The longlist for the 2015 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction was released at midnight and I think it is fair to say that it was a surprise. Almost half of the books longlisted hadn’t appeared on any of the blogger prediction posts circulating in the last week or so. I hadn’t even heard of some of them. At this stage I’m not sure if they are stronger than the books suggested, but I’ll find out as I still plan to read many of the books that didn’t make the longlist (Weathering by Lucy Wood, Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, The First Bad Man by Miranda July, Euphoria by Lily King, Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum, Summertime by Vanessa Lafaye, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara)
In fact, I am far more excited about reading the books I discovered while researching contenders for the longlist and discussing the likelihood of their success with other bloggers. These books probably need even more attention now they’ve failed to make the longlist so don’t be surprised if I prioritise them over the actual list (below)
The 2015 Baileys Longlist:
Outline by Rachel Cusk
Five words from the blurb: woman, Athens, writing, meeting, indistinct
Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans
Five words from the blurb: evacuated, London, Blitz, disaster, money
Aren’t We Sisters? by Patricia Ferguson
Five words from the blurb: family, secrets, grand, friendship, lodger
I Am China by Xiaolu Guo
Five words from the blurb: London, translator, Chinese, detention centre, letters
Dear Thief by Samantha Harvey
Five words from the blurb: letters, recriminating, friend, rage, forgiveness
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
Five words from the blurb: forgetful, mystery, friend, missing, note
Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
Five words from the blurb: Flu, collapse, world, relationships, unexpected
The Offering by Grace McCleen
Five words from the blurb: father, farm, breakdown, memory, rural
The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman
Five words from the blurb: children, cruelties, poor, evil, America
The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill
Five words from the blurb: twins, star, documentary, ex-convict, difference
The Bees by Laline Paull
Five words from the blurb: bees, hive, obey, sacrifice, Queen
The Table Of Less Valued Knights by Marie Phillips
Five words from the blurb: Camelot, table, quests, misfits, fantasy
The Walk Home by Rachel Seiffert
Five words from the blurb: laborer, Glasgow, family, betrayal, adrift
A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie
Five words from the blurb: Indian, army, connections, lives, adventure
The Shore by Sara Taylor
Five words from the blurb: islands, sanctuary, methamphetamine, miracle, family
How to be both by Ali Smith
Five words from the blurb: conversation, artist, child, twist, love
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Five words from the blurb: lodgers, London, unexpected, ex-servicemen, house
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
Five words from the blurb: family, decisions, generations, moments, define
The Life of a Banana by PP Wong
Five words from the blurb: Chinese, London, secrets, violence, family
After Before by Jemma Wayne
Five words from the blurb: immigrant, Rwanda, secrets, disease, demons
What do you think of the longlist?
Which books are you most excited about reading?