Tonight the winner of the 2012 Orange Prize was announced:
- The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
While I wanted either Ozick or Enright to win, I’m interested in this piece. I have always loved the classics and classical history, so I think I will check it out. Congratulations Madeline Miller!
Okay…I’ve just finished this novel, so I’m still digesting it. I had started searching for books for my next season of book groups when this novel won the Orange Prize, so I picked it up. (Any suggestions for literary treasures that we can ‘dig deep’ into are most welcome–our theme is love stories from around the world.) Almost half way through, I nearly put it down…but there is something very compelling about it, and it really picks up in the second half. It’s unique, that’s for sure. I’m not certain I would have awarded it a prize, but…hmm…I can see how people could really love it. I’ll be interested to read your post if/ when you get around to reading it. I may use it for my LM book groups; it is a love story–that’s for sure.
Love stories from around the world . . . hmmmm.
I’m sure I’ve read plenty, but I can’t think of many right now. One of my favorites from last year was Buddhadeva Bose’s My Kind of Girl (you can read my thoughts here. I’ll try to think of some more.
As for The Song of Achilles, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to it given the never-ending pile of books next to me, but if it found its way into that pile with little to no effort from me, I’ll give it a go.