Multigenerational Novels
I love a family drama book, but there is something even more captivating about multigenerational novels. I love seeing multiple generations together, connected in some way. Sometimes the generations are family, but sometimes the best multigenerational novels feature beautiful friendships. These are my favorite multigenerational books, all in one place.
I know that family sagas and multigenerational novels can often be used interchangeably, but Jackie and I wanted to differentiate between them. The main distinction in this list is that not all relationships in multigenerational novels are family. We are using the term to mean multiple generations together in the same time period. Most of these stories actually feature multiple generations in a short period of time!
I did make a few exceptions to this, but you will understand why in the descriptions of these books. We have also chosen this as a prompt in the 2027 reading challenge. We will be discussing one of our favorites with the author in March.
The Best Multigenerational Novels
Each colorful block below represents the best book in a subgenre. Click on the arrow to reveal my “best” pick in any category. You’ll also be able to use a page jump to see more books in that section.
The Best Fiction Multigenerational Novel
Three Graces of Pearl Street by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins- Jump to Section
The Best Historical Fiction Multigenerational Novel
The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza- Jump to Section
The Best Fantasy Multigenerational Novel
Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite- Jump to Section
*Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Multigenerational Fiction Novels
The Three Graces of Pearl Street
Author: Elizabeth Wellington Rollins
Year: 2026
Genre: Fiction
More info: Debut Novel, March 2027 Beyond the Bookends Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Graziella is a 96-year-old former nun who runs the parish’s food kitchen. Her daughter Grace is a psychology professor, and her granddaughter Ella is brilliant but is having trouble finding where she really belongs. When the three Graces come back together to live under one roof, they may find out what it means to really be known by somebody else.
Each Grace is struggling with something, and each of them can learn from the other two Graces. But they are all hiding secrets that, when they come to light, might upend their fragile family dynamic.
Trigger Warnings
Grief
Why Kirsten loves it
I’m a sucker for a multi-generation novel to begin with, but add in layers of food, romance, and finding yourself, and you know I’m gonna dive right in. But this book is more than the sum of its parts in a way I can’t quite explain. I adore it.
I was rooting for all of the Graces, charmed by their eccentricities, delighted in their triumphs, and I was shattered by their sorrows. I wanted to dine with the Graces to hear their stories firsthand and watch their banter come to life. I’m PRAYING we get an adaptation of this story because I want it to come to life even more than it already is in my brain.
I’m so excited to talk with Elizabeth for our book club. I can’t wait to dive into her brain and find out the inspiration behind this story. Gifted by Atria and Simon Audio.
Find this book in: Books About Mothers and Motherhood / Novels About Food / Best Family Drama Books / Best Fiction Books of 2026/ Multigenerational Novels
Sandwich
Author: Catherine Newman
Year: 2024
Genre: Fiction
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 18+
Special Info: July 2025 Beyond the Bookends Book Club pick
Plot
Rocky and her family have gone to a rental in Cape Cod for 20 years. This year, the vacation feels different. Rocky’s kids are almost fully grown, but not quite, her parents are getting older faster than she would like and she is experiencing all the joys of menopause.
As they spend the week together, Rocky sees things differently than she has in the past. She has secrets that she no longer wants to keep.
Trigger Warnings
Abortion
Why Jackie loves it
This 236-page book is an absolute must-read. I related to Rocky’s mood swings and inner monologue so much I was screaming with laughter. The way she simultaneously loved her husband and felt the urge to slap him was laugh-out-loud funny. I also loved the relationship that she had with her kids. This book is perfect for any woman who is in the sandwich generation and trying to find her place as a mother and daughter.
Why Kirsten loves it
I savored this book, and it ended too soon for me. Newman’s portrayal of being a mother, a wife, and a daughter was spot on. I laughed out loud and even cried a little too with this 5-star book.
Find this book in: Books with Food in the Title / Best Family Drama Books / New June 2024 Book Releases / Best New Fiction Books of 2024 / The Best Books of 2024 / Multigenerational Novels
How to Age Disgracefully
Author: Clare Pooley
Year: 2024
Genre: Fiction
More info: Best-selling author
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Like Clare Pooley’s previous books, this one has a multi-generational cast of characters that make it utterly delightful and laugh-out-loud funny.
Lydia has a new job running the Senior Citizen’s Social Club and the members are unlike anything she expected. Art is an out-of-work actor, William is a former paparazzi, and Daphne is a 70-year-old who lives alone and talks to her plants. And that is only half of the lively crew. When the City council tries to sell the community center building, the Social Club members enlist the help of the daycare, a teenager, and a dog to save the building.
Why Jackie loves it
I read this book in a day. I laughed, I cried, and I applauded. This book made me feel so good. The multi-generational cast of characters makes this book appealing to anyone who loves a great second-chance fiction book. It is about finding yourself and your inner strength (with a side of revenge). And one of our favorite characters from a previous book makes a brief appearance!
Find this book in: Feel Good Books / Ultimate Beach Reads 2024 / Best New 2024 Fiction / The Best Books of 2024 / Books with Older Protagonists / Multigenerational Novels
These Summer Storms
Author: Sarah Maclean
Year: 2025
Genre: Fiction
Spice Rating:💋💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Alice Storm has not returned to her family’s private island vacation home since she wanted a life outside of the Storm family’s billions and her father’s control. When her father dies unexpectedly, she returns home to for his funeral and discovers he has plans from beyond the grave. He had created an inheritance game where Alice, her siblings (Greta, Sam, and Emily), and her mother must complete tasks to earn their inheritance, and they ALL have to complete their tasks or no one receives anything.
Alice’s task is to remain on the island for a full week – a challenging task given that her family hasn’t spoken with her since her father cut her off. Secrets will be revealed, and the family will either come together or split for good. And when her father’s second-in-command shows up to enforce the rules, the chemistry he has with Alice might become a problem.
Why Kirsten loves it
Every member of this uber-rich family is INSUFFERABLE in the absolute most delicious way possible. If you like shows like White Lotus or The Sirens, I think you will be able to picture exactly the kinds of people I’m talking about. I loved Alice’s struggle to do what her moral compass was telling her to do (run for the hills) and wanted to stay to give her family what they so desperately wanted – the money, when really she just wants to feel important and valued.
The romantic element of the story was steamy and quite a great sidequest, but it was the family struggles that had me squirming in my seat with anxiety, flipping through the pages at warp speed. This is a DELICIOUS summer read.
Find this book in: Beach Reads 2025 / Family Dramas / Best Fiction Books of 2025 / Books Inspired by The Life of A Showgirl / Family Inheritance Novels / Best Books of 2025 / Multigenerational Novels
Jackpot Summer
Author: Elyssa Friedland
Year: 2024
Genre: Fiction
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
The four Jacobson children reunite for a weekend to clean out and sell the Jersey Shore home they’ve loved since they were children. They are preparing to say goodbye to the home, reminisce about their recently deceased mother, and help their father with his move to a Florida retirement village.
They did not expect to win the lottery that same weekend when three of the four siblings entered a Powerball drawing. But win they do, and when money becomes the focus, the family starts to fall apart.
Why Kirsten likes it
As one of 4 siblings, I particularly loved the dynamics in this story. Anyone from a big family knows the constant texting, side arguments, and inside jokes are very real. I like that their love for each other trumped all in the end.
Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2024 / Books Set at the Beach / Books with Summer in the Title / Multigenerational Novels
Historical Fiction Multigenerational Novels
Plot
Jo Piazza has written the PERFECT summer novel, striking a delicious balance between being relaxing enough to enjoy on the beach but thought-provoking enough to discuss with your book club.
I was swept into the story of Sara and her quest to learn about her unexpected inheritance and the possible murder of her great-grandmother, Serafina. To solve the mystery and claim her inheritance, she must travel to the Italian countryside – giving her a break from her recently closed restaurant and her failed marriage.
The dual-timeline narrative focuses on Sara’s quest and Serafina’s life as a woman coming into her own in the 1900s. The stakes are high for both women as they balance staying true to their dreams in the face of society’s oppression of women, especially when it turns dangerous.
Why Kirsten loves it
I could go on and on about this one. The vivid imagery that Jo paints with her writing had me picturing the town, tasting the food, and smelling the Sicilian soil. I SWEAR, at one point I touched my chin to see if the oil from the meal she was writing about was dripping down my face.
It’s a multi-genre, multigenerational masterpiece of a beach read. #gifted by Dutton Books
Why Jackie loves it
I could not put this book down. The characters and the plot compelled me to keep reading, the descriptions of the people and the places made me feel like I was actually there. The fact that some of this is based in a true story is just a cherry on top of this sundae!
Find this book in: Beach Read 2024 / Books Set in Italy / Best Historical Fiction of 2024 / Best Mystery Books 2024 / The Best Books of 2024 / Books like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo / Multigenerational Novels
The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: Bestselling author
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range:16+
Plot
This is the story of a mysterious book that brings together three women and their stories. Eva Fuentes is a teacher who is sent to study at Harvard to promote a relationship between Cuba and the United States. She wrote a book that will affect everyone who reads it.
In Havana in 1966, Pilar Castillo goes to work every day in the library and waits to see the fate of her husband who has been arrested by Castro’s men. When her fleeing neighbor gives her a book, Pillar must risk everything to protect the book that was entrusted to her.
In London 2024, Margo Reynolds is searching for a rare antique book. There is only ever one copy known to exist. When a beloved friend and bookstore owner is murdered, Margo knows it has something to do with the book
Trigger Warnings
Communist regime, murder
Why Jackie loves it
I love these three brave women who know how to fight for themselves, for love, and for friendship. The three stories were woven together beautifully. I loved the multiple timelines as well. I never felt confused by the characters, the plot, or the timeline.
Find this book in: The Ultimate List of Books About Books / Chanel Cleeton Books in Order / Multigenerational Novels
Fantasy Multigenerational Novels
Cursed Daughters
Author: Oyinkan Braithwaite
Year: 2025
Genre: Fiction
More info: November 2025 Read With Jenna Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
For generations, the women of the Falodun family have believed they are living under a curse set on them by the first wife of their ancestor. In the present day, Eniiyi is the latest descendant living with the superstitions in the family home. Born the same day as her mother’s cousin was buried, some of the women in her family think she is Monife reincarnated.
But Eniiyi wants to be her own woman, free from Monife’s shadow, out from under the 2 generations of women she’s living with, and without the curse of being unlucky in love. When she falls for the man that she rescues from drowning, she goes in search of answers to get all that she wants.
Trigger Warnings
Abortion, Miscarriage, Death, Suicide
Why Kirsten loves it
After My Sister, The Serial Killer, I will forever read anything that Braithwaite writes, and this story about a family curse does not disappoint. I felt for each generation of women as they dealt with the superstitions in their own way. I loved the multiple timelines and narrators as each gave such depth to the story.
And that ending! Loved it! Braithwaite truly writes scenes that are so vivid in your imagination that they stay with you long after the final page has been turned.
Find this book in: Read with Jenna Book Club List 2025 / Multigenerational Novels
Weyward by Emilia Hart
Author: Emilia Hart
Year: 2023
Genre: Historical Fantasy
More info: Indie Next March 2023 Pick, Winner of two Goodreads Choice Awards (Best Debut and Best Historical Fiction)
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This is such a well-thought-out book and one of the best witch books I have read in a while. This adult fantasy book follows three Weyward women. In 2017, Kate is fleeing an abusive partner to her great-aunt’s cottage. In 1619, Altha is awaiting her own witch trial and in 1942 we meet Violet whose father keeps her trapped in her house because she cannot fit into what society expects of her.
Each of these women finds themselves and who they are as the story progresses and I found myself completely sucked in.
Why Jackie loves it
I loved this debut fantasy novel and I cannot wait to see what comes next from this author. It is also a perfect book to read if you love the Practical Magic Series or the All Souls Trilogy. If fantasy books are your favorite, you will love this book.
Find this book in: The Best Witch Books / Books Like A Discovery of Witches / Ultimate List of Best Adult Fantasy Novels / Nonlinear Narrative Novels / Best Adult Fantasy Novels / Multigenerational Novels
Once and Again
Author: Rebecca Serle
Release Date: March 10, 2026
Genre: Romance
More info: New York Times Bestselling Author
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
The women in the Novak family have a special ability to turn back time ONCE. Lauren knows that her mother saved her father from a deadly car accident and has lived in fear of what she would not be able to change ever since.
Lauren has always been close with her father and grandmother, but has had a strained relationship with her mother. When Lauren’s husband takes a job in NYC, Lauren moves back into her childhood home in Malibu with her parents and grandmother.
She starts to fall back into old routines rather than think of the physical and emotional distance between her and her husband. The fertility issues they are experiencing are driving a wedge in their relationship. When Lauren finds her first love and boyfriend of a decade back in Malibu, she wonders if she needs to change her past.
Trigger Warnings
Infertility
Why Jackie loves it
Nobody does family relationships and magical realism like Serle. I love the relationship between the three generations of women and the different ways they parent. The family dynamics felt authentic, and the moral dilemmas that come with the ability to change the past felt heartwrenching at times.
Find this book in: Time Loop Books / Multigenerational Novels
The Women of Wild Hill
Author: Kirsten Miller
Year: 2025
Genre: Fantasy
More info: Best-selling author of The Change
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
I love that authors this year are writing badass women who are fighting the patriarchy. Kirsten Miller tackles that theme with this tale of modern witches on Wild Hill, Long Island, where the ghost of a witch burned at the stake barred everyone from her land until Sadie from Scotland arrived.
For generations, Sadie’s descendants thrived on Wild Hill as each generation’s power grew. Now, Brigid, Phoebe, and Sibyl have been called back to Wild Hill to deliver a reckoning to mankind – and specifically the billionaires who treat the earth like their playground with little consequence for the disastrous impact on people and planet.
Brigid can see death, Phoebe can heal with her plants and the sisters have always been close until their mother’s untimely death when they were ripped apart. Decades have passed without the sisters speaking and without them stepping foot on Wild Hill. Phoebe’s daughter, Sibyl, knows nothing of her heritage, her mother’s powers, or even that she has an aunt.
But when they are all called back by their descendants, they must work through their differences and learn to trust one another to change the trajectory of the world.
Why Kirsten loves it
I could not put this story down. If you liked The Change, this is set in the same world – with small callbacks to that plot – but on a much larger scale. I was blown away by Kirsten’s ability to weave such an intricate story that was both intimate and global in scheme. A favorite of the year for me without a doubt. #gifted by William Morrow.
Find this book in: Best Fantasy Books of 2025 / Novels About Weather / Best Witch Books / Giftable Books / Best Books of 2025 / Multigenerational Novels
Expert Tip
Reading challenges are more fun (and easier to finish) with company. In the Beyond the Bookends Book Club, we read one book together each month, share our thoughts, and then hear the story behind the story straight from the author. Plus, the book is already picked for you, so there is one less decision to make. If you would love a few reading friends for your 2027 reading challenge, we’d be happy to have you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a family saga and a multigenerational novel?
Often, family sagas and multigenerational novels are used interchangeably in the book world. However, a multigenerational novel is not always a story about a family. In addition, a saga is a story that takes place over many years and many generations. A multigenerational novel can take place over a short period of time with multiple generations and part of the narrative.
Related Content
Join the Beyond the Bookends Book Club!
Looking to engage with like-minded readers and the authors of your favorite books? Join our book club!
Epilogue
What is your favorite multigenerational novel, and did I include it on this list?
