2023 Booker Prize speculation Showing 151-200 of 1,356

[Robert]

Oh that’s so good to hear - also, I assume, it ties in nicely with book of hours as there are passages about st Cuthbert as well

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Thanks Robert - I was just racking my brains trying to think where I had read of Cuthbert recently. Of course it was Book of Hours!!!!

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Finished it now - I thought it was really excellent.

[Jo]

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "Finished it now - I thought it was really excellent."

I have just requested Cuddy. Hopefully approved before I finish up In Memorium.

This is turning out to be a wonderful year for some really impressive literature.

[Cindy]

Big fan of Ben Myers. Cuddy just shot up on my most anticipated list.

[Teresa]

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

My goodness, this was an extraordinary book! Rarely do books make me sob, this one was so incredibly moving, that I hung my head and wept.

This is a fictionalised account of what really happened to the residents of Malaga Island, Maine once a home to a small, impoverished fishing community.

In 1911 a very dark blight on the State of Maine and it’s history took place.
A tragic chain of events spurred by prejudice of the poor, the racist “science” of eugenics married with political corruption all conspired together in a perfect storm leaving devastation.

Extraordinary literary work. Well done.

[Paul]

He appeared on the Lori 'RofC US/Canada' Feathers and Sam 'Galley Beggar' Jordinson podcast Across the Pond recently - was listening to it this morning and it sounded a fascinating book - so great to hear it lives up to that.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...

He read an impressive and moving passage comparing the likely fate of those on the island to the Israelites in the wilderness.

[WndyJW]

Cindy, I always order signed copies of Ben’s books from a small book shop in Halifax, England, however I haven’t read The Offing or Perfect Golden Circle yet! I will order Cuddy and read the other two before it gets here.

[Cindy]

The Offing is quite beautiful. I liked but did not love The Perfect Golden Circle but feel that he is a very talented writer.

[WndyJW]

The Offing was wildly popular in Germany. I’m guessing you’ve read his Bluemoose books, Cindy. The Gallows Pole will always hold a special place in my heart because I heard about it on this beloved group when I had just joined and they were discussing the RofC prize. I was unaware of the world of indie presses, the RofC, and the Goldsmith prizes until I saw them here. So Gallows Pole was my first indie press book and my introduction to RofC.

That was when Ben was a big fish in a small pond and he commented on my review of The Gallows Pole. I messaged him via Instagram asking if he would sign his book if I shipped it to him with return postage. He responded that it would be much cheaper and easier for me if he sent me postcard and he did send several, some were books covers, some photos of Yorkshire, and he sent me a rare chapbook that he signed!

He told me then that he barely made enough to live on from his writing, now he’ll have two movies based on his novels!

[Robert]

My personal fave Myers is Pig Iron, which I learnt about through the Gordon Burn win. I love the Offing as well but he’s never disappointed me so far. I still have to read the golden circle though and I have Richard, the book of F and his two crime novels on the TBR stack (I won’t read his music bios as I browsed through the Muse one and it felt like a bit of an easy cash - fair enough I would do it too if I needed to live - thing

[Cindy]

WndyJW wrote: "The Offing was wildly popular in Germany. I’m guessing you’ve read his Bluemoose books, Cindy. The Gallows Pole will always hold a special place in my heart because I heard about it..."

This is so cool Wendy!

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Interestingly we dropped Gallows Pole from our shortlist as we felt it was a little too mainstream for RoC despite largely agreeing it would merit a place on quality - whereas we picked Isabel W despite needing to read their PhD to understand it as we felt their book was exactly what the RoC was set up for. Both were debated at some length in judges dinner.

[WndyJW]

Gallows Pole was a straightforward story, albeit (my homage to the Fulchers) an outstanding story.

I agree Robert, I liked Pig Iron every bit as much as The Gallows Pole. I didn’t care for the crime novels, too gruesome for me, well written, but crime is not my genre.

The postcards and Brutalist chapbook he sent me are in my Profile photos. That’s what started me requesting postcards from authors I like. I need to add the postcard and W Playing card bookmark Heidi James made for me! I’ve discovered that authors are very generous to fans.

[Cindy]

WndyJW wrote: "Gallows Pole was a straightforward story, albeit (my homage to the Fulchers) an outstanding story.

I agree Robert, I liked Pig Iron every bit as much as The Gallows Pole. I didn’t care for the cri..."

That they are Wendy. It is very rare that I have reached out to an author after reading a loving a book and not received a wonderful and unexpectedly speedy response.

[WndyJW]

They’re only human and I’ve heard more than one author or publisher say that they send their work out into the world hoping it’s received well, so hearing back from individuals means something to them.

[Ruben]

Teresa wrote: "This Other Eden by Paul Harding

My goodness, this was an extraordinary book! Rarely do books make me sob, this one was so incredibly moving, that I hung my head and wept."

I am also enjoying This Other Eden. It has a lot in common with The Colony - in fact there are so many similarities that I think it could hurt its chances for the longlist.

[Ruben]

By the way, I was expecting a lot of buzz around In Ascension, but very few people seem to be reading it.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I loved Infinite Ground so I should try it at some point

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I have now read 7 of the Observer 2023 Debut Novelists feature (and will probably not read the other 3) – my ratings and reviews. The first four I really liked, the next three I am not so keen on.

“The New Life” by Tom Crewe – 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
“The End of Nightwork” by Aiden Cottrell-Boyce – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
“Fire Rush” by Jacqueline Crooks – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
“One Small Voice” by Santanu Bhattachary – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
“The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa” by Stephen Buoro – 3*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
“The Things That We Lost” by Jyoti Patel – 3*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
“Close to Home” by Michael Magee” – 3*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[WndyJW]

Is Victory City eligible for Booker 2023? If so it will certainly make the short list.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Yes definitely eligible. It’s had some mixed reviews in the media so far - most see it as somewhere between classic Rushdie and an almost deliberate self- Pastiche.

It’s going to be very hard to separate a prize listing from the recent events.

One thing that surprised me when I interviewed and then very briefly met him is how much prize listings and the views of critics matter to him - with Quichotte of course he is widely rumoured to have used intermediaries to lobby the Booker judges (basically asking people to tell the judges how good they thought the book was).

I suspect what he really would like and in my view deserves is a Nobel Prize

[Alwynne]

Personally his misogyny makes him hard to root for, but I've only met one of his exes, and not one of the well-publicised ones.

[WndyJW]

I don’t think it was a self-pastiche, it was just a very good book and felt like it was written by the author of Midnight’s Children for all the right reasons, but it wasn’t a Midnight’s Children made over.
I actually haven’t seen any negative reviews, but I also didn’t read them, I just skimmed them to prepare myself to be disappointed. I was not disappointed. I love it and was sorry it ended. As with MC it’s a bit long winded, but I don’t know what could have been cut.

I’d not heard good things about his relationships, but this book was definitely pro-women, Pampa Kadama is always pushing for equality for women and for women to rule, but the patriarchy can’t handle it and in the end the brilliant kingdom falls to ruin due to the hubris of the males kings.

I’m not sure if I feel he’s a Nobel worthy author, I’d have to push through the books that didn’t hold my interest before I could comment on that, but I’ve felt the Nobel committee was afraid of violence and so won’t consider it.

Ha anyone read The Satanic Verses? I got it years ago, decades ago, but realized that I didn’t know enough about Islam to appreciate the book so put it down to learn about Islam and never picked it up again. Maybe I’ll read that next.

[Robert]

The satanic verses is my personal fave Rushdie - a masterpiece

[WndyJW]

You think it’s better than Midnight’s Children? I have to read it if it’s even half as good I’ll love it.

[Robert]

I think midnight’s children’s problem is that the last section is - for me- a slog. Satanic is more consistent

[David]

This stuck out from the New Yorker piece on Rushdie:

At King’s College, Cambridge, he met several times with E. M. Forster, the author of “Howards End” and “A Passage to India.” “He was very encouraging when he heard that I wanted to be a writer,” Rushdie told me. “And he said something which I treasured, which is that he felt that the great novel of India would be written by somebody from India with a Western education."

The nicest word I can think to use is retrograde.

[Paul]

Yes that is why books like Tomb of Sand - and the International Booker - are so important.

[Nadine in California]

WndyJW wrote: "I’d not heard good things about his relationships, but this book was definitely pro-women, Pampa Kadama is always pushing for equality for women and for women to rule, but the patriarchy can’t handle it and in the end the brilliant kingdom falls to ruin due to the hubris of the males kings."

I also like that Pampa Kadama is mostly a clear-headed, feminist thinker, but has emotional flaws that make her feel very human, despite being a 247 year old woman of magical abilities.

Religions are nameless in this book but the 'many god religion' and the 'one god religion' live in harmony in Bisnaga's golden age. He handles this with a light and benevolent touch.

[Alwynne]

WndyJW wrote: "I don’t think it was a self-pastiche, it was just a very good book and felt like it was written by the author of Midnight’s Children for all the right reasons, but it wasn’t a Midnight’s Children m..."

I haven't read any reviews but I don't tend to follow his work but I did find the recent Drift article interesting:

https://www.thedriftmag.com/after-the...

[David]

That’s a great article, balanced in a way that not all writing on Rushdie is.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Wasn’t Tomb of Sand written by someone educated in the US though Paul by your criteria?

[Paul]

True. So the great Indian novel needs to be translated by someone educated in the west to make it accessible to someone educated in the west. That’s my failing!

I do think translators may, if it is either/or, be best fluent in the target rather than source language although I know Anton Hur would strongly disagree.

[David]

Ah but it was a great Indian novel first, as Ret Samadhi.

[Robert]

Actually the great Indian novel has already been written and it’s called the Great Indian Novel by Sashi Tharoor (and it definitely is great)

[WndyJW]

Or River of Fire: Aag Ka Darya.

[WndyJW]

I agree that Midnight’s Children and Victory City are both a little too long, but I loved them both so I didn’t mind.
I didn’t feel Victory City was a warmed over Midnight Children, did you Nadine? None of the characters, male or female, were fleshed out but Pampa, who was a character to root for, so the criticism that his females were flat doesn’t really stick here, all the characters were good or bad, noble or conniving, heroic or cowardly.
I just loved the story, loved the setting, loved the action. It was a fantastic escape from the real world which I’m finding harder to deal with lately (not for personal reasons, just ugly, awful situations in Cleveland and the U.S.)

It’s not a book for everyone in this group, it’s a straightforward novel of the type mainstream publishing releases.

[Tracy]

Robert wrote: "Actually the great Indian novel has already been written and it’s called the Great Indian Novel by Sashi Tharoor (and it definitely is great)"

I’m partial to Animal's People. But Great Indian Novel is as advertised!

[WndyJW]

There can’t be one the greatest Indian novel because the country is so vast with numerous languages, religions, and customs. But there are several outstanding Indian novels translated by Indian language speakers who learned English.

I’m still on my Indian lit journey and my next will be either to finish Tomb of Sand, which wonderful as it is was translated by an American, or to read Khwabnama translated from the Bengal by Arunava Sinha.
This discussion should be continued, if it’s continued, on the thread we started discussing Indian translations.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I tried a few Contenders over the weekend

Caleb Azumah Nelson’s “Small World”

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

It was perhaps too music and dance focused for me compared to his debut but he a very talented writer.

Percival Everett’s “Dr No”

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I would be shocked to see this on the list as it has all the “humour” of The Trees but almost none of the political part

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I also read Guy Gunaratne’s “Mister, Mister” but it dies not seem to be on Goodreads yet. Which is probably good as I need to let my thoughts settle a little (or a lot) as I really struggled with reading a book written by a fictional character famous (in the novel) for his poems to the 7/7 “martyrs” - which I think is the point of the novel to confront the British reader but which while was reading seemed to turn me into Suella Braverman (which is not a good place to be).

[Cindy]

I liked Dr No a lot but would never consider it a Booker book. Quite eager to read Small World but not sure what to make of it after your review.

[David]

I don’t see a page count for Small World on GR. Curious how it might compare to Open Water.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

It’s longer. For me there was too much music although as I note in my review I have an odd musical link to the novel as I was in a punk/metal concert (at the now infamous Brixton Academy) very near to and on the same night as perhaps the most crucial (and tragic) scenes.

[Paul]

That an amazing coincidence as I was there that night as well. Therapy on 13 December 1995, finished off with Screamager iirc.

Hope the author has sacked the person who did the audiobook for Open Water as that was dreadful. Some chap called Caleb Azumah Nelson.

[Mohamed]

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "I also read Guy Gunaratne’s “Mister, Mister” but it dies not seem to be on Goodreads yet. Which is probably good as I need to let my thoughts settle a little (or a lot) as I really struggled with r..."

How was it? I read the first chapter and it was kind of explosive and promising.

[Mohamed]

Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry is getting some rave reviews in the media this week. Seems like a contender to win given the history of the author with the prize (two times shortlisted, would be the third's time charm?)

[Mohamed]

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "I also read Guy Gunaratne’s “Mister, Mister” but it dies not seem to be on Goodreads yet. Which is probably good as I need to let my thoughts settle a little (or a lot) as I really struggled with r..."

Could you please tell me more about now that your thought has settled a bit?

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Mohamed wrote: "Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "I also read Guy Gunaratne’s “Mister, Mister” but it dies not seem to be on Goodreads yet. Which is probably good as I need to let my thoughts settle a little..."

They have not yet.