Man Booker Prize 2012 winner announced tonight - what's your bet?

[TillyBookClub]

It's the biggie. The prize that sends a literary novel straight into the bestseller list and the author on a global publicity tour and to a guaranteed seat in literature's Hall of Fame.

Just to remind you, the shortlist is:

The Lighthouse - Alison Moore
Swimming Home - Deborah Levy
Bring Up the Bodies - Hilary Mantel
Umbrella - Will Self
The Garden of Evening Mists - Tan Twan Eng
Narcopolis - Jeet Thayil

This year's six includes two debut novels, two authors who've been shortlisted before, one previous winner, three novels published by small indie publishers. Three women, three men.

(Ladbrokes current odds-on winner: Will Self at 2/1)

Which ones have you read and who will you be rooting for?

[designerbaby]

I know what you mean, but I'm undecided about Cromwell the crusader...

It's really hard to know whether his reformation of the church was motivated by deeply help protestant beliefs, or whether that was just a convenient excuse for appropriating huge amounts of cash and property for the crown, and removing the political threat posed by a strong church.

Crusader vs. businessman and politician... ?? Dunno.

The book at least, for me, questioned his motivations, but left the question rather unresolved... On the one hand he is risking his life by importing and reading banned protestant texts, on the other, the dissolution of the monasteries is described in far more prosaic terms...

But hey. I unashamedly loved both books...

db
xx

[sieglinde]

Yes, I read that too, and found myself in agreement with it - unusual on both counts!

[marfisa]

Hmmm, interesting. That sounds like this review.

[sieglinde]

Cromwell is made palatable because he's a rational atheist, which he really WASN'T. He was mercenary, yes, but he was also something of a crusader. Henry is given the romantic attitudes of a 21st-century man, and his religious beliefs are crudely crazy. Anne is also thoroughly modern rather than motivated by dynastic forces.

All this lets us feel both a false identification and a warm glow of superiority without any understanding. So both are sentimental.

[Vagaceratops]

Well done Hilary.

[choccyp1g]

What do you mean about lollipops sieglinde?

I loved Wolf Hall and BUTB, but I do worry that historical fiction can totally confuse me as to what really happened.

[sieglinde]

I reviewed BUTB, and thought it was all right. Just that, all right. Overwritten, and with many a lollipop for the little people's prejudices about history.

[2madboys]

Will openly admit that I haven't read it yet, but so disappointed that The Lighthouse didn't win. I won't be able to say that I went to school with the winner of the Booker Prize! . Thrilled to bits that she made the shortlist though!

[juneau]

I'm so disappointed HM won again. I couldn't get into Wolf Hall at all and haven't attempted BUTB as a result. I usually find it interesting to read the Booker winner, but this year I'm not going to bother.

[anisceline]

The thing that made me happy to be honest was seeing a relatively small Indie publisher like Salt have a title on the shortlist with The Lighthouse. I've often wondered if it's really just the calibre of fiction alone that manages to get onto that shortlist. That is what it should be about. I still feel there is a real sense of just a handful of writers who get considered. I know good fiction is a subjective thing but I'd love to see a bit more daring built into that reading list and you tend to get more unusual but original reads championed by the smaller presses. I would love to see more break out authors on the shortlist, I think the publishing industry and readers would benefit from that.

[Puppypanic]

Fantastic, I am so so pleased for her. Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies are both such brilliant books - can't wait for number 3!

I couldn't stop grinning last night and listening to her this morning on R4 - brilliant win and so well deserved.

[hackmum]

We shall now pretend that I never wrote a post saying that of course they wouldn't give the prize to Hilary a second time.

[Hullygully]

Go Hilary!

Just heard her on R4 too

[ticklemyboobsofsteel]

Well done Hilary :) I'm half-way through Bring Up The Bodies, and love it. Wolf Hall is probably one of my most favourite books ever. Very well deserved!

[NurseRatched]

Fabulous! Well done, well deserved, Ms M

[maillotjaune]

Fantastic! I'm so pleased (it is the only one on the short list I have read although I've bought 2 others) but I am seriously in love with her Cromwell and so pleased that such a good storyteller has been recognised again.

[TillyBookClub]

Hallelujah!

Not only for Hilary winning, but that I've actually read a Booker winner before it won the Booker.

Here's the link to Hilary's completely brilliant webchat on BRING UP THE BODIES last month

[LibrarianAli]

YAY! Hilary is a wonderful storyteller; hearing her read aloud last night brought the book even more to life. I'm so very pleased for her.

[designerbaby]

YAY! Go Hilary!!

[MrsMellowDrummer]

Oooooh!

[AgentProvocateur]

Bring Up The Bodies!

[TillyBookClub]

We're off! BBc coverage on now..

[atrociouscook]

I really hope it will be Will. I have reread the first 70 pages and now can't put it down - worth persevering with and is a welcome chaqnge frfom so many books.

[TillyBookClub]

watching it now....

[MrsMellowDrummer]

And yes, I don't think it should go to Mantel either. Wolf Hall was ground breaking, whereas I felt that Bringing Up the Bodies was a fairly standard historical novel - albeit a very good one!