Polka Dot Rock Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 Yes, it's that time of the year again! The Man Booker Prize 2007 Longlist has been announced and it's already ruffled a few literary feathers by being quite 'low-key' (i.e. no really big names except McEwan). (Anyone interested can find a good article here ) Here's the longlist: Darkmans by Nicola Barker (4th Estate) Self Help by Edward Docx (Picador) The Gift Of Rain by Tan Twan Eng (Myrmidon) The Gathering by Anne Enright (Jonathan Cape) The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (Hamish Hamilton) The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies (Sceptre) Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (John Murray) Gifted by Nikita Lalwani (Viking) On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape) What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn (Tindal Street) Consolation by Michael Redhill (William Heinemann) Animal’s People by Indra Sinha (Simon & Schuster) Winnie & Wolf by A.N.Wilson (Hutchinson) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted August 8, 2007 Author Share Posted August 8, 2007 I'm really pleased to see Nicola Barker on there as I think she's a great writer. I haven't read Darkmans as it's only out in hardback at the moment. But I'm glad she's been acknowledged There are quite a few that I really fancy reading when they become paperbacks, so it's a nice surprise to see them nominated! Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (which, fingers crossed, I may be getting soon from someone in New Zealand), Gifted by Nikita Lalwani and What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angerball Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 I haven't heard/read of any of those books or authors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 I haven't heard/read of any of those books or authors. None of them are particulary famous (except McEwan), which is why it's caused a bit of a rumpus in the publishing industry this year. Someone is definitely sending me Mister Pip so I'll be able to read that. At least I'll have a book I can champion on the basis that I've actually read it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiceguyEddie Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Two years running I read the shortlist. I got the winner when DBC Pierre won, but I still can't quite believe that Cloud Atlas didn't the following year. At least I think it was the following year and I can't be bothered to Google to check. I don't know why not as I could have checked in the time it's taken me to type these two sentences. Actually, I do know why not. I absolutely hate the fact that people use Google & then post as if they knew it all along. Rant over. Well not quite. I saw an interesting siggy the other day. "Google - making idiots look smart every day". Or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samgrosser Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 I only know two of the authors on the list and I think it's wonderful that new writers are getting a chance. I just wish some of them were out in paperback already ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 I just wish some of them were out in paperback already ... That's what I find frustrating with the Booker Prize... By the time the Orange shortlist is announced, the majority of books are in paperback. But I can't buy afford to buy hardbacks unless from charity shops (and even then, I normally go for paperbacks - I've only got small hands y'know! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 The Man Booker Prize short list will be announced today. Does anyone here follow the ongoing prize selection and awarding? Has anyone here made it a point to read prize-winning books? What are your thoughts on the books, both past long-/short-listers and winners, and the present line-up? You can see more info HERE on the official website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 I will follow it up to see who makes the short-list and who wins, but I wouldn't make a point of reading them just because they've been short-listed. I can't see me ever joining in a challenge to read the Man Booker Books! Mostly I only read much older books. I have a couple of Ian McEwan's books on my TBR pile, and if I enjoy them I'll probably track down On Chesil Beach one day, but whether or not it wins an award won't affect my decision. What about you, Kell? You could probably tear through the short-list in a couple of weeks! (Whereas if I attempted it, I'd be lucky to finish them before next year's short-list came out!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Shame on you Kell.. you missed the existing thread! Now merged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooncat Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Oh My!!! I just realise that I knew Peter Ho Davies!!!! I thought the name was familiar - I knew him in 1985 when he lived in Coventry! he was my boy friend at the times best friend!! i;'m in shock - wow he;s done well for himself!!! blimey i will have to get the book now:lol: i;m having palpataions!" lmao:tease: I remember him being quiet and polite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 What about you, Kell? You could probably tear through the short-list in a couple of weeks! (Whereas if I attempted it, I'd be lucky to finish them before next year's short-list came out!) Depends what they are and whether or not I think I'll fancy them. I never go out of my way to find prize-winners though... Shame on you Kell.. you missed the existing thread! Now merged. :blush:It was 1st thing in the morning and I couldn't find it so I thought I'd imagined the "older" thread. Thanks for merging it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergran71 Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Sorry to show my ignorance, but when and why did it become the "Man" Booker prize? Wasnt it always the "Booker" prize? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Sorry to show my ignorance, but when and why did it become the "Man" Booker prize? Wasnt it always the "Booker" prize? I had no idea, so I had a look on Wikipedia and here's your answer: The prize was originally known as the Booker-McConnell Prize after the company Booker-McConnell began sponsoring the event in 1968, and became commonly known as the "Booker Prize" or simply "the Booker". When administration of the prize was transferred to the Booker Prize Foundation in 2002, the title sponsor became the investment company Man Group, which opted to retain "Booker" as part of the official title of the prize. The prize money awarded with the Booker Prize was originally £21,000, and was subsequently raised to £50,000 in 2002 under the sponsorship of the Man Group. I love Wiki - it's fab! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 I like the look of Mister Pip because I enjoyed Great Expectations so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergran71 Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 I had no idea, so I had a look on Wikipedia and here's your answer: I love Wiki - it's fab! Thank you so much Kell. Now why didnt I think of doing that:blush: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Thank you so much Kell. Now why didnt I think of doing that:blush: Because, by asking the question, and receiving an answer, we're all now more enlightened! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angerball Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 I don't generally follow what goes on. It's usually after the fact that I hear about who won the prize. I wouldn't specifically read a book that was short-listed or won, unless it was an author I was interested in, or it looked like it would be a good read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted September 7, 2007 Author Share Posted September 7, 2007 Mister Pip has made it onto the shortlist! I'm so thrilled - it's a great novel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooncat Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Mister Pip has made it onto the shortlist! I'm so thrilled - it's a great novel what is it about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 There is a synopsis of each book on the website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 Mostly I only read much older books. I have a couple of Ian McEwan's books on my TBR pile, and if I enjoy them I'll probably track down On Chesil Beach one day, but whether or not it wins an award won't affect my decision. I might look for this one too. Mister Pip has made it onto the shortlist! I'm so thrilled - it's a great novel what is it about? Synopsis 'You cannot pretend to read a book. Your eyes will give you away. So will your breathing. A person entranced by a book simply forgets to breathe. The house can catch alight and a reader deep in a book will not look up until the wallpaper is in flames.' It is Bougainville in 1991 - a small village on a lush tropical island in the South Pacific. Eighty-six days have passed since Matilda's last day of school as, quietly, war is encroaching from the other end of the island. When the villagers' safe, predictable lives come to a halt, Bougainville's children are surprised to find the island's only white man, a recluse, re-opening the school. Pop Eye, aka Mr Watts, explains he will introduce the children to Mr Dickens. Matilda and the others think a foreigner is coming to the island and prepare a list of much needed items. They are shocked to discover their acquaintance with Mr Dickens will be through Mr Watts' inspiring reading of "Great Expectations". But on an island at war, the power of fiction has dangerous consequences. Imagination and beliefs are challenged by guns. "Mister Pip" is an unforgettable tale of survival by story; a dazzling piece of writing that lives long in the mind after the last page is finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted September 8, 2007 Author Share Posted September 8, 2007 what is it about? I might look for this one too Ah, you beat me to it! And I went and looked for a previous post and everything The 'blurb' on the cover of mine is slightly different to the UK edition (more emphasis on the Great Expectations elements), so I thought I'd still post it: After the trouble starts and the soldiers arrive on Matilda's tropical island, only one white person stays behind. Mr Watts wears a red nose and pulls his wife around on a trolley. The kids call him Pop Eye. But there is no one else to teach them their lessons. Mr Watts begins to read aloud to the class from his battered copy of Great Expectations, a book by his friend Mr Dickens. Soon Dickens' hero Pip starts to come alive for Matilda. She writes his name in the sand and decorates it with shells. Pip becomes as real to her as her own mother, and the greatest friendship of her life has begun. But Matilda is not the only one who believes in Pip. And, on an island at war, the power of the imagination can be a dangerously provocative thing. And it's an absolute cracker. Fabulous book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 'Your' blurb makes it sound much more interesting than 'my' blurb does! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted September 8, 2007 Author Share Posted September 8, 2007 It's strange you mention it, but I picked up the (UK) hardback this week and thought that it didn't really sell the book in the same way as the Australia/New Zealand edition did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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