Tag: Booker Prize

Books we have read that have been longlisted or shortlisted for the Booker Prize, or previous Man Booker Prize

On Chesil Beach – Ian McEwan

READ FOR BOOKERTHON In this novella a newly married couple reflect on their pasts and as a result question their marriage while honeymooning on Chesil Beach. ⚈ “The opening line of On Chesil Beach sums up the rest of the content: ‘They were young, educated,… Continue Reading “On Chesil Beach – Ian McEwan”

Mister Pip – Lloyd Jones

READ FOR BOOKERTHON In the world of Mister Pip, reading Dickens represents salvation for a community ravaged by conflict. ⚈ “Lloyd Jones’s novel is set in a village on the Papua New Guinean island of Bougainville during the 1990s civil war. Jones covered it as… Continue Reading “Mister Pip – Lloyd Jones”

Darkmans – Nicola Barker

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A jester haunts this book, possessing the characters at inconvenient moments. They are a collection of interesting folk living in Ashby, England. An erratic, embitted old man; a drug dealer; a chiropodist with mysterious bruises; a man with schizophrenia; a boy building… Continue Reading “Darkmans – Nicola Barker”

Animal’s People – Indra Sinha

READ FOR BOOKERTHON In 1984 Union Carbide released 40 tonnes of lethal gas from its pesticide factory into the city of Bhopal in India, killing thousands and contaminating drinking water. Indra Sinha writes of this atrocity in Animal’s People, replacing Bhopal with the fiction city… Continue Reading “Animal’s People – Indra Sinha”

The Gathering – Anne Enright

READ FOR BOOKERTHON Liam Hegarty has drowned himself a river. He is one of 12 siblings who all like to drink, though he was afflicted more than the rest. His family, a large, Irish kin, come together for the funeral. His sister Veronica narrates events,… Continue Reading “The Gathering – Anne Enright”

The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid

READ FOR BOOKERTHON Over one night, a Pakistani man tells an American stranger about his love affair with a woman and his forced abandonment of America post 911. The resulting chaos of 911, especially for men of his ethnicity, causes Changez to abandon his wish… Continue Reading “The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid”

The Accidental – Ali Smith

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Suzy Amber—thirty-something and barefoot—shows up at the door of the Norfolk cottage that the Smart family is renting for the summer. She talks her way in. She tells nothing but lies. She stays for dinner. Each family member assesses… Continue Reading “The Accidental – Ali Smith”

The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Rachel The Blind Assassin is a book within a book within a book and opens with the following sentence: ‘Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove her car off a bridge’. It has four interweaving narratives,… Continue Reading “The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood”

The Bone People – Keri Hulme

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Suzy Joe Gillayley is a widower who maintains a love-hate relationship with his mute, adoptive son, Simon. Both male characters are prone to violence. Kerewin is a reclusive painter who comes into their lives. Set on NZ’s West Coast,… Continue Reading “The Bone People – Keri Hulme”

Life of Pi – Yann Martel

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Nadine A fantasy adventure in which the protagonist, Pi, is shipwrecked and must endure life at sea with a Bengal Tiger. Inspired by a true story, the book explores questions about faith, friendship and fiction. It is a unique… Continue Reading “Life of Pi – Yann Martel”