But, we can’t fail to overlook that it was apparently everyone’s second choice, though it also creates divergent views.

I notice John Self’s note above:

I would avoid The Bookshop, which was my first Fitzgerald, and which I thought light and of little substance. That’s doubtless unfair, but I do think it’s more of a ‘straight’ novel (or more grounded, as tolsmted says) than her other work, and less interesting as a consequence.

I guess I forgot about this or just ignored, John, because my next Fitzgerald was The Bookshop, which I may have enjoyed more than Offshore. I now have all of her books and I’m anxious to dip in frequently.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/mar/13/booker-prize-fitzgerald-offshore

It was that review put me off her, so it’s interesting to see how much you and Kevin enjoyed this one. That link is interesting for the very unfortunate history of how she came to win the Booker which seems to have done her no favours at all. A rather cruel episode from the prize’s history as best I can tell.

My next – and to date only other – foray was The Beginning of Spring, a book of an altogether different order of magnitude than The Bookshop, and one which I remember with great fondness, even though I’m quite sure I didn’t really understand it. But I’d rather have a mysterious, imaginative, brilliantly written book than a run-of-the-mill piece of lit fic.

My favorites are At Freddie’s (beautiful ending) and The Gate of Angels. The Blue Flower contained lovely writing, like all her books, but it bothered me. I think Fitzgerald’s style was always just on the edge of being too ephemeral (if that makes sense?). As if you could wave your hand and scatter all the words, because there wasn’t enough substance to hold them together. That was the case with The Blue Flower – the plot was subordinate to the language.

I haven’t read The Bookshop yet, but it appears more grounded than her other books. The same with Offshore, which will probably be my next Fitzgerald novel.

I’m not sure if you remember, but I bought Offshore one day after asking if you had any recommendations for books similar to A Month in the Country. I had picked Offshore off the bookstore shelf and thought, I wonder if Kevin has responded. I looked it up, and sure enough you recommended Offshore, the book I was holding. I’m not sure if I would have bought it that day or not without that final push. Thanks!