| 1 | | | Books l - Life O |
| | Sara | Lindqvist | A bookshop assistant. |
| | Amy | Harris | Sara's friend. |
| | Hank | | A driver. |
| | Annie | | A school teacher. |
| | Robert | | Amy's brother. |
| | Madeline | | Ownner of a diner. Aka: Grace. |
| | George | | A chauffer. |
| | Caroline | Rohde | Amy's close friend. |
| 2 | | | The Broken Wheel Newsletter |
| | Josefin | | Sara's little sister. |
| | Jennifer | Hobson | A journalist. Aka: Jen. |
| | John | | Amy's good friend. |
| 3 | | | It is a truth universally acknowledged that Swedish tourist in Iowa must
be in want of a man. |
| | Andy | | The last member of the Walsh family in town. |
| | Andrew | Walsh Sr. | Andy's father. |
| | Carl | | Andy's good friend. |
| | Tom | Harris | Amy's nephew. |
| 4 | | | Asphalt and Concrete |
| | Mrs. | Rohde | Caroline's mother. |
| | Claire | Henderson | Caroline's niece. |
| 5 | | | A Tourist In Their Town |
| | Gertrude | | A woman who had been widowed twice. |
| | May | | Gertrude's friend. |
| 6 | | | Books and People |
| | Abe | | Andy's wife. |
| | Mike | | Tom's boss. |
| | William | Christopher | The minister. |
| 7 | | | Comfort in Bridget Jones |
| | Molly | | Porcelain figurine store owner. |
| 8 | | | Favors and Return
Favors |
| | Madame | Higgens | Owned a clothing store. |
| 9 | | | A Bookshop in their Midst |
| | Sophy | | George's daughter. |
| 10 | | | George's Theory About the Economic Crisis |
| | Michelle | | George's wife. |
| 11 | | | Caroline
organizes a collection. Again |
| | Henry | | Donated furniture for the bookshop. |
| | Susan | | Henry's wife. |
| | Samuel | Goodwin | A man who had beaten his wife. |
| | Mrs. | Goodwin | Samuel's wife. |
| 13 | | | A Town Dying |
| | Lacey | | Claire's daughter. |
| | Steven | | A boy who watched Sara while reading a book. |
| 14 | | | Fox and Sons |
| | Allen | Lane | Founder of Penguin Books. |
| 16 | | | On Romance (Books 2: Life O) |
| | Bob | Henderson | Claire's father. |
| 18 | | | What's in a Name? |
| | Chet | Culver | Former Governor of Iowa. |
| | Terry | Branstad | US Ambassador to China. |
| | Jens | Lapidus | Swedish criminal defense lawyer. |
| | Stieg | Larsson | Swedish journalist. |
| | Suntan | | One of the customers from Hope. |
| | Camillo | Valota | A Catholic minister. |
| 20 | | | Encouraging Homosexuality |
| | Joshua | | A bookshop's customer. |
| 23 | | | Not a Date |
| | Pete | | A furniture maker. |
| | Katie | | Pete's wife. |
| 28 | | | An Unexpected Offer |
| | Graham | | Grace's ex-boyfriend. |
| | Idgie | | Grace's friend. |
| 37 | | | Not Something You Talked About |
| | Ronald | Lukeman | Michelle's boyfriend. |
| 39 | | | The Smell of Books and Adventure |
| | Gavin | Jones | A good bureaucrat. |
