spends much of her time looking after her grandkids. But the vintage shop sparks memories of her past, including a romance she had back in the 1960s, which reignites a passion she’s been missing.
Across the Atlantic in upstate New York, Donna has just learned some news about her family that makes her question everything. The only clue she has to unlock her past is a picture of a yellow dress, and the fact that it is currently on display in a vintage shop in England.
The Book Girls Say…
This book could also fit on our list of Intergenerational novels, because there are three main characters, each at a different stage in life. Nonetheless, we decided to include it on the 70-somethings list because readers describe Maggy’s storyline as a beautifully realistic portrayal of aging — not as slowing down, but as an opportunity for surprising second chances and personal reinvention.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, 71-year-old Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. A widower, who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them, Kidd lives a solitary existence. But when he is offered a $50 gold piece to transport an orphan who has been held captive by the Kiowa back to her relatives in San Antonio, he sets out on a 400-mile journey with the young girl.
It’s a treacherous journey, made more so by the fact that Johanna has forgotten the English language and tries to escape at every chance. But slowly, Kidd begins to earn her trust. When they finally arrive in San Antonio, the reunion with Johanna’s extended family is neither happy nor welcome, and Kidd will face a difficult dilemma.
The Book Girls Say…
This 2016 National Book Award Nominee was adapted into a 2020 film starring Tom Hanks as Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd.
Sisters Barbara and Pauline couldn’t be more different. But, after a health scare, outspoken 77-year-old spinster Barbara moves in with quieter widower Pauline to recover. Unfortunately, the tension is already rising between them when another unexpected houseguest is added to the mix.
Pauline accidentally knocks down a vagrant named Bisto, and he also moves in to recover. However, the more they get to know Bisto, the more surprised they are by who he really is. Can the sisters improve their relationship with the help of this stranger?
At Coopers Chase retirement community, there isn’t a lot of excitement. For fun, four residents meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes and talk through what could have happened. They figure they’ll stay younger by using their brains to solve crimes.
But then, a murder occurs near their community. A local developer is found dead, and an unexpected photo is next to the body. Before they know it, the quirky group of friends is investigating a crime in real-time…much to the dismay of the actual detective assigned to the case.
The Book Girls Say…
There are four books in this series, so if you’ve already read and enjoyed the first book, feel free to pick up one of the others.
When we read about this book, we were both reminded of the hilarious and clever Hulu series Only Murders in the Building with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. Steve Martin and Martin Short are both in their 70s, so if you haven’t seen the show, it would be a fun supplement to 70-somethings month!
Judith Kratt is an affluent 75-year-old woman living in her family’s grand, but aging, mansion in South Carolina. It’s the home she’s known all of her life, and one she hasn’t left since 1929. It’s now the 1980s, and Judith and Olva, the old family maid, spend long, slow afternoons rocking on the front porch.
When Judith learns that her sister, Rosemarie, is visiting for the first time in 60 years, she decides it’s time to take inventory of the home. This includes everything she inherited from the Kratt family – the cut-glass letter opener, the pie safe, the copper clock, and the murder that no one talks about.
As Judith catalogs her possessions, the story is interwoven with chilling flashbacks from the fateful night in 1929 that changed everything. Through her list-making, she begins to piece together her family’s influence on their small cotton town and to acknowledge the devastating effects of their dark family secrets.
The Book Girls Say…
This book is a great choice for fans of Southern fiction. Judith is an unreliable and, at times, unlikable narrator – just the way the author wants it. Some readers find that the story starts a bit slow since you may not connect with the characters immediately. But once it draws you in, you’ll be hooked.
This is not a mystery novel in the sense that, thanks to clever writing and foreshadowing, you’ll likely unravel some of the family secrets before the characters unveil them – but this feels intentional and adds to the reading experience rather than detracting from it.
Aaliya Saleh is a 72-year-old woman living alone in her Beirut apartment, surrounded by towering stacks of books. Once a bookseller, now retired, she spends her days quietly translating her favorite novels into Arabic—purely for her own satisfaction, never for publication.
As she works through the pages, she reflects on her decades of solitude, the wars that have shaken her city, and the complicated ties with her family and neighbors.
The Book Girls Say…
Through her interior monologue, this novel is both an intimate portrait of Aaliya’s mind and a love letter to literature.
Author Rabih Alameddine was born in Jordan to Lebanese parents. He spent his childhood in Kuwait and Lebanon, before moving to England at age 17, and then later to California to pursue his higher education.
Flamboyant Barry was born in Antigua and currently lives with his wife in the UK. He’s a grandfather, but his wife doesn’t know that he’s been in a secret relationship with his childhood friend, Morris, for the past 60 years. Carmel does realize he’s been cheating but has no idea the depth of his deception. As his long marriage begins to break down, he has some big decisions to make.
The book is a great peek into Britain’s older Caribbean community.
The Book Girls Say…
This literary fiction was written by the author of the bestseller Girl, Woman, Other. Some readers find the main character’s unlikability difficult to overcome, while others enjoy his cheeky nature.
Eleanor lives in a charming home on a cliffside in Nantucket. The house has been in her family for generations. She loves life on the island, but now that she’s in her 70s and widowed, she does feel a bit isolated and lonely at times. That’s why she looking so forward to the annual family reunion with her children and grandchildren.
Once they arrive, however, things don’t go as Eleanor envisioned. Her children want her to move to a retirement community and sell the house to a developer who’s been eager to acquire the property for years. Her children express concerns about her wintering on the island at her age, but they are clearly interested in getting a share of the money as well.
Eleanor’s lone ally is her 22-year-old granddaughter, who moves in with her for the summer. Together, they enjoy an island summer beyond either of their wildest imaginations.
The Book Girls Say…
Nancy Thayer has a large catalog of Nantucket-set books. Family Reunion is her newest and highest-rated, but if you love this setting, check out her other titles as well!
This story is told from the dual POV of grandmother and granddaughter, with about half of the book from Eleanor’s perspective.
Gloria is a hoarder. She has 79 years of possessions in her home, from treasures to old magazines, cardboard boxes, and even rolls of carpet. She hasn’t left her home in years, but one day a major electrical issue forces her out, despite her desire to stay in her comfort zone.
Her son sees this as the perfect chance to sell her home and tries to take control of Gloria’s entire life in the process. But despite her cluttered house, Gloria is still more than capable of making her own life decisions. And she does, finding unexpected new friends and happiness along the way.
Like the author’s acclaimed book, Plainsong, this book is set in the rural community of Holt, Colorado. Seventy-something neighbors Addie and Louis have known each other for decades. She lost her husband years ago, and it’s been a year since Louis lost his wife. They have been incredibly lonely, alone in their homes. Addie pays an unexpected visit to Louis and proposes a deeper friendship.
As Addie and Louis begin to talk and share their histories, the town takes notice. They’re forced to defend their new relationship while still dealing with their own real problems.
The Book Girls Say…
This is a story of friendship rather than romance. Our readers praise how well written it is, but emphasize that the novel is very sad.
For twenty years, three female friends have met weekly under the Verrazzano Bridge. Gertie is a feisty Norwegian divorcee, and on the eve of her 80th birthday, she realizes her time to travel the world is running out. Maria, an Italian-American widow, sees this as the perfect chance to reunite Gertie and Corinna with their estranged families.
The Book Girls Say…
This meandering, character-driven story of friendship celebrates strong, mature women and is said to be inspirational and full of hope.
Retired CIA agent Barbara is bored in her small New England town. When a man, Lucien, appears to have a heart attack at his book club meeting for seniors, she’s confident that he was poisoned. Suddenly, her CIA training becomes useful as she plays the part of a sweet grandmother while trying to figure out which member of the Cheerville Active Readers’ Society would want Lucien dead.
This cozy mystery is the first in the Secret Agent Granny series, which currently includes ten titles.
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Printable Version of the Challenge Booklists
Readers who support The Book Girls’ Guide through our Buy Me a Coffee (BMAC) membership site as Inner Circle or BFF members can access printable versions of the reading challenge book lists. As we update the Lifetime of Reading Challenges throughout the year according to the challenge schedule, the lists will become available in a single-page printable format for our BMAC members.
We offer two membership levels. Both our BFF members and our Inner Circle members get access to the single-page printables for the year-long reading challenges. Visit our Buy Me a Coffee membership page for a full list of benefits for each level.
Our BMAC members help cover the cost of running the challenges so we can keep them free for everyone!
Book Lists By Character Age
Links to our book recommendations for all twelve of the Lifetime of Reading challenge prompts can be found below:
If you’d like to read a novel about older adults set in a different part of the world, you’re in luck. Quite a few of the books on this list take place abroad. However, we also recommend looking at our Book Voyage reading lists, which are organized by region. Additionally, if you’re looking for books with protagonists over 70 that provide 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.
Life In Your 70s: The Overlooked “Golden Decade”
Is 70 considered old? That really depends on who you ask. Younger people are likely inclined to call someone in their 70s elderly. But as people age, their definition of old gets, well, older. An AARP Magazine article found that more than half of adults over age 65 say old age starts at 85. So if that’s the case, then what does that make you when you’re 70-something? If you ask many septuagenarians, they say they’re just living their best life.
An August 2022 survey of 70-somethings, conducted by AARP/National Geographic, determined happiness spikes in your seventh decade. A whopping 90% of survey respondents in their 70s said they are happy. Compare this to 81% of 60-somethings who report being happy, and 80% of 40-somethings.
Despite being a very happy time for many people, this decade often gets overlooked. There’s a lot more emphasis on your 60s because it’s when many people look forward to retiring. And some people fear reaching their 80s because it’s when serious health issues are more likely to arise. Helen Davis, author of the syndicated column “Successful Aging,” describes your 70s as “the highway in between.”
Researchers and septuagenarians agree on the keys to getting the most out of life in your 70s. Exercising your body and your mind, making new friends, and finding a new purpose. Low-impact activities like swimming, yoga, and walking are helping today’s 70-somethings feel more youthful and maintain energy. Those who enjoy this decade of life the most seem to be those who take that energy and channel it into something they are passionate about!
Shifting Perspectives: Books with Older Main Characters in Their 70s
Based on our recent reader survey, about 12% of our readers are over age 70. But for those of us who haven’t reached our seventh decade, representations in movies, TV, and books have shaped our views over time. Fortunately, we’re seeing a shift in popular media that’s reflecting a wider range of 70-something life experiences.
Both of us Book Girls grew up watching Golden Girls as kids. It’s hard to believe now that Rose, Dorothy, and Blanche were all supposed to be in their 50s. Looking back, as much as we loved them, these characters contributed to our skewed view of what it looked like to “get old.”
More recently, we fell in love with the Netflix series Grace & Frankie, which presents a much more modern view of 70-something life. Grace, Frankie, Robert, and Sol epitomize the later-in-life experience of happiness, making new friends, and finding new passions.
The Book Girls are best friends who jointly read over 200 books per year. We started Book Girls' Guide in 2019 to help others de-stress and find joy through the power of a great book. We do in-depth research on thousands of novels and non-fiction titles each year to provide curated book lists covering a variety of genres.
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