This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure here.
For a book that is not even 300 pages, How to Read a Book by Monica Wood has A LOT of characters. If you are reading this awesome book, this character list will definitely come in handy.
This book is one of my favorite books I’ve read all year and one of the things that makes How to Read a Book by Monica Wood so good is the characters. In the list below, you will find more than 40 characters, and I didn’t even include all of the characters. (See my note below).
Quick Summary: How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
How to Read a Book tells the story of three main characters: Violet, Harriet, and Frank. When the book opens, Violet is an inmate at a local women’s prison about to be released, Harriet is a retired teacher who leads a book club at that prison, and Frank is the retired toolmaker who works as the handyman at the local bookstore in Portland, Maine, where Harriet buys her books. But that’s not all: Violet is in prison because she was responsible for the death of Frank’s wife. In this book, you will find out when these three complex characters come together. Soo good! I loved it!
How to Read a Book: The Characters
Please note that this list is not exhaustive. For example, I did not include all of the lab techs that work in the bird lab. I primarily focused on the characters who had an impact on the story.
- Aimee: Also called “Little Aimee;” says her husband threw her baby out of the window. She’s in prison because she was convicted of the crime.
- Annie: one of Harriet’s daughters who lives in London with her family
- Baker: bookstore employee
- Becca Frye: Troy’s new girlfriend
- Brittie: Inmate and book club member; Violet’s cellmate
- Corrinne: Harriet’s deceased sister; mother of Sophie
- Curtis Jackson: Frank’s former co-worker
- Dawna-Lynn: Inmate and book club member known for her singing. Nickname is “Showtime.”
- Dean Weingarten: Violet’s defense attorney
- Desiree: Inmate and book club member
- Dorothy: Inmate, book club member, has six kids
- Dr. Mikhail Petrov: The Russian behavioral scientist who studies African greys; Sophie is working for him at the beginning of the book; Violet ends up working for him after Sophie moves.
- Eleanor V. Powell: Violet’s mother; died while Violet was in prison
- Ellen: one of Harriet’s daughters who lives in London with her family
- Felicia: the victim advocate who calls to inform Frank that Violet has been released.
- *Frank Daigle: The bookstore handyman; retired toolmaker; husband of Lorraine Daigle
- *Harriet Larson: The retired English teacher who leads the book club at the prison. The inmates call her “Bookie the Book Lady.”
- Jacynta: Inmate and book club member; described as looking like she’s always pissed off, but she is not
- Jake: bookstore employee
- John Sheeran: the prosecutor who represented Frank in the trial against Violet
- Kitten: Inmate and book club member;
- Kristy (Kristine Streit): Lorraine and Frank’s daughter
- Lorraine Daigle: the 61-year-old woman killed by Violet; wife of Frank Daigle
- Lou: Harriet’s deceased husband
- Luis: Sophie’s fiance
- Marielle: Inmate and book club member; “a mill-hand’s kid, beefy and tender.”
- Marnie: the bookstore manager
- Mary Jane: receptionist at Frank’s former workplace
- Mrs. McHale: the head librarian at the Abbott Falls Public Library
- Murphy: One of the prison guards.
- Pastor Rick: Violet’s legalistic pastor from Abbott Falls
- Renee: Inmate and book club member, grew up in Maine
- Robin: bookstore employee; manages used books
- Mrs. Rocha: the office manager at the bird research lab
- Shayna: Inmate and book club member
- Sophie: Harriet’s niece who is living with her for the first half of the book
- Tabsy: Harriet’s cat
- Tom Streit: Frank’s son-in-law
- Troy: Violet’s ex-boyfriend; he was with her the night of the accident when Lorraine was killed.
- *Violet Powll: Inmate in the book club. One of the main characters. In prison for killing Lorraine Daigle while driving drunk.
- Vicki: Violet’s sister who picks her up from prison when she’s released and takes her to her apartment.
*These are the main characters.
Places, Locations, and Jargon in How to Read a Book
- Abbott Falls: Violet’s hometown
- Before: the inmates’ life ”before” they were in prison: the families, relationships, jobs, hobbies
- Lugged: When the inmates were sent to solitary confinement.
- Outs: life outside of prison
- Portland: Portland, Maine — where most of the story takes place.
- The Reason: This is The Reason they are in prison. Violet says they don’t talk about their reasons, even though they all seem to know.
- Wadsworth Books: The bookstore in Portland, Maine, where Frank works as a handyman. It’s also Harriet’s neighborhood bookstore.
Books and Authors Read in Book Club
One of the best parts of this book is when the women discuss the books they read in the book club. Here’s a list of the books they read:
More How to Read a Book Resources
Free PDF Download
Download the Book Club Discussion Guide!
Find the discussion guide in the free resource library!