Long listed for 2011 Booker Prize

Derby Day by DJ Taylor

Derby Day instantly transports you back to Victorian England. It is meticulously researched and the dialogue is so realistic that I often felt as though I was reading a book written in the 19th Century.

The story begins with a typical Victorian courtship:

‘But of course he smiles at you in the park, so I had better be silent.’
‘I suppose you are cross because you were not sat next to Mr Happerton,’ Harriet suggested.
‘There are things that make me cross beyond sitting next to Mr Happerton. You are a goose, Harriet, to say such things.’
And Harriet, like Mr Happerton half an hour since, thought that she could not make her cousin out.

The friends and relations of the couple are slowly introduced into the book, along with a race horse and those who work in horse racing circles.

I initially loved the atmosphere, but slowly became bored by the lack of action. I have no interest in horse racing so the snippets of information about it held no interest for me either. After about 100 pages I realised I had no emotional connection to the characters and considered abandoning the book, but for some reason I gave it another chance. I read another 60 pages before finally declaring defeat.

If you enjoy slow, atmospheric books and have a passion for horses then this book may be for you, but I need more action and emotion to excite me.

 

 Long listed for 2011 Booker Prize

Far to Go by Alison Pick

Far to Go is probably fantastic, but has the disadvantage of being very similar to numerous other books I’ve read. It is different in that it is set in Czechoslovakia, but in reality the country makes little difference – the story of Jews persecuted during WWII has been told so often that I have little tolerance for it now.

Far to Go has a confusing start, but once I got past this I encountered a well written, emotional story. The problem was that I felt I knew exactly what was going to happen. I could see the relationships between the Jews and non-Jews being set up and I knew that the war would change it all. After about 70 pages I started to skim read and then I read the last couple of chapters.

If the premise of this book appeals to you then I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it, but I’m afraid it wasn’t original enough for me.

The Booker long list has been subjected to a lot of criticism this year. I was under the impression that it gets attacked every year, but a bit of research revealed that people may get upset that a favourite book hasn’t made the cut (eg Solar in 2010) or criticise the inclusion of an individual book (eg Me Cheeta in 2009) but they don’t seem to attack the entire list in the way they have this year.

When announced this week, the general reaction was bemusement, both by its inclusions and its omissions. Telegraph 2011

Much has been made of the fact that several of the judges have written thrillers in the past:

This Booker prize is too much of a thriller. Guardian 2011

But the long list doesn’t include anything I’d recognise as a thriller. In fact I wish that a complex, multi-layered thriller had made the cut as I haven’t been thrilled by anything I’ve read on the long list so far this year.

.

Mainstream Choices

I think the main reason people are upset about the 2011 long list is because many of the choices lack any “literary” element. The judges have a more populist taste than in previous years and chair of the judges, Stella Rimington, admitted on Radio 4’s Front Row, that their aim was to choose books:

“that people would both read and enjoy reading”

This sounds like a good plan, but the problem is that the publishers won’t have submitted their most enjoyable, readable books. The Booker is about finding the best quality books published each year – the ones that will stand the test of time and reveal more with each re-read.

Waverton Good Read Award

If you want to find the best fiction of the year, the perfect book to take away on holiday with you this Summer, then I highly recommend browsing the selections made by the Waverton Good Read Award. This award is judged by a whole community of ordinary readers and year after year they select a wonderful range of intelligent, but gripping reads. They haven’t put a foot wrong with their 2011 short list and the only book I hadn’t heard of (The Breaking of Eggs by Jim Powell) has just gone straight on my wish list. The point is that none of these books are likely to have been submitted for the Booker and so they will have been looking for enjoyable books amongst a pile of miserable, but worthy selections.

What should the Booker do?

The Booker should provide lots of food for thought. The long list should be packed with books that question the way we see the world, create lively debate and have so many layers that Professors can spend years analysing every paragraph. I’ve attempted to read half the long list and so far the greatest success has only managed to mildly entertain me. I hope that the remaining books have more depth and that they can select a winning book that does more than just entertain the reader for a few days on their Summer holiday.

Do you think the Booker should be enjoyable?

The Booker long list has just been announced and I think it is fair to say that it is as surprising as Susan Hill promised it would be.

The list is packed with titles from independent publishers and I was pleased to see a few titles that I hadn’t heard of. It is refreshing to see a list so clear of the usual suspects and I’m looking forward to trying them all.

The only downside is that I have tried reading three of the titles already and wasn’t bowled over by any of them.

The 2011 Booker Long List

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

I was surprised that this was selected as I had it down as a novella and therefore not eligible for the Booker.

 the story of one middle-age man coming to terms with the mutable past.

I think I’m too young (and the wrong sex) to fully appreciate it, but I look forward to being proved wrong!

On Canaan’s Side by Sebastian Barry

This isn’t released until the 4th August, so not much is known about it yet.

Spanning nearly seven decades, it is a novel of memory, war, family-ties and love….

I can see myself enjoying this one.

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

A blackly comic witty noir version of Don Quixote

This book was already high on my TBR pile after I read Gaskella’s very positive review. I can’t decide whether to dip into it straight away, or save it until last.  

Half Blood Blues: From Berlin to Paris. Two Friends. One Betrayal by Esi Edgyan

1930s Berlin, the threat of imprisonment and the powerful desire to make something beautiful despite the horror.

I hadn’t heard of this one, but it sounds as though it could go either way for me.

 

 A Cupboard Full of Coats by Yvvette Edwards

I hadn’t heard of this one either and since it isn’t released until September it will be a while before we do.

Jinx is forced to confront her past, and with the pain of remembrance comes the possibility of redemption.

I’m not very excited about reading this one, but my expectations are often proved wrong.

 

The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst

An epic story of two families and two houses spanning the entire 20th century.

As a previous winner of the Booker prize Hollinghurst is now the favourite to win this year. I had mixed feelings about The Line of Beauty, but am interested to see how this compares.

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman 

A story of innocence and experience, hope and harsh reality.

I wasn’t a big fan of Pigeon English, but it does seem to divide opinion. Don’t believe the “if you love Room, you’ll love this” quotes on the book though!

 

The Last Hundred Days by Patrick McGuinness

The socialist state is in crisis, the shops are empty and old Bucharest vanishes daily under the onslaught of Ceaucescu’s demolition gangs.

I have heard nothing at all about this book, but it sounds different. I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s like.

Snowdrops by A.D. Miller

…an intensely riveting psychological drama that unfolds over the course of one Moscow winter.

I suspected this would turn up on the long list, but I struggled to see its charm. If you like slow, gentle thrillers then this may be for you.

Far to Go by Alison Pick

One family’s epic journey to flee the Nazi occupation of their homeland, and to save the life of a six-year-old boy.

I have read so many books on WWII that this one will have to be very special to impress. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers

Anyone who becomes pregnant will automatically develop a form of CJD which ultimately kills them.

I hadn’t heard of this one, but I LOVE the sound of it. I ordered a copy straight away and am looking forward to diving in.

Derby Day by DJ Taylor

…an unputdownable Victorian romp.

I love the sound of this one too! Who can resist a good Victorian mystery?

Jamrach’s Menagerie by Carol Birch

…brings alive the smells, sights and flavours of the nineteenth century.

I had mixed feelings about this book, but others seem to have more luck.

My thoughts on the list

This is the most interesting Booker long list that I’ve ever seen. It contains a good range of books and many of them sound as though they will not only be well written, but engaging too. I will withhold final judgement until I’ve tried them all, but for now I’m too interested in reading them to worry about the fact that I only predicted two correctly.

What do you think of the Booker long list?

The long list for the 2011 Booker Prize will be announced on Tuesday 26th July and I have been trying to decide which books will make the cut. Narrowing the field down to 13 books was a difficult task, but here’s a brief explanation of how I made my selection:

Previous Bookers

Authors who have made the Booker list in the past are automatically eligible for submission. A large number of these authors have new books out this year.

Wish You Were Here by Graham Swift, The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje, Pure by Andrew Miller, The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga, The Quality of Mercy by Barry Unsworth and River of Smoke by Amitar Ghosh were all books I considered adding to my long list, but gut instinct (which I’m sure will be wrong!) persuaded me not to include these books.

The Orange Prize

Another obvious place to look for contenders is the Orange Prize long list, but I’m not convinced that any of them will make the Booker list. I almost included The London Train by Tessa Hadley and Annabel by Kathleen Winter, but in the end decided that other books were stronger. I have a feeling I’ll be kicking myself for not adding one of them though!

Other Books

A book I’d love to see on the long list is The History of History by Ida Hattemer-Higgins, but Ida Hattemer-Higgins’ globe trotting life means that I’m unsure of her nationality. I presume that her American birth means she has US citizenship, but if she happens to have gained dual nationality then her book definitely has the quality to make the Booker short list. Either way I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that The History of History gets the attention that it deserves.

We Had it So Good by Linda Grant has been suggested by many people, but when I tried it last week I discovered that I was about 30 years too young to fully appreciate it. The Booker judges this year are on the younger side and so I decided it probably wouldn’t make the cut.

Galore by Michael Crummey has been receiving lots of praise in Canada and it was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize this year. I’m sure I’ll love it and it is good enough for the Booker, but I wonder whether it will have been nominated and so have left it off my final prediction.

22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson is another book that I considered adding, but again I think the publishers may have submitted other books instead. Watch out for it on next year’s Orange list though!

So those are the books that I didn’t pick. Which ones do I think the Booker judges will choose on Tuesday?

My Booker Long List Prediction:

King of the Badgers by Philip Hensher

An insightful observation of British society. It didn’t have a strong enough plot for me, but I’d put my money on it winning the Booker this year.

Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar 

This is a subtle, but incredibly powerful story. I loved every word and am really hoping that it makes the cut.

On Canaan’s Side by Sebastian Barry

This book isn’t released until 4th August and I haven’t read it, but the success of The Secret Scripture leads me to believe that it could be a strong contender.

Five Bells by Gail Jones

Gail Jones has an outstanding writing quality. I haven’t read this one, but after seeing so many positive reviews it is high on my wishlist.

The Afterparty by Leo Benedictus

This is probably my favourite book 0f 2011 so far. It is original, clever and entertaining. I’ll post my review at some point in the next week, but until then I’ll keep my fingers crossed for its inclusion on the Booker list.  

Cedilla by Adam Mars-Jones

I abandoned Pilcrow because I didn’t enjoy its meandering style, but I can see the quality of the prose and know that others love this sort of thing.

The Forgotten Waltz – Anne Enright 

Anne Enright won the Booker Prize in 2007. I think The Forgotten Waltz is just as good as The Gathering – especially since it has a happier tone. I’d be very surprised if it didn’t make the long list.

There but for the – Ali Smith

I’m not a bit fan of Ali Smith’s books, but her last two have made the Booker shortlist and this one is receiving just as much praise.

Waterline by Ross Raisin

There tends to be one book written in dialect on the Booker long list. I almost added City of Bohane, but decided that Waterline probably has the edge over it.

 

Gillespie and I by Jane Harris

I have heard wonderful things about this book and am looking forward to reading it. There are normally a couple of plot driven books on the list and so I think this one will fulfil that criteria.

Edward St Aubyn – At Last

Mother’s Milk was shortlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize. At Last is receiving just as much praise and so I think it has a good chance of making the list.

Hand Me Down World by Lloyd Jones 

It took me a while to get into this one, but despite my problems I can see that it is a well-written book with the depth that Booker judges love.

The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst

The Line of Beauty won the 2004 Booker Prize. His follow-up is receiving polarised reviews, but I’ll take that as a sign of excellence. I haven’t rushed out to read this one because The Line of Beauty had both positive and negative elements for me, but I look forward to reading this one if it makes the Booker longlist.

What do you think of my prediction?

Have I missed any obvious contenders?