2023 Booker Prize speculation Showing 751-800 of 1,356

[WndyJW]

Doug said to beware of reviews because they give away a plot twist too easily.

[Paul]

Slightly worrying if a plot twist reveal can make a difference to a book - doesn't sound sort of thing that the Booker should feature.

[Yahaira]

I just don't think it's a plot twist

[David]

I’m halfway through and not sure what could be spoiled. It’s a bleak book. Small Things Like These is full of rainbows and sunshine by comparison.

[Lark]

I didn’t see any plot twists, personally. That’s part of what kept it from being a great book, for me.

[Ben]

Potentially (probably) naive question: would a judge blurbing a book have any bearing on its chances of being nominated?

On the one hand it’s a very obvious indication that the judge likes the book, but on the other I have no idea if there’s any transaction involved in blurbing, and if that means there’s a conflict of interest.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

It’s normally a strong indication that the book has an excellent chance of making at least the longlist

A couple of recent Booker examples I can think

The Shadow King blurbed by Lemn Sissay
Snap blurbed by Val McDermid

What were you thinking of ?

[Robert]

Don’t forget Snap!

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I didn’t.
Unless you were playing Snap?

[Ben]

Thanks GY, good to know there are examples.

Esi Edugyan is on the front cover of This Other Eden (the UK edition at least), so perhaps bodes well for Paul Harding.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

That’s a great call.

[Cindy]

If I recall correctly, he Harding was getting a lot of love even without the Edugyan blurb, when it was first released. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it on the longlist. It was not for me (too bleak and too many horrible people), but I appreciated the quality of the writing.

[WndyJW]

Lark wrote: "I didn’t see any plot twists, personally. That’s part of what kept it from being a great book, for me."

Doug said plot point, not plot twist, sorry. While I agree with Paul, plot driven isn’t my kind of book, I would rather be surprised if there is a surprise than know what’s coming. Having said that, I would love for the Booker books to be not plot dependent like DC or Covenant of Water.

[David]

Eric Anderson has a good review of August Blue, touching on ways the character of Elsa blends into Levy's own biography: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I might disagree with Eric a bit on whether this aspect is a positive or negative feature, as I think it's one of the elements that elevates this book to the top tier of Booker contenders.

[Rachel]

Cindy wrote: "I just finished Lorrie Moore's new novel I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home, which I thought was stunningly written, very complex and very, very wonderful. I may be biased because..."

I've been waiting to read what others have thought about Moore's latest in here, I'm very happy you enjoyed it and wish I could say the same! I love love love her short stories and had very high expectations for this one, but I Am Homeless was deeply disappointing to me. I could not find much meaning or depth in either the 19th century narrative nor the modern day one (except for the relationship between Finn and his brother but we were given so little of that!). I normally love her dialogue but just thought it was quite off in this one. I'm still sad that I disliked it so much, I thought it would be a favorite of the year!

[Rachel]

David wrote: "I’m halfway through and not sure what could be spoiled. It’s a bleak book. Small Things Like These is full of rainbows and sunshine by comparison."

Oh yikes, I just started this today so thanks for the heads up!

[David]

The bleakness does let up after a while, sort of, but it’s still a heavy book.

[Cindy]

Rachel wrote: "Cindy wrote: "I just finished Lorrie Moore's new novel I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home, which I thought was stunningly written, very complex and very, very wonderful. I may be ..."

That is too bad Rachel. Obviously I did not have that experience from reading the book. I definitely do not think the novel is for everyone but for me, the stories were deeply moving and the wordplay was fascinating and brilliant. I suspect it will elicit a broad range of reactions.

[Yahaira]

I agree with you Rachel, I loved the book at the beginning but grew tired of the witty dialogue and was disappointed that nothing came together

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I was a little disappointed too - it’s my first Moore. I felt her writing at the sentence/paragraph level was very strong but despite the obvious links between the 2016 and 1871 (or so) stories I did not feel it really coalesced as a novel.

It preferred her character to the same character in the book on last year’s longlist though

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Just started Juno Loves Legs - seems much better than Montpellier Parade (but I thought that was weak) although so far feels like sad Irish childhood book bingo ……

[Yahaira]

oh you'll definitely get a bingo

[Lark]

I wish I could 'like' your comment Yahaira

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

All the immense literary talent in Ireland and no one can think to write a novel featuring say a nice (or even less than evil) Priest / Nun or two teetotal parents

[Cindy]

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "I was a little disappointed too - it’s my first Moore. I felt her writing at the sentence/paragraph level was very strong but despite the obvious links between the 2016 and 1871 (or so) stories I d..."

I did feel that it coalesced, but probably not in as obvious a way as we might have expected or hoped.

And I completely agree that there is no comparison between the renderings of the character on last year longlist and in this novel.

[David]

For me, it’s not that the priest and nun are evil, although that is a bit tired as a trope, but that they are evil in a rather banal way. So the novel isn’t really a commentary on anything at a structural level, just a story about miserable people.

[Paul]

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "It preferred her character to the same character in the book on last year’s longlist though."

Cindy wrote: "And I completely agree that there is no comparison between the renderings of the character on last year longlist and in this novel"

Which character from last year (or is this a plot spoiler so being cryptic deliberately)?

[David]

I haven’t read it but I’m guessing John Wilkes Booth.

[Yahaira]

or maybe it's a plot point (it's Booth)

[Cindy]

I think GY and I were trying to avoid spoilers here. But yes it’s Booth.

[Paul]

I was trying to think what Booker book Booth was in - clue's in the name! (not one I read so completely forgot its existence)

[Yahaira]

I wish I could forget it exists

[WndyJW]

Abraham Lincoln’s killer features in Juno Loves Legs or is the a thread that lost its way?

[WndyJW]

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "All the immense literary talent in Ireland and no one can think to write a novel featuring say a nice (or even less than evil) Priest / Nun or two teetotal parents"

I agree! Maybe Ireland should encourage a lot of Finns to immigrate and settle.

[David]

There are multiple books being discussed. The threads did get a bit intertwined.

I finished the book I was reading (Juno Loves Legs) a few minutes ago. Not only Doug, but others have raved about it as well. I feel like I read a different book entirely. I'll be interested to see what GY and others take from it.

[Yahaira]

I thought it was fine? I wasn't affected by it like others, not one tear was shed. I did like the voice of Juno.

[Alwynne]

Yahaira wrote: "I thought it was fine? I wasn't affected by it like others, not one tear was shed. I did like the voice of Juno."

That's a relief I've read reviews and descriptions and even the positive ones make it sound deeply annoying, think I'll continue to pass on this one!

[Paul]

You didn't shed a tear when Juno Wilkie Booth shot President McKinley? Or am I getting confused?

[Alwynne]

Paul wrote: "You didn't shed a tear when Juno Wilkie Booth shot President McKinley? Or am I getting confused?"

Not surprisingly. Is there a novel that thinks we should care about President McKinley? Isn't he primarily known for his colonial land-grabbing/empire-building during the Spanish-American War?

[Paul]

Fair point - well done Juno

[Yahaira]

I just couldn't connect to McKinley's character

[Ben]

I wonder if we’ll see any comedic books on the list, given Robert Webb’s judging spot…

The Bee Sting
Grimmish
The Librarianist
Bandit Queens

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

On Juno I need to gather my thoughts and write a review but I think I am in the middle - I can see why people are raving about it but felt it flawed.

I found the third quarter of the book - when we first see Juno and then Legs as an adult extremely powerful.

The first half though was too much Irish novel misery bingo - as a couple of you predicted very accurately I pretty well got a full house (although there was no trip to Uk for an abortion). Far from moving I found it too much to be honest - so that rather than crying I actually laughed at the bus incidents as it was getting a little silly. I did appreciate how he made Juno (and by the way it’s impressive how he writes her voice) far from perfect/likeable …. I actually found the off licence visit far more shocking o]behaviour by her than the subsequent one with a kitchen object - it reminded me of Agnes Bain’s trip to the Golf Club except here the action was deliberate and by the “hero” of the novel.

The last quarter felt like borrowing from another and separate trope of misery novels.

(i am trying to avoid spoilers so apologies if a little obtuse)

[Owen]

Saw Reproduction by Louisa Hall mentioned earlier in the thread as likely just outside the eligibility window. Is that correct? All the bookshops I can see list the publication date as 22nd June, so it might be okay?

[David]

Gumble wrote: "On Juno I need to gather my thoughts and write a review but I think I am in the middle - I can see why people are raving about it but felt it flawed. ..."

I had similar thoughts, but I rounded down where others might round up. I think it just got too ridiculous to take seriously. Once the spell was broken, there was no bringing me back.

[Lark]

GY, your view on Juno Love Legs feels completely right, and very fair.

I was upended by contradictory feelings as a I read, because so many of the scenes really did feel like something on that bingo card, as you say--but the bingo scenes were so well done.

So I'd be reading along and rolling my eyes and thinking 'oh, here THIS scene is, the one I've been expecting all along,' while also thinking: 'wow, this is quite a well-written rendition of this scene I've been expecting.'

[Alwynne]

Lark wrote: "GY, your view on Juno Love Legs feels completely right, and very fair.

I was upended by contradictory feelings as a I read, because so many of the scenes really did feel like something on that bin..."

I wonder if it's to do with what publishers think will sell? I recently read a debut novella from a Welsh author The Unbroken Beauty of Rosalind Bone and that was a similarly cliche-ridden narrative centred on a Welsh village, so lots of eccentrics, sexual abuse, hidden secrets, juvenile deliquents threatening the peace of the village, dark mysterious woods, parents lost to mining accidents etc And reading GY's comments realise that book felt very much like it was promoting a version of Wales and Welsh community tailored to what seems marketable. Going back to Ireland it's like those mainstream American films that feature the lead character going back to Ireland, with the annoying folk music, the pub scene etc I assume those are produced on the basis that's the vision of Ireland that some like. Or since the outcry about the church, nuns stealing babies etc there's also alongside that the kind of narrative that Juno seems to be.

[Alwynne]

It's essentially the 'lookalike' system in play.

[Lark]

Alwynne wrote: "It's essentially the 'lookalike' system in play."

This, definitely—if I ever have another editor tell me I should try very hard to write more like Otessa Moshfegh then I don’t know what I’ll do—but even if I hate the idea of supposedly-literary books being written to order, I’m still struggling with what to feel about a book that does this written-to-order thing so well. It’s like asking: do we really need another recording of Beethoven’s 6th symphony? Maybe? Quite often it seems that this is the kind of book that gets the big awards, a story with no surprises, done very well.

[David]

It's done well in the sense that the prose is decent, but I didn't find it to be a particularly insightful look at any of the miseries. It felt too cliched to me.