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Thread: MAN Booker prize 2013

  1. #1
    Internal nebulae TheFifthElement's Avatar
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    MAN Booker prize 2013

    So the MAN Booker Prize longlist has been announced for 2013. This is the list:

    Five Star Billionaire Tash Aw
    We Need New Names NoViolet Bulawayo
    The Luminaries Eleanor Catton
    Harvest Jim Crace
    The Marrying of Chani Kaufman Eve Harris
    The Kills Richard House
    The Lowland Jhumpa Lahiri
    Unexploded Alison MacLeod
    TransAtlantic Colum McCann
    Almost English Charlotte Mendelson
    A Tale for the Time Being Ruth Ozeki
    The Spinning Heart Donal Ryan
    The Testament of Mary Colm Tóibín


    Has anyone read any of these longlisted novels (note, some of them aren't out yet though!)? Any thoughts on a winner? Sadly I haven't read any of the books yet, though I am pleased to say I have signed first editions of the Crace, Bulaweyo and Ozeki books which I haven't yet got around to reading. A lot of good things are being said about Richard House's The Kills. Good to see a lot of new names on the list.

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    In the fog Charles Darnay's Avatar
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    An interesting list I know nothing about: I will have to get to some of them (or wait until the shortlist to help me discriminate).
    I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...

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    Bibliophile JBI's Avatar
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    Is it just me or has nobody else heard of almost everyone on the list?

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    Bibliophile Drkshadow03's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JBI View Post
    Is it just me or has nobody else heard of almost everyone on the list?
    I've heard of Jhumpa Lahiri and Mary Colm Tóibín. I haven't read any of their works though.
    "You understand well enough what slavery is, but freedom you have never experienced, so you do not know if it tastes sweet or bitter. If you ever did come to experience it, you would advise us to fight for it not with spears only, but with axes too." - Herodotus

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drkshadow03 View Post
    I've heard of Jhumpa Lahiri and Mary Colm Tóibín. I haven't read any of their works though.
    That's 'The Testament of Mary', by Colm Toibin.

    Anyway, he's the only one I've heard of.

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    In the fog Charles Darnay's Avatar
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    Ah, Mary Colm Toblin . I listened to an interview with her (what a deep voice for a woman ) shortly after Testament of Mary came out. I never looked into it because it received fairly poor reviews from what I saw: not that I put too much thought in reviews - but I was deep in French Romanticism at the time and didn't want to get out.
    I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...

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    Registered User kev67's Avatar
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    I sometimes wonder why the MAN Booker prize excludes American authors when it allows Irish authors. Ireland is not in the Commonwealth. Even odder now that Rwanda and Mozambique are in the Commonwealth when Rwanda was a Belgian colony and Mozambique a Portuguese.
    According to Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence once said that Balzac was 'a gigantic dwarf', and in a sense the same is true of Dickens.
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    Bibliophile Drkshadow03's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lykren View Post
    That's 'The Testament of Mary', by Colm Toibin.

    Anyway, he's the only one I've heard of.
    Heh. My mistake. I knew I heard the name mentioned in general.
    "You understand well enough what slavery is, but freedom you have never experienced, so you do not know if it tastes sweet or bitter. If you ever did come to experience it, you would advise us to fight for it not with spears only, but with axes too." - Herodotus

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    Internal nebulae TheFifthElement's Avatar
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    I just finished reading A Tale for the Time Being by Ozeki and it's marvellous. It probably won't win though (my money is on either The Kills or Harvest).
    Want to know what I think about books? Check out https://biisbooks.wordpress.com/

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    TobeFrank Paulclem's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheFifthElement View Post
    I just finished reading A Tale for the Time Being by Ozeki and it's marvellous. It probably won't win though (my money is on either The Kills or Harvest).
    I've just started Jeet Thayil's Naropolis from last year's shortlist. It aways serves to remind me how there are so many books and so little time.

  11. #11
    Internal nebulae TheFifthElement's Avatar
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    4 longlisted books down so far. I'm unlikely to read any more before the shortlist is announced. My thoughts on NoViolet Bulaweyo's We Need New Names here: http://biis-books.blogspot.co.uk/201...-bulaweyo.html

    Others I've read but not blogged about yet: Harvest by Jim Crace, The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin. Both well written books but neither hit the spot for me. Odds are on Crace to win at the moment, which makes me a little sad because whilst accomplished it was kind of soulless.

    I also have The Kills to read. I made a start on it, but it is so big and I am doing a lot of travelling right now so I've paused it until I can give it the right amount of attention. Pretty interesting from what I've read, and I'm intrigued by the multimedia element to the book.

    Of the books I've read so far, A Tale for the Time Being has been my favourite. I doubt it will win though.
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    Internal nebulae TheFifthElement's Avatar
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    Shortlist has been announced today. The shortlisted books are:
    We Need New Names NoViolet Bulawayo
    The Luminaries Eleanor Catton
    Harvest Jim Crace
    The Lowland Jhumpa Lahiri
    A Tale for the Time Being Ruth Ozeki
    The Testament of Mary Colm Tóibín

    Of those I've read everything but The Luminaries and The Lowland. My money is on Crace, but I'd like to see Ozeki win it. Now need to try and get hold of the final two (without buying...ugh) and see what they're like.

    Anyone else reading?
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    All are at the crossroads qimissung's Avatar
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    I'm reading "A Tale for the Time Being." It's lovely, and interesting and I highly recommend it to everyone. I only know of it because of you, thoug, Fifth. Thanks!
    "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its' own reason for existing." ~ Albert Einstein
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  14. #14
    Internal nebulae TheFifthElement's Avatar
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    Eleanor Catton wins with The Luminaries, one of the shortlisted entries I haven't managed to read yet (21 reservations at the library, yikes!) Really pleased to see a female author take it, primarily because of all the tw*tty commentary from the UK press which has seen fit to focus their praise solely on the 2 shortlisted men and summarily dismiss the women. Though that's not fair on Crace or Toibin, I know, both of whom are excellent writers.

    Of the ones I did read, I'd have rated them:
    A Tale for the Time Being
    We Need New Names
    Harvest
    The Testament of Mary

    Quote Originally Posted by kev67 View Post
    I sometimes wonder why the MAN Booker prize excludes American authors when it allows Irish authors. Ireland is not in the Commonwealth. Even odder now that Rwanda and Mozambique are in the Commonwealth when Rwanda was a Belgian colony and Mozambique a Portuguese.
    I guess the MAN Booker people have addressed your query. I'm not massively happy with the change on the basis that if they're going to extend the parameters, why not take in everywhere and every language? Instead it looks like a cynical move to extend the Booker 'brand'. Plus the change in submission rules appears designed to cut out the small presses, which would be a shame as they're the ones unearthing all the great new writers right now (Granta as publisher of The Luminaries being a case in point). Anyway, I look forward to Donna Tartt winning next year. She probably deserves to (unless Mantel is in it, in which case I'm rooting for the triple).
    Want to know what I think about books? Check out https://biisbooks.wordpress.com/

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    All are at the crossroads qimissung's Avatar
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    Hunh. I never thought it would be that one. I just read a review of it, and it sounded quite interesting. You never know, Fifth, what Santa might bring you, if you are patient.
    "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its' own reason for existing." ~ Albert Einstein
    "Remember, no matter where you go, there you are." Buckaroo Bonzai
    "Some people say I done alright for a girl." Melanie Safka

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