Booker Prize Long List 2010 has just been released.

martin_z

13 years ago

Peter Carey Parrot and Olivier in America (Faber and Faber)

Emma Donoghue Room (Pan MacMillan - Picador)

Helen Dunmore The Betrayal (Penguin - Fig Tree)

Damon Galgut In a Strange Room (Grove Atlantic - Atlantic Books)

Howard Jacobson The Finkler Question (Bloomsbury)

Andrea Levy The Long Song (Headline Publishing Group - Headline Review)

Tom McCarthy C (Random House - Jonathan Cape)

David Mitchell The Thousand Autumns of Zacob de ZoetÃ¯Â¿Â½ (Hodder & Stoughton - Sceptre)

Lisa Moore February (Random House - Chatto & Windus)

Paul Murray Skippy Dies (Penguin - Hamish Hamilton)

Rose Tremain Trespass (Random House - Chatto & Windus)

Christos Tsiolkas The Slap (Grove Atlantic - Tuskar Rock)

Alan Warner The Stars in the Bright Sky (Random House - Jonathan Cape)

No Iain McEwan (Solar) and Nigel Farndale's novel The Blasphemer was also well tipped, but didn't make the cut. (Annoying, as I've bought both of those.)

So who's read what?

Here is a link that might be useful: The Man Booker Prize

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Comments (12)

J C
13 years ago
Only one here, the Mitchell. I will have to get cracking. What are your guesses for the short list?
carolyn_ky
13 years ago
I've just looked to see if my library has the Emma Donoghue, and they do not. Just as I suspected.

Do let us know your picks.
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OK, so I managed to read it this time. It's a blockbuster of a novel, about 550 pages. And, to be fair, it's well written and keeps your interest. It's about a middle-class family in Calcutta from about 1920 to 1970 or thereabouts. However, it's not written serially - that would be too easy! But it's never really confusing. One nice touch is that for a considerable part of the book, there are two stories - one young man runs away to become a communist guerilla, and while he's away, his story is told in alternating chapters as a first-person diary as if written to a girlfriend. The rest of the story is normal third person. But I have several criticisms of the book. The first is that there seems to be nothing new here. It's a story of a family during a large part of the twentieth century - well, so what? That's been done over and over again. And the family doesn't seem to have a single person likeable person in it. Well, perhaps one. Most of them range from a bit surly to downright nasty. The other, more serious criticism is that there is just too much going on. We have in this family a communist guerilla, a maths genius, a drug addict, someone who is addicted to kinky sex (I won't specify, but the book spells it out in a most unpleasant chapter), and a girl who has a cast in one eye and darker skin than normal, which makes her unmarriagable. One of these - perhaps two - in a family might not seem reasonable. All of them (and there are one of two other more dysfunctional characters as well) seems unbelievable. I think there could have been two or three shorter novels here. It tells a story about a time and place I knew very little about. That in itself is quite interesting. But set against, that, it's too long, too convoluted, has practically no sympathetic characters, has some most graphic descriptions of violence (including a scene I had to skip over) and is, in the end, just a bit too much. I'll be astounded if it wins - to my mind, the flaws massively outweigh the good points. I'm frankly surprised it was short-listed.
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Though it's difficult to be sure (having only read two and a half of them) I think it's the best short list since 2005 - which was an exceptional year. (I didn't agree with the winner, though!) I agree that Vernon God Little and The Gathering are two of the poorer winners of the prize. The first in particular is a dreadful book in my opinion. Mind, I remember watching a TV program on the evening of the prize award (when VGL won), and they had four people on to discuss the six books - it was obvious that all those four also thought it was the best. It was the last one discussed of the six, and there was an obvious "buzz" around all of them as they started to discuss it - it clearly appealed to all of them too. So perhaps it's just you and me...
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The Secret River - it's pretty good, but it's just another story about a convict who is transported to Australia and makes good. Also had an annoying affectation of putting all the dialogue in italics, rather than the usual quote marks or dashes. I'm used to italics being used for what people think, so it wasn't easy to read. I enjoyed the book, but I'd be astonished if it wins. I have to say that I think it's a fairly weak short-list this year. My own personal favourite is Carry Me Down, which stands out head-and-shoulders better than any of the others. But others will almost certainly disagree with me. I thought The Testament of Gideon Mack was at least as good as most of the books on the short-list, and I also liked Black Swan Green - though I can see why they wouldn't want both BSG and Carry Me Down on the shortlist. I'm certainly not thrilled enough by any of them to risk a bet. Anyway, I'm told the result will be live on the 10:00 news on the BBC. Looking forward to it, but not with the same sense of anticipation as I felt for the last two years. Last year was an exceptional short-list, and the year before had Cloud Atlas which I still feel is one of the best books of the last ten years, and should have won the Booker. I'm going to re-read The Night Watch as it's a while since I read it - just to be fair. So, in summary:- Desai, Kiran: The Inheritance of Loss A bit wordy, but I quite liked it. Confusing as to dates. Can't see this winning. Grenville, Kate: The Secret River A good yarn, but not what I'd look for in a Booker winner. Hyland, M.J: Carry Me Down My personal favourite - a powerful story about a family in Ireland, and the consequences when a young boy finds out more than he ought to know. I hope this wins. Matar, Hisham: In the Country of Men Probably my second favourite - a powerful story of a young boy in Libya under Gaddafi. I'd be quite happy if this wins. St Aubyn, Edward: MotherÂs Milk A horrible book. Well written, but not a single nice person among any of the characters. I am so sick of books about rich people's problems. I bet this one wins. Sigh. Waters, Sarah: The Night Watch A good book about the relationship between four women during the war. Written "backwards", so to speak - we find out what happened later in the war, and only later in the book do we find out how they got there. The favourite, and already a best-seller. I don't think it'll win, though I wouldn't be upset if it did.
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Kath
13 years ago
I've read the Mitchell, which I loved, and the Levy, which I wanted to love, but alas, did not.
My sister has read The Slap, which has won awards in Australia, and she didn't like it. Apparently most of the characters are objectionable.
The Emma Donoghue arrived in our shop only yesterday - it looks intriguing. I have liked a couple of hers but not the last one I read, The Sealed Letter.
lauramarie_gardener
13 years ago
What criteria is used to choose these books?

Since reading and loving "The English Patient" (first Booker I ever read), it always caught my attention if a book had a sticker on it -- "Booker Winner" or "Booker Shortlisted". But when I read "God of Small Things" it was such a disappointment! Couldn't understand what that book was trying TO SAY ... and it was obvious that the writer was trying to get SOMETHING across. It was odd, when I returned it to the store, the guy behind the counter said, "You're returning this?!?!" ... He didn't have any great explanation as to why I should love it. (Did get my money back, tho'.)

Since then I've been wary of buying Booker Prize novels. But am always curious to see which ones are nominated, which wins, which are shortlisted.

I think, as with most prize competitions, judges give up handing out awards to the same people. Like the Academy Awards not going out too many times to the same actors who've already won Oscars and been nominated So Many Times Already. E.g.: Meryl Streep. So maybe that's why certain writers who've written wonderful novels this year but already won Bookers are left out -- even if they should be nominated again this year. What do you think?
junek-2009
13 years ago
I have read "Trespass" by Rose Tremain, it would get my vote.
pagesturned
13 years ago
I haven't read any of them yet, but I own the Carey, the Mitchell, and the Murray.
lemonhead101
13 years ago
I feel so left out - I have read none of these, and haven't even heard of most of them...

I will check the library for any that appeal. Thanks for the list, Martin. I know we can always count on you for Booker-related stuff...
:-)
martin_z
Original Author
13 years ago
"So maybe that's why certain writers who've written wonderful novels this year but already won Bookers are left out -- even if they should be nominated again this year."

The claim is that it's the best book, no matter what. However, if the judges can't decide (using their normal criteria) between a novel by a previous winner and a novel by someone who has not previously won, I think it would take a heart of stone to not give the prize to the person who has not already won....! (Or at least, that's my explanation of why Never Let Me Go didn't win the Booker in 2005.)
J C
13 years ago
Quite a few of these haven't been released in the U.S. yet. Alas, that means it will be quite a while before I will be able to borrow them from the library. I put myself on the list for the Tremain, but it won't be released until October. I will be lucky to get it by the New Year. (Seems very odd to mention the NY on this hot August day.)
veer
13 years ago
I have also got my name down for the Tremain book via the library. As it was serialised as a 'Book at Bedtime' on the BBC it might well be months before I get it.
I gave The Thousand Autumns . . . to DS for his birthday as I thought he might enjoy the Japanese connection (his wife is from there) and may get it to read if he (ever) finishes it. ;-)
martin_z
Original Author
13 years ago
Just finished Room by Emma Donaghue.

Wonderful. I cried at the end... >blush
lauramarie_gardener
13 years ago
I just came from the August "what are you reading" message board, and noticed several posts about the Rose Tremain book. The differences in opinion about it were extreme!

Booker Prize Long List 2010 has just been released.

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