diff --git a/src/implicitdict/__init__.py b/src/implicitdict/__init__.py
index 6922eed..9e13680 100644
--- a/src/implicitdict/__init__.py
+++ b/src/implicitdict/__init__.py
@@ -159,14 +159,13 @@ def _parse_value(value, value_type: Type):
         # Type is generic
         arg_types = get_args(value_type)
         if generic_type is list:
-            if get_origin(arg_types[0]) is list:
-                return value
-            elif issubclass(arg_types[0], ImplicitDict):
-                # value is a list of some kind of ImplicitDict values
-                return [ImplicitDict.parse(item, arg_types[0]) for item in value]
-            else:
-                # value is a list of non-ImplicitDict values
-                return value
+            try:
+                value_list = [v for v in value]
+            except TypeError as e:
+                if "not iterable" in str(e):
+                    raise ValueError(f"Cannot parse non-iterable value '{value}' of type '{type(value).__name__}' into list type '{value_type}'")
+                raise
+            return [_parse_value(v, arg_types[0]) for v in value_list]
 
         elif generic_type is dict:
             # value is a dict of some kind
diff --git a/tests/test_containers.py b/tests/test_containers.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2df4065
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_containers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+from typing import List, Optional
+
+from implicitdict import ImplicitDict
+
+
+class MySpecialClass(str):
+    @property
+    def is_special(self) -> bool:
+        return True
+
+
+class MyContainers(ImplicitDict):
+    single_value: MySpecialClass
+    value_list: List[MySpecialClass]
+    optional_list: Optional[List[MySpecialClass]]
+    optional_value_list: List[Optional[MySpecialClass]]
+    list_of_lists: List[List[MySpecialClass]]
+
+
+def test_container_item_value_casting():
+    containers: MyContainers = ImplicitDict.parse(
+        {
+            "single_value": "foo",
+            "value_list": ["value1", "value2"],
+            "optional_list": ["bar"],
+            "optional_value_list": ["baz", None],
+            "list_of_lists": [["list1v1", "list1v2"], ["list2v1"]]
+        }, MyContainers)
+
+    assert containers.single_value.is_special
+
+    assert len(containers.value_list) == 2
+    for v in containers.value_list:
+        assert v.is_special
+
+    assert len(containers.optional_list) == 1
+    assert containers.optional_list[0].is_special
+
+    assert len(containers.optional_value_list) == 2
+    for v in containers.optional_value_list:
+        assert (v is None) or v.is_special
+
+    assert len(containers.list_of_lists) == 2
+    assert len(containers.list_of_lists[0]) == 2
+    for v in containers.list_of_lists[0]:
+        assert v.is_special
+    assert len(containers.list_of_lists[1]) == 1
+    for v in containers.list_of_lists[1]:
+        assert v.is_special
diff --git a/tests/test_mutability.py b/tests/test_mutability.py
index 222fbf8..31801cf 100644
--- a/tests/test_mutability.py
+++ b/tests/test_mutability.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ def test_mutability_from_parse():
     assert data.primitive != primitive
 
     primitive_list[1] = 'three'
-    assert data.list_of_primitives[1] == 'three'
+    assert data.list_of_primitives[1] == 'two'  # <-- lists are reconstructed with `parse`
 
     generic_dict['level1'] = 'bar'
     assert data.generic_dict['level1'] == 'foo'  # <-- dicts are reconstructed with `parse`
diff --git a/tests/test_normal_usage.py b/tests/test_normal_usage.py
index 5cb3f6d..4eb12b7 100644
--- a/tests/test_normal_usage.py
+++ b/tests/test_normal_usage.py
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ def test_nested_structures():
         'my_list': [{'foo': 'one'}, {'foo': 'two'}],
         'my_list_2': [[1, 2], [3, 4, 5]],
         'my_list_3': [[[1, 2, 3], [4, 5]], [[6], [7], [8]], [[9, 10]]],
-        'my_dict': {'foo': 1.23, 'bar': 4.56}
+        'my_dict': {'foo': [1.23], 'bar': [4.56]}
     }
     data: NestedStructures = ImplicitDict.parse(src_dict, NestedStructures)
 
@@ -153,5 +153,5 @@ def test_nested_structures():
     assert data.my_list_3[2][0][1] == 10
 
     assert len(data.my_dict) == 2
-    assert data.my_dict['foo'] == 1.23
-    assert data.my_dict['bar'] == 4.56
+    assert data.my_dict['foo'] == [1.23]
+    assert data.my_dict['bar'] == [4.56]