The Mookse and the Gripes discussion
Desmond Elliott Prize
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Desmond Elliott Prize for debut fiction
Crossing the Atlantic drinking champagne is how I do much of my reading.
2018 longlist:We That Are Young by Preti Taneja (Galley Beggar Press) - hooray!
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (HarperCollins)
The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks (Salt)
How to Be Human by Paula Cocozza (Hutchinson)
The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar (Harvill Secker)
Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak (Piatkus)
Peculiar Ground by Lucy Hughes-Hallett (4th Estate)
How Saints Die by Carmen Marcus (Harvill Secker)
One Star Awake by Andrew Meehan (New Island)
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber)
Recent past winners - an impressive list2017: Golden Hill
2016: The Glorious Heresies
2015: Our Endless Numbered Days
2014: A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing
(full list here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond...)
Gumble's Yard wrote: "Crossing the Atlantic drinking champagne is how I do much of my reading."That would explain a lot
It's an interesting list, and I'm happy to see We That Are Young on there. I thought The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times was marvellous too, and I'm not just saying that because Salt are based in Norfolk!
Agreed but the fact both publishers are based in Norfolk is certainly an added bonus!
Viv wrote: "It's an interesting list, and I'm happy to see We That Are Young on there. I thought The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times was marvellous too, and I'm no..."I would also love to see The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times recognized - this book is still haunting me, what an impressive read!
Would love to see either The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times or We That Are Young recognized. Both fantastic debuts!
My reviews of 6 of the 10 books on the longlist.We That Are Young – 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
No comment needed - the book that should have won the 2018 Women's Prize
Mermaid and Mrs Hancock - 4.5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I think this book just came at the right time for me after a lot of experimental reading
The Clocks in This House – 3.5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is an excellent book, I just had issues with the subject matter
Peculiar Ground – 3*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Clearly a very talented writer, but needs to adapt her style from non-fiction
Eleanor Oliphant – 3*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
No comment needed I think
Conversations with Friends – 3*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A fresh new voice but writing about superficial characters with privileged directionless lives.
I am so pleased to The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times being recognized. I loved that book and was surprised that it didn’t get more notice. There are countless books about people breaking taboos, but Xan Brooks did a remarkable job of making me care about the men breaking the taboos.I am again surprised to find Eleanor Oliphant on this list. I don’t mean to start a debate again, but I wish I understood why it is getting more attention than other more worthy, in my humble opinion, books.
I've updated the list of longlisted titles: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
It could do with a few more voters, and one less self-publicist author.
WndyJW wrote: "I am again surprised to find Eleanor Oliphant on this list. I don’t mean to start a debate again, but I wish I understood why it is getting more attention than other more worthy, in my humble opinion, books. "The Society of Authors also published the longlist for their Best First Novel Award today
https://m.facebook.com/authorsclub189...
Two books made both lists: The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times and - yes you guessed it - Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
Great to see two Salt and one Blue Moose book on the list.
WndyJW wrote: "I keep seeing Man with a seagull on his head. Has anyone read that?"One of our fellow RoC judges loved it
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...?
Salt with How to Be a Kosovan Bride and Blue Moose (publishers of Gallows Pole) with A Man with a Seagull on His Head. I have both on my TBR pile as I received them as part of the crowd funding of the Republic of Consciousness Prize.
Gumble's Yard wrote: "Salt with How to Be a Kosovan Bride and Blue Moose (publishers of Gallows Pole) with A Man with a Seagull on His Head. I have both on my TBR pile as I received them as part of the crowd funding o..."
How to Be A Kosovan Bride is one of my favourite reads so far this year, but doesn't seem to have been very widely read, so hopefully this nomination will win it more readers. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2248942389.
Shortlist. We That Are Young (clearly should go on to win), Eleanor Oliphant and How to Be Human.
I have read a few of the books on the long list, although not How to Be Human. I will remedy that, but it is going to have to be 'amazing' to beat We That Are Young.
Two of my favourite books! (haven't read the third)
I just bought the third so will be interested to see what it is like
If We That Are Young loses to Eleanor I will lose my faith in book prizes, at least this book prize.
Well as a juror of a prize that shortlisted Preti's book but didn't make it the winner I will refrain from criticism. But much as I enjoyed Eleanor O, it was no Attrib.
The criteria for the two prizes are different.'The judges will be looking for a novel which has a compelling narrative, arresting characters and which is both vividly written and confidently realised.'
versus
'The winner will be chosen based on two criteria, perfectly expressed on the Galley Beggar website as ‘hardcore literary fiction and gorgeous prose’.'
WTAY meets the first more closely than it does the second.
How to Be Human sounds interesting, but after Fever Dream, Die, My Love, and even Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine I’m not eager for another unhinged woman. We can handle stress without losing our grip! I’m being facetious, of course, but I’ll wait to hear if it’s a must read from others in the group.
OK - this is one seriously unhinged woman - and a book I nearly abandoned several times but was glad I finished. I could easily have given it anywhere from 1* to 3.5* rounded to 4*My review here
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have a copy. I haven't got around to reading it yet for WndyJW's reasons, but I will now.
Good review, Gumble, but I think I will pass on this book.
And the winner is We That Are Young !!!!
fantastic news
2nd win for a small independent press this week.
Actually the third in a week with Tramp Press and Mike McCormack winning the Dublin Literary Prize
True although for balance the Edge Hill Prize long to shortlist cut seemed to largely consist of eliminating the RoC prize books.
Mod
Unlike many other prizes whose announcement seems to coincide with a GR outRage - at least on this forum.
It is very exciting to support and read small press gems and then have them go on to win prestigious awards. I’m thrilled for Preti Taneja and for Galley Beggar.
2019 longlist is out:
Golden Child by Claire Adam (Faber & Faber)
A Perfect Explanation by Eleanor Anstruther (Salt)
Hold by Michael Donkor (4th Estate)
The Chameleon by Samuel Fisher (Salt)
Everything Under by Daisy Johnson (Jonathan Cape)
Devoured by Anna Mackmin (Propolis Books)
Future Popes of Ireland by Darragh Martin (4th Estate)
Follow Me To Ground by Sue Rainsford (New Island Books)
Stubborn Archivist by Yara Rodrigues Fowler (Fleet)
Testament by Kim Sherwood (riverrun)
I have read 4 - Hold, Follow me to Ground, The Chameleon, Everything Under - all very strong (the Booker shortlisted Everything Under is probably the weakest and it was my 2nd favourite for the Booker).Great to see two novels by Norfolk indy Salt Publishing, one by Samuel Fisher of the Burley Fisher bookshop.
Stubborn Archivist is fantastic - it's similar to Bottled Goods style-wise.
Mod
Robert wrote: "Stubborn Archivist is fantastic - it's similar to Bottled Goods style-wise."That sounds great ... then the publisher's blurb compares it to Conversations with Friends, Gumble Yard's least favourite novel on last year's list.
It feels from reviews (is yours up yet?) that style wise closer to Bottled Goods but subject matter wise closer to Rooney?
Paul wrote: "Robert wrote: "Stubborn Archivist is fantastic - it's similar to Bottled Goods style-wise."That sounds great ... then the publisher's blurb compares it to Conversations with Friends, Gumble Yard'..."
Here's my review:
https://thebobsphere.wordpress.com/20...
I haven't read Conversations with Friends but I don't think Rooney's style is present in the SA. Rodrigues' writing is not dissimilar the quirky type of narration one sees in books by Lorrie Moore.
Thanks - it sounds great. I do think this is an impressive prize generally in terms of its ability to seek out a range of interesting new voices.
Paul wrote: "Thanks - it sounds great. I do think this is an impressive prize generally in terms of its ability to seek out a range of interesting new voices."Yes - agreed
That does sound great and will try to get round to it once I have reduced my TBR pile which is starting to stress me in its size!Much as I liked Chameleon (and I think I liked it a lot more than you Paul) and Follow Me To The Ground (which I know did not get a lot of love from those following the RoC longlist) - Everything Under is a class above both.
I had hoped that Eleanor Anstruther's book might make the Women's Prize long list - and definitely have that lined up to read at some point.
The prize has been won twice in its short history by a Norfolk based publisher - so would be great if another Norfolk based publisher won it this year (via Salt).
I like to think that somewhere roughly equidistant between Norwich and Cromer (say the little village of Heydon in which my great grandparents lived) is the centre of the literary universe.
Phillip wrote: "I've updated the list of longlisted titles: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
It could do with a few more voters, and one less self-publicist author."
The shortlist of 3 has been chosen.Hold, Golden Child and Devoured.
https://amp.theguardian.com/books/boo...
Write up from one of the judges, novelist Alan Hollinghurst. Interestingly the judges for the shortlist and winner start with the longlist so a different panel must choose that, which I rather like as a way of judging a prize.
So that would beOne book about a Norfolk childhood
One book about a twin called Paul
One book by a teacher at your daughters school
You kept the fact you were a judge very quiet.
Yes that, and the fact I won the Booker Prize in 2004 are two things I prefer not to mention.
So the teacher at my daughter’s school missed out to a book about two identical twins, one who is a star pupil and other called Paul who is “slightly retarded.” Not sure how I feel about that.
The Mookse and the Gripes
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"Charismatic, witty, and waspish, Elliott lived his life with verve. He drank only champagne, always crossed the Atlantic on Concorde and lunched at Fortnum and Mason. His office was in Mayfair and he had homes in St James’s and on Park Avenue. Desmond Elliott’s resolve to support new writers will live on in the shape of the prize.
When choosing the winner, a panel of three judges will look for a novel which has a compelling narrative, arresting character, and which is both vividly written and confidently realised."