Bernadine Evaristo

[OhamIreally]

Just saw this woman on Question Time and thought she was fabulous. Eloquent yet precise, passionate and logical.
Her response about the pulling down of the Bristol statue was spot on.

[fairfat40]

Her latest book is brilliant. So not surprised.

[Destroyedpeople]

Oh I loved 'girl woman other'. A rare book for me in that I was so sad when I finished it that I went straight back to the beginning and read it again....

[emptyplinth]

Really like her

[OhHolyJesus]

Reviving an old thread to check if BE is a woman? I ask as text in the opening piece of the Sunday Times Style magazine (which BE guest edited) would suggest otherwise.

[DaisiesandButtercups]

She went to a girls grammar school...

[CourtneyLurve]

She's a woman. She is very into 'womxnhood' and allowing trans people into women's spaces, though.

[Winesalot]

There are pics of her as a small girl on google. I think she is awesome.

[nauticant]

She started a talk on Radio 4 recently with the words "Since the George Floyd lynching ...". I'm not impressed by people who misrepresent facts for political purposes.

[OhHolyJesus]

Ok interesting - I'm going to reread the piece again...

[DidoLamenting]

I'm not wasting time nor money on a writer who uses the silly neologism "womxn"

What it is supposed to mean? If trans women are women why is it needed? Who is supposed to be included who aren't in the group "women"? Is "mxn" a thing?

I had a look at her book- it's set out in an odd double line- spacing- why? It looked as affected as "womxn"

[Toseland]

No bloody punctuation and too ‘cool’ for me.

[Muttonindistress]

I loved Girl, Woman, Other too. But the author is undoubtedly woke. The 'other' I guess refers to the non-binary character - who is pretty annoying, but it gives an interesting insight into their mindset. And they only dominate one chapter as far as I remember. I think it would be a shame iif people were put off reading it because of that, as it's a really good exploration of womanhood. I'm still a fan of Margaret Attwood too (who shared the Booker with BE last year) despite her inexpiciable views on gender.

[MaMaLa321]

She started a talk on Radio 4 recently with the words "Since the George Floyd lynching ...". I'm not impressed by people who misrepresent facts for political purposes.
I heard the same thing naticant, and agree with you.
Not keen on her stance on trans issues either.
A previous novel 'Mr Lover man' is OK but nothing special

[SeaRabbit]

i and the rest of my book group loved Girl, Woman, Other. it was the first book we agreed on.

there was an interesting article in the Sunday Times about her. There's sadness about the change in the lesbian clubs:

Bernardine Evaristo on her sexuality and how her lesbian era shaped who she is today

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2f356dfa-ca90-11ea-bbb4-8fadf03ff542?shareToken=c546d271528f93d42e1064393bcf9e5f

[DianasLasso]

Just read a bit of the first chapter of Girl, Woman, Other.

I suspect it could have been brilliant if she hadn't been trying so bloody hard to be achingly woke. I'm kind of imagining going through it with an editor's red pen, crossing out every self-indulgent bit of showcasing how politically aware she is, and I think what's left would be very interesting (the double spacing and lack of punctuation doesn't put me off - I actually find that very interesting).

I don't think this is just because of her particular brand of politics - I personally find political polemic kills good fiction, regardless of what political viewpoint is being pushed. About the only way you can do political polemic via fiction is absolutely biting satire (Beatty's The Sellout - Booker winner from a few years earlier - does this brilliantly).

[DianasLasso]

Incidentally - I would probably get on alright reading her political views if she expressed them via an essay format - I think that would grab my attention. I just don't like being preached at in the guise of a novel.

[DidoLamenting]

(the double spacing and lack of punctuation doesn't put me off - I actually find that very interesting)

What's interesting about it?

I can see the point of strange typeface and layout in a book like Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves but what is the point here?

[DidoLamenting]

I think it would be a shame iif people were put off reading it because of that, as it's a really good exploration of womanhood

It has put me off. There's so many other books I want to read I'm not wasting my time on this.

What's an "exploration of womanhood" anyway? I'm a woman- do I need other women telling me how to be a woman? It sounds painfully close to the Caitlin Moran's ghastly book.

[OhHolyJesus]

So I reread the piece in the Style mag - she went from lesbian to straight in her 20s...

This is what made me take a second look, (and I know she went to an all girls school but that's doesn't mean much), I read that and honestly my first thought, right or wrong, was ooooh this is a gay male who transitioned and now identifies as a straight woman.

Mea culpa.

She's a woman. A woke woman but a woman.

[Siablue]

I like her. I really enjoyed Girl Women Other. I loved how all the characters have different voices.

[DianasLasso]

@Siablue

I like her. I really enjoyed Girl Women Other. I loved how all the characters have different voices.

Maybe I should stick with it. The first chapter is obviously semi-autobiographical - maybe it gets more interesting when she gets onto her other characters.

[Lamahaha]

@Toseland

No bloody punctuation and too ‘cool’ for me.

Yes, this. I got a sample on Kindle and nothing annoys me more than non-traditional punctuation -- there is absolutely never a reason for it and even an excellent story can be spoiled by it.
The book on the whole, though, doesn't seem as if it were my think. I don't like short stories or novels that don't have a strong narrative. I don't think I'll buy it. I didn't even finish the sample.

I loved Girl, Woman, Other too. But the author is undoubtedly woke. The 'other' I guess refers to the non-binary character - who is pretty annoying, but it gives an interesting insight into their mindset.

Not having read the book, I assumed that the "other" referred to women and girls being "other" than men...? Being non-men? Perhaps I was wrong.

[Siablue]

Diana’sLasso it does take a while to get used to the way it is written. Some of the characters are more likeable than others (they are meant to be). The first character does seem to be most like her. I

[GingerMcKenna]

I like her writing and she seems a very thoughtful, intelligent woman although definitely wokety woke.

I wouldn’t dismiss Girl, Woman, Other for that reason, though. It’s quite nuanced and gives different women’s viewpoints on things.

Ultimately, yeah, it would seem that she believes TWAW, which is always a big bloody disappointment for me when I otherwise admire someone. Publishing must be an unbearably virtual signalling world of on-trend woke shite, though. I can totallysee how famous writers drink up the kool aid so thirstily....

[ARoombaOfOnesOwn]

It’s on BBC Sounds as a book of the week if you want the gist of it without reading it.