Booker longlist

jenks

jenks

thread death
What do you think

Carey, Peter Theft: A Love Story (Faber & Faber)
Desai, Kiran The Inheritance of Loss (Hamish Hamilton)
Edric, Robert Gathering the Water (Doubleday)
Gordimer, Nadine Get a Life (Bloomsbury)
Grenville, Kate The Secret River (Canongate)
Hyland, M.J. Carry Me Down (Canongate)
Jacobson, Howard Kalooki Nights (Jonathan Cape)
Lasdun, James Seven Lies (Jonathan Cape)
Lawson, Mary The Other Side of the Bridge (Chatto & Windus)
McGregor, Jon So Many Ways to Begin (Bloomsbury)
Matar, Hisham In the Country of Men (Viking)
Messud, Claire The Emperor’s Children (Picador)
Mitchell, David Black Swan Green (Sceptre)
Murr, Naeem The Perfect Man (William Heinemann)
O’Hagan, Andrew Be Near Me (Faber & Faber)
Robertson, James The Testament of Gideon Mack (Hamish Hamilton)
St Aubyn, Edward Mother’s Milk (Picador)
Unsworth, Barry The Ruby in her Navel (Hamish Hamilton)
Waters, Sarah The Night Watch (Virago)
 
J

John Doe

Well-known member
Well, seeing as I haven't read one of those titles I can't really comment. I must confess I find the likes of Andrew O'Hagan, David Mitchell and certainly the unreadable Howard Jacobson to be completely over-rated; on the other hand it's nice to see Claire Messud in there who's a writer I like (although she can be a little dull). There's a few writers on there who I know nothing whatsoever about - I must confess I've lost touch a little with just published contemporary fiction as I don't work near a bookshop so don't get much time to browse around.

Anyone read any of those titles and care to comment on their selection (or the non-selection of one they have read which hasn't made the cut)?
 
B

Buick6

too punk to drunk
You know even if he's supposed to be Australia's greatest living writer, I've still yet to read a Peter Carey novel..I always say I will but never get round to doing it. Is he really that good?
 
J

John Doe

Well-known member
Buick6 said:
You know even if he's supposed to be Australia's greatest living writer, I've still yet to read a Peter Carey novel..I always say I will but never get round to doing it. Is he really that good?
Click to expand...

Yes - although he's published a lot of titles now and, naturally, their quality can vary quite a lot. Personally I loved The True History of the Kelly Gang (which won the Booker 4 years back), but was less impressed with My Life as a Fake (although the premise was fantastic). HIs earlier stuff varies too: I wasn't over-impressed with Oscar & Lucinda, but Illywhacker I did think was v good (although it's a while now since I read it and have been meaning to re-read it for some time). I haven't read (but must) Jack Maggs (again a fantastic premise), and haven't read The Tax Inspector nor his short-story collection The Fat Man in History (which came out way back in 1980 and I hear is very good).

You should check him out. Personally I also love Tim Winton, thought Richard Flanagan's Gould's Book of Fish was brilliant, and I've enjoyed a couple of titles by David Maalouf also. There's a lot of very good fiction coming of Australia these days: personally I think there's a real buzz about the place.
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
I don't think that I've read any of them but a group of my friends are planning to buy them all (between them) and do a swap to try and get them all read by the time they announce the winner. Unfortunately I don't think I'm going to have anything like the amount of time necessary to do that but I think there is a good chance that I will read a few of them as soon as my girlfriend moves back to university - I'll give you my opinion when I have one.
 
W

withnail

Active member
It's great that Kate Grenville is on the list. Another Australian writer. I haven't read The Secret River yet although I expect my mum has, so i'll borrow it next time I'm visiting. I remember studying Carey's The Fat Man in History back in uni and did enjoy it. Carey recently split up with his wife and now wants to take all dedications to her out of all his past novels. A bit disappointing really.
 
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jenks

jenks

thread death
Just ordered a slew of these from the library.

It was interesting to note that whilst I am 2nd in the queue for the Carey I am 38th in line for the Grenville (an author i have never read) suggesting she must be hugely popular with the library readers of Essex.

I really hope the O'Hagan is good - i really think Personality is a lost classic, seemingly overlooked because it uses the basic story arc of Lena Zavaroni's life, which is a shame as it is so well put together with great characters and dialogue (Our Fathers also had excellent dialogue) I also think his writing in the LRB is a model of its kind - detailed, witty and in total command of its brief.

Not sure what to make of Waters - have always found her oddly irritating (and i'm usually a big fan of reinvented Victorian novels).

Surprised to see Jacobson on there, i remember reading Redback and Peeping Tom many years ago and thought him a slighly more caustic version of Lodge and Bradbury. Interesting to see a 'comic' novellist on the list though.

Shame they haven't taken the hint and put David Peace on there - am really interested in his new novel with Brian Clough at its dark heart.
 
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