The Mookse and the Gripes discussion
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Booker Prize for Fiction
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2024 Booker Prize Longlist Discussion.
Ben wrote: "Only 5 for me this year, last year was 10... not unhappy though, as some good reading ahead. A question about James, should I read Huck Finn first? Or is it independent enough not to bother."In my opinion, yes, you should have some familiarity with Huck Finn, However, a detailed summary will as much good, if you don't want to read the entire book.
This is a good summary of Huck Finn: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/huckfi...
Thanks for the opinions everyone on whether to read Huck Finn first. I've decided to leave James until last, and if I have the time will read Huck first.
Reading Huck Finn first will deepen your engagement with and appreciation of James. As for Wandering Stars, I think it’s not necessary to read There There first, though it would be helpful to understand what happened in the final scene of There There (I.e. the shooting).
Gwendolyn wrote: "If I’m to get through this list by the time the prize is announced, I’ll need to do a couple by audiobook. Any ideas about which ones might be best suited to audiobook format? I’m thinking maybe En..."I am currently listening to My Friends and enjoying the author's reading of it.
I am delighted with this list. The only book I hoped to see that is not there is Caledonian Road (had I read Praiseworthy, I likely would also share your indignation at its absence). I've read six and own several of the others (including Stone Yard Devotional, which I bought from Blackwells because I am a Charlotte Wood fan, and an ARC of Playground) so will likely be all set by the time Creation Lake is published in early September. Did not think much of a few of the ones I've read but overall am excited for the reading ahead.
Cindy wrote: "I am delighted with this list."I'm seeing a lot of this sentiment online. People whose favorite prize is the Booker are largely positive on the longlist.
Paul wrote: "So all the leaks here from Derek were correctAnd the other ones from the chap on Youtube were pretty much all wrong
0/13 for me - and it will stay that way. Not picking Praiseworthy is ridiculous."
I'm with Paul: 0/13 and it will stay that way. Not having Praiseworthy on the list is insane.
I'm surprised to find myself pretty happy with this list too. I already wanted to read the Messud and the Matar, so this is impetus. I have Orbital, think Headshot and Creation Lake sound interesting and always planned to get to James one day. My main disappointment is being in North America for the next five weeks and preferring ALL the British covers. Oh, and annoyed about Praiseworthy, but I think I'll read it this month anyway.It's not an avant-garde list but I feel like it's a decent collection of some of the better mainstream offerings?
I thought Headshot was boring - I'm loving Safe Keep. I've read Wild Houses, and it was good but it's no Maali Almeida or Prophet Song or Milkman, etc. Not even in the same general vicinity.James had to be there, I'm not sad about it. I read There, There it didn't do much for me, not really eager to read Wandering Stars but will attempt it. Glad somebody mentioned to revisit the end of There, There.
Unpopular opinion: While Praiseworthy may be a spectacular work of fiction, it is not a very accessible book. I attempted and abandoned it. I'm not saying that Booker books need to be accessible, but that was a doozey. So I'm relieved.
I will attempt them all, but know I won't get through the whole list. Very grateful to this group for giving me a head start - I'm not a fast reader.
Chris wrote: "I'm curious also about the standalone-ability of Wandering Stars.I have read There, There, but haven't made it to Wandering Stars yet. Has anyone read both? And if so, do you think WS will be abl..."
I've read them both. I loved There, There but was somewhat disappointed with Wandering Stars. I'm surprised to see it on the list, frankly. The first half can stand alone, but the first half is the weakest, in terms of the writing, though the stories are powerful. The second half is "what happened" to many of the There, There characters, so won't be as engaging as a standalone, I don't think.
I loved Enlightenment. I think it's a superior bit of work and I'm hoping the readership it attracts by appearing on this list will agree.Currently reading Martyr! which I would have been happy to see make the list, but I already have copies of James and Orbital and I'm looking forward to both.
I've read Messud, Michaels, and Orange before and none of those experiences particularly made me want to read them again.
I'm as intrigued by an author named Rita Bullwinkel as I am by the description of her novel and the same goes for Yael van der Wouden. Strong names! I hope their books can measure up.
Only read 1, but predicted 4 on my list! (James, Friends, Headshot, Orbital) granted those 4 were always in the conversation for noms so no wildcards for me but nonetheless!Where the HELL is Stone Yard in the US?? Lol
I checked at the bookstore I work at and it’s not even showing up through our distributors- same kind of thing with Pearl last year
I just got Creation Lake from Netgalley, approved in about an hour!
Chris wrote: "I'm curious also about the standalone-ability of Wandering Stars.I have read There, There, but haven't made it to Wandering Stars yet. Has anyone read both? And if so, do you think WS will be abl..."
Yes, it can stand alone, but it enriches the story to read both.
Nicole D. wrote: "I just got Creation Lake from Netgalley, approved in about an hour!"Oh, good! That’s promising!
And I thought you’d like the Safekeep. 🙂
I’ve read 10 so far- which is a record for me. I’m pulling for My Friends. What a beautiful book!
Thinking of reading My Friends first as it both appeals to me (it helps that it's by an author I've been meaning to read for a long while), and, at first glance, it's the one that feels most like the winnerThe other ones that caught my interest were Orbital, Held, Creation Lake, and Playground.
I thought the beginning of TSEH beautifully written, but the mixed reactions here rather discouraged me. Reading only if it wins.
I could see myself listening to the audio book of The Safekeep, not very much enthusiastic about the writing style, but the plot description makes it feel like it's a thrilling ride...
Also find Stone Yard Devotional intriguing on paper, but not sure how I feel about the writing style...
Couldn't care less about all the rest.
I recommend the audio of The Safekeep!
@Tracy, you almost beat GY....next year you can have him!
Surprised to say I’m quite committed to the Booker this year. Thanks to the leaks, I’m on my 5th novel from the list, and just came home with another 4 novels in hard copies (the longer ones I would not want to read on Kindle).The ones I’ve finished so far have been rather good, so I have some trust with this list. Now this might be because, as usual, I’m completely out of the loop with English-language contemporary fiction, so having read very little from the 21st century the past year makes all of these somewhat refreshing. It also means I can’t contrast them to e.g. Praiseworthy.
Ruben wrote: "@Tracy, you almost beat GY....next year you can have him!"That’s very impressive.
Nicole D. wrote: "I just got Creation Lake from Netgalley, approved in about an hour!"That’s brilliant well done.
I fear my request may be lost now.
Ooohh this year ordering is a bit difficult with the kushner and powers being pre orders and help being reprinted. But complaining aside I am super geared to read the list
Mod
Sam-Thank you. It is nice to be back with the group, though not sure about the books...
Garrett wrote: "Only read 1, but predicted 4 on my list! (James, Friends, Headshot, Orbital) granted those 4 were always in the conversation for noms so no wildcards for me but nonetheless!Where the HELL is Ston..."
Stone Yard Devotional is under $20 with shipping from Blackwell's. No US publication date as yet, but maybe with the longlisting there will be one in due course.
re Cindy- did exactly that! Never knew there was a semi-viable alternative to Book Depository since its shutdown
Blackwell's is a wonderful option Garrett. I order from there quite often.
Mod
Cindy wrote: "Stone Yard Devotional is under $20 with shipping from Blackwell's. No US publication date as yet, but maybe with the longlisting there will be one in due course."Certainly possible. However, note that the US publication date for last year's Pearl was today, so there may not be much of a hurry.
Quite a few a little cheaper on Amazon.
Mod
True but as far as I can tell the big alternatives are now all owned by US hedge fund vulture capitalists (and a Russian oligarch before that).
The publication date window for the Booker is October 1 of the year prior to the prize to September 30 of the year of the prize, so both books are within the 2024 window.
Not a racket, just the rules. The publishers had to submit those works to the judges in April.
It's not a popularity contest. The views of the public aren't relevant and so, pretty obviously, the ability of the public to have read and reacted to the books isn't relevant. In a sense the prize is 'bestowed' in the sense that it is simply awarded. That is always the case.
The judges have copies of the books well before their pub date so I’m not sure what you mean about those two being bestowed or a fix. Here are the prize rules that include the eligibility date:
https://thebookerprizes.com/sites/def...
It’s the rules and always have been. Not sure I like it. But no fix.
Well, I have just woken up and had a look at the list. I have read 3 (a record for me) - Stone Yard Devotional , TSEH, and Headshot. I found all three very melancholic and hope this is not a reflection of the whole list. While they were fine books, none of them were books that I would rush out and recommend to others.Nice to see an Aussie author there - but SYD would not have been my first choice. The good news is that with the exception of The Safe Keep and Playground, my local library is well stocked.
I am not sure what I think of the list at this point - it seems very white, anglo Saxon - but I guess it is for books written in English.
Susan wrote: "it seems very white, anglo Saxon"The Telegraph calls it "diversity in the best sense" - whatever that means.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/boo...
Thanks to those who commented on which books have good audio versions! That’s helpful. Now I’m going to wander down to the little bookshop in Estes Park, Colorado to see which of these books they have in stock. Always a fun adventure since this is a tiny mountain town filled with hikers and campers, but the bookstore is quite thoughtfully curated.
Update: I just checked the little indie bookstore in Estes Park, and they had every single book on the longlist that’s currently published in the U.S. except for Wild Houses and Held (they had just recently sold their copy of Held). They also had many of the books that showed up on prediction lists but didn’t make the longlist. And their total collection of fiction titles might have been 300 or so. Maybe less? Very impressive! I talked to the book buyer and told her she should join this group…She had never heard of us, haha.
Got up this morning here in Australia to immediately check the longlist announcement, exciting time of the reading year! But so very disappointed to not see Alexis Wright's PraiseWorthy make it. Definitely my read of the year so far (and likely of the past few years). A stunning masterpiece and in my view the most significant work of Australian literary fiction from the last decade. Still need to write my review for PraiseWorthy and will get to that soon. I did though think it a long-shot as it asks a lot from readers; PraiseWorthy is dense, experimental, different and so perhaps not a 'Booker novel'. It certainly isn't a mainstream work and I get would not appeal to many readers.I went to the Melbourne Writers Festival this year, attended the session with Wright and managed to get my copy signed. Interesting that the line for the book signing was nowhere as long as that for Paul Murray and The Bee Sting, I found this disappointing, considering this was an opportunity to support and hear from Australia's finest contemporary author and an Indigenous writer in the year immediately following the failed referendum for recognition of First Peoples in the Australian constitution. But likely also due to the fact that PraiseWorthy is a challenging work.
Among those listed so far I've read Wandering Stars, Orbital and James. Enjoyed all three; my favorite so far likely James. I aim to read all of the longlist this year and looking forward especially to Powers' Playground (he's among my most admired contemporary novelists), Matar's My Friends and Messud's This Strange Eventful History.
David wrote: "Susan wrote: "it seems very white, anglo Saxon"The Telegraph calls it "diversity in the best sense" - whatever that means.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/boo......"
Interesting that they nominate Everette to take the prize this year. Well, I would be very happy to see him take the prize, but can the prize take another male winner? I mean since 2019 no female has won the prize!
I think the Telegraph would pick a male winner precisely because of that - that’s kind of what they mean by diversity in the “best sense” (their words not mine) - a longlist picked in quality not ticking identity quotas (again their view not mine).
Let's wait and see!I did not read the Kushner yet, but I believe Messud and Harvey has some chances of getting shortlisted.
So far there is no clear winner, but I tip James, TSEH and Playground to take the prize (All American, I know)
Cindy wrote: "I am delighted with this list. The only book I hoped to see that is not there is Caledonian Road (had I read Praiseworthy, I likely would also share your indignation at its absence). I've read six ..."I was hoping Caledonian Road would make it, too, though I thought it was a long shot.
John-I completely agree with you about Praiseworthy., though I felt the same way when Barley Patch by Murnane was ignored. For me, and I am certain several other readers from the United States, all of the excitement about the book possibly being longlisted was enough to get us to find & read it.
This morning, when I got over my anger that it had been overlooked I bought every book she has published, both fiction & non-fiction (except for one oddly only published in French that is extremely expensive). When I've finished with the longlist I will read my way through all of her books, finding people to give them to when I finish each. Making sure I find at least a couple of other people to appreciate this magnificent author.
Praiseworthy will live on far into the future, and I feel very priviledged to have been able to enter the all-encompassing, exquisite world that is Praiseworthy.
Now back to the longlist!
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The Mookse and the Gripes
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Some on here I'm looking forward to others not so much.
I wasn't convinced at all by Wild Houses and disappointed to see it on the list.
Just over half way through Headshsot and so far absolutely hating every word of it.
Liked other titles though. But need to do some work now!