Comments on: Booker Prize Books

Question: Booker Prize Books

grabbingsand — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 06:06:44 -0800

The Booker Prize longlist came out last month. The shortlist came out this week. The question is: Have any of you read any of these and if so, would you recommend?

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 06:44:43 -0800

Read none of them, only definitely heard of one.

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 06:47:12 -0800

Oh, and I consider that a sad commentary on me, not the Booker panel.

By: szg8

szg8 — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 07:14:16 -0800

Read David Mitchell's first (?) book, Ghostwritten, and was interested in Cloud Atlas, but then I read this review. (NY TImes)

I still may pick it up.

By: sohcahtoa

sohcahtoa — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 07:29:57 -0800

szq8 - your link is broken. You meant this.

By: Hartster

Hartster — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 07:30:15 -0800

From the shortlist, I've only read The Master by Colm Toibin and Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I'd definitely recommend them both, with Cloud Atlas being one I'd definitely push on anybody.

From the longlist, Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is proper c00l, and I'm a bit disappointed it didn't make it on to the shortlist as it's rilly good and it's fantasy elements would have made it an unconventional nominee.

(Incidentally; a friend of mine is one of this year's judges and I fairly sure I can see his hand in getting this on the longlist)

Matt Thorne's Cherry is, to be honest, not that great a novel by a fairly minor talent and I'm bemused as to how it made it on there. (Snark: I pretty sure I know why it's on there).

Also I suspect Nicola Barker's novel is rubbish but as I'm only basing that on having read a quarter of her debut novel I'm more than a touch unreliable.

By: Verdant

Verdant — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 07:34:18 -0800

I'm in the midst of Mitchell's Cloud Atlas at the moment and can gladly recommend it. So far it seems both structurally clever and very compelling. It has also managed to make me laugh out loud twice.

In fact, I think I'll sneak away, skip lunch, and just try to get another chapter in this afternoon.

By: emelenjr

emelenjr — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 08:16:51 -0800

Jonathan Strange is the only one I recognize from the list. A friend at Bloomsbury sent me a preview copy earlier this year, but I haven't had the patience to get through it yet.

By: drezdn

drezdn — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 08:53:46 -0800

One of my jobs is at a bookstore (granted a US one) and the only title I've heard of is Jonathan Strange, though it's supposed to be awesome.

By: livii

livii — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 14:40:25 -0800

I`m reading Jonathan Strange right now, and it`s really quite good (though I`m only 100 pages in, it`s a bit big to bring around and so I only have limited times I can read it.) I don`t normally like fantasy (though I love Harry Potter) but this is so interestingly written - very historical without having all the stuff of genre "Fantasy". It`s quite dry in places, a very British humour to be sure, but so far I would recommend it. If you like it, I think you`ll really like it. One of those books.

I haven`t read any of the others, but from the long list, "The Island Walkers" has received great press here in Canada. Don`t know much more than that though.

By: biscotti

biscotti — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 16:25:30 -0800

I haven't read Mitchell's Cloud Atlas yet, but I've read Number9Dream and it's one of the best books I've read in a long time, I just loved it. I think you either like his writing or you don't, because some of the complaints I've read about it made no sense at all to me, like they read a different book.