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The Man Booker is out

Aug 8th, 2007
by gav.

…and what do you mean you’ve only heard of one of them:

  • 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)

Ok, I’ve heard of two not that it makes it much better.

Interestingly, there are four debuts:

  • The Gift Of Rain by Tan Twan Eng (Myrmidon)
  • The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies (Sceptre)
  • What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn (Tindal Street)
  • Gifted by Nikita Lalwani (Viking)

And somewhat surprisingly three of them are by smaller presses. Might be worth a closer look. Luckily John Self and dovegreyreader are on a Man Booker Read-a-thon so they’ll sort the wheat from the chaff!

Posted in: Award Winners, Debut, New Writers, Reading, ramblings.
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  • It seems they have, Gav. I haven't actively disliked any of them, however I have tried to make it clear when there are weaknesses or other elements that people might hate, eg in the Nikita Lalwani, Catherine O'Flynn and Anne Enright. Once I get them all done I'll maybe rank them in my own Self-involved fashion. Unless Barker, Redhill or Wilson turn up something unexpected, top three are likely to remain Ho Davies, Jones and Sinha.
  • It seems they have, Gav. I haven't actively disliked any of them, however I have tried to make it clear when there are weaknesses or other elements that people might hate, eg in the Nikita Lalwani, Catherine O'Flynn and Anne Enright. Once I get them all done I'll maybe rank them in my own Self-involved fashion. Unless Barker, Redhill or Wilson turn up something unexpected, top three are likely to remain Ho Davies, Jones and Sinha.
  • gav
    @ jem I shall stop by more. Nice blog you have going on there.

    Boosk are the best "value for money" in time-per-money-spent. The only downside is some take a lot of time...

    Oh I'm not that brave. I haven't said why I've gave up on them - and one of them I'm having to restrain myself on. I wouldn't use it to stand on.

    @ the JS jury. You're not being that helpful. You're liking far too many. Does that mean they've put together rather a decent list this year?
  • gav
    @ jem I shall stop by more. Nice blog you have going on there.

    Boosk are the best "value for money" in time-per-money-spent. The only downside is some take a lot of time...

    Oh I'm not that brave. I haven't said why I've gave up on them - and one of them I'm having to restrain myself on. I wouldn't use it to stand on.

    @ the JS jury. You're not being that helpful. You're liking far too many. Does that mean they've put together rather a decent list this year?
  • Well the JS jury at any rate is placing Indra Sinha's Animal's People very high on the shortlist prospects. A real surprise and I feel thoroughly ashamed that I approached it with such disdain.
  • Well the JS jury at any rate is placing Indra Sinha's Animal's People very high on the shortlist prospects. A real surprise and I feel thoroughly ashamed that I approached it with such disdain.
  • jem
    Thanks for stopping by. Your stastic actually comforted me a bit because it made it sound like a couple of reading hours a day would do the trick. But I'm not sure some of these Booker books encourage page a minute reading!

    I like what you've got going in your sidebar here. I admire someone willing to give up on a book and admit it. I see 'Electricity' on your radar. I read that recently and found it to be pretty good.
  • jem
    Thanks for stopping by. Your stastic actually comforted me a bit because it made it sound like a couple of reading hours a day would do the trick. But I'm not sure some of these Booker books encourage page a minute reading!

    I like what you've got going in your sidebar here. I admire someone willing to give up on a book and admit it. I see 'Electricity' on your radar. I read that recently and found it to be pretty good.
  • gav
    Nothing is biting yet - I'm going to wait until the jury is in I think. That's the DGR and JS jury BTW.
  • gav
    Nothing is biting yet - I'm going to wait until the jury is in I think. That's the DGR and JS jury BTW.
  • I haven't read *any* of these yet, but would like to have a go at Self Help, Mister Pip, and - having just read John Self's review - Gifted. Intrigued by Darkmans too.

    Also, everyone keeps raving about What Was Lost, so I think I might have to give that a shot too.

    So many books, so little time...
  • I haven't read *any* of these yet, but would like to have a go at Self Help, Mister Pip, and - having just read John Self's review - Gifted. Intrigued by Darkmans too.

    Also, everyone keeps raving about What Was Lost, so I think I might have to give that a shot too.

    So many books, so little time...
  • Yeah, leave it to us! Have read five already, which is a blessing as that leaves 8 to get through in 4 weeks. Now halfway through Nikita Lalwani's Gifted, which I'm enjoying. Review will be up in the next couple of days.
  • Yeah, leave it to us! Have read five already, which is a blessing as that leaves 8 to get through in 4 weeks. Now halfway through Nikita Lalwani's Gifted, which I'm enjoying. Review will be up in the next couple of days.
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