Today the Man Booker Prize shortlist was announced:
- The Luminaries, by Eleanor Catton
- Harvest, by Jim Crace
- A Tale for the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki
- The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri
- We Need New Names, by NoViolet Bulawayo
- The Testament of Mary, by Colm Tóibín
I’m thrilled to say that I had five books on the longlist, and each of the five made it to the shortlist (meaning, I don’t have to fight the temptation to go buy some more books today). The only one I’ve read so far is Harvest, which I liked very much and plan on reviewing here soon.
For those interested in discussing the shortlist in depth, please visit my forum, which has an active group of interested (and interesting) readers hashing out the Booker this year.
Glad you liked Harvest, Trevor: as much I liked the NoViolet Bulawayo book, the Jim Crace is exceedingly good and I hope he bows out with a win. Look forward to your review.
Oh no! I started the Bulawayo book a month ago and didn’t like it much at all. It’s the whole Junot Diaz thing again, Lee, and there’s definitely a relationship between the authors and their styles. Oh well :-) . I will be giving it another go, and I’ll approach it knowing there’s something there you enjoy.
I ve not read any yet but I ve two from this list to read the Luminaries and lowland ,all the best stu
Ah, a shame. I think the Bulawayo manages to balance pathos with convincing, often funny child voices: no mean feat re: the book’s context. Occasionally it perhaps feels a little too conventionally tidy, but it’s a fine piece of work for me.
Re: Diaz – there is a similarity there particularly with Drown. Much to your regret! And it’s not Harvest, which just grows in the mind.