Booker Prize Longlist, 2006

17 years ago

The longlist for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2006 is as follows;

Carey, Peter - Theft: A Love Story (Faber & Faber)

Desai, Kiran - The Inheritance of Loss (Hamish Hamilton)

Edric, Robert - Gathering the Water (Doubleday)

Gordimer, Nadine - Get a Life (Bloomsbury)

Grenville, Kate - The Secret River (Canongate)

Hyland, M.J. - Carry Me Down (Canongate)

Jacobson, Howard - Kalooki Nights (Jonathan Cape)

Lasdun, James - Seven Lies (Jonathan Cape)

Lawson, Mary - The Other Side of the Bridge (Chatto & Windus)

McGregor, Jon - So Many Ways to Begin (Bloomsbury)

Matar, Hisham - In the Country of Men (Viking)

Messud, Claire - The EmperorÂs Children (Picador)

Mitchell, David - Black Swan Green (Sceptre)

Murr, Naeem - The Perfect Man (William Heinemann)

OÂHagan, Andrew - Be Near Me (Faber & Faber)

Robertson, James - The Testament of Gideon Mack (Hamish Hamilton)

St Aubyn, Edward - MotherÂs Milk (Picador)

Unsworth, Barry - The Ruby in her Navel (Hamish Hamilton)

Waters, Sarah - The Night Watch (Virago)

Which ones have you read?

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Comments (8)

colormeconfused
17 years ago
I always think I'm fairly well read until I see lists like these. I'm reading Black Swan Green right now, and that's the only one on the list I even recognize, except for the Sarah Waters novel (which I haven't gotten to yet).

What about you, Martin? I know you've read Black Swan Green. Do you have any recommendations for anything else on the list?
martin_z
Original Author
17 years ago
I've read Black Swan Green which I enjoyed a lot, The Night Watch which was pretty good, and Theft which I found hard going. (I'm not a Peter Carey fan, I have finally admitted).

I have bought today In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar. It's set in Libya in 1979, and told from the eyes of a nine-year-old boy - so we understand much better than he does what is going on. Enjoying it a lot so far.

The Barry Unsworth is not out yet, but I'm looking forward to that. And I can't resist a book called Kalooki Nights!
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cindydavid4
17 years ago
I read Black Swan Green and liked it but I don't think its prize material (but thats what I said about March)....I did read and loved The Night Watch - definitely a book and author who deserves some accolades.

The only others I recognize are In the Country of Men and CArry Me Down. Looks like I have some reading to do.
carolyn_ky
17 years ago
I, too, reading Black Swan Green, about half way through and enjoying it.

The list makes me feel like an amateur reader.
martin_z
Original Author
17 years ago
I've just finished In The Country of Men which I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed. Nice to meet a nine-year-old who behaves like a normal thoughtless selfish easily influenced kid rather than the paragons of virtue they so often are!

Don't think it'll be short-listed, but I could be wrong.
pam53
17 years ago
I just ordered Kate Grenville's book. Unfortunately many of these books don't hit the US until later. I look forward to Mary L. book. I thought Crow Lake was beautifully written. Claire Messud's novel also looks interesting to me, but neither her book nor Lawson's are published here yet. Will let you all know what I think of K. Grenville's book.
martin_z
Original Author
17 years ago
Just bringing this up again, to say that I've now also read The Testimony of Gideon Mack which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The shortlist is out on September 14th. Can't wait! Gives me an automatic reading list for the next month. The date of the announcement of the prizewinner is 10th October.
martin_z
Original Author
17 years ago
Finished Kalooki Nights by Howard Jacobson. Hmmm. Couldn't put it down, but it's one of those books where there doesn't seem to be a single decent person in it. Personally speaking, in future, if I want to read books about being Jewish, I'll read Philip Roth or Chaim Potok. They don't seem to be so bitter and cynical about everything. (OK, so I'm judging on one book by each of those authors - but even so...)

Anyway, the Booker Prize Short List is out tomorrow!!!! Watch this space.

Booker Prize Longlist, 2006

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Booker Prize Longlist, 2006

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colormeconfused

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