Women's Prize for fiction 2019 predictions

[Cherrypi]

The Prize is open to any full length novel, written in English by a woman of any nationality, provided that the novel is published for the first time in print form the United Kingdom between 1 April of the year before the Prize is awarded and 31 March of the year in which the Prize is awarded. Although the novel’s first UK publication must fall within these dates, it’s still eligible if it was previously published in English elsewhere.

What do you think will make Monday's long list?

I think
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss if it's long enough
Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller
The stranger diaries by Elly Griffiths.

Also My sister, the serial killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite.

Normal People.

I didn’t like it, but it’s right up the judge’s street.

It's being announced at midnight tonight.

A few more -

Spring - Ali Smith
Unsheltered - Barbara Kingsolver
Washington Black - Esi Edugyan

Either Circe by Madeline Miller or The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. I’ll be surprised if neither, or both of these make it on the list. They’re both retelling of Classical Greek myths so I don’t think the judges will have longlisted both of them.

I hope A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza is longlisted. It’s a very accomplished debut novel and the story and storytelling is right up the Women’s Prize’s street.

I’m listening to Normal People at the moment and can not understand what all the fuss is about. It’s not a bad novel but all the gushing love for it, particularly on Book Tube is really quite

Ooh good call about Spring by Ali Smith Southeast. Didn’t know it was being published this month. Have just placed a hold for it at the library.

Milkman by Anna Burns has a good chance I reckon.

Watching with interest. I expect Normal People will be on it, but I hope not. I loathed it, thought it was over-written tedious tosh.

Looking forward to Ali Smith's Spring - if it's as good as Autumn and Winter then it will deserve to be there.

Ghost Wall was great, but so short. Not sure if it ought to be on the long list.

Bitter Orange - hmm. I didn't like it anywhere near as much as Swimming Lessons, which I thought was a really enjoyable read.

Really want to read Washington Black - sounds just my kind of book, so hope that's there.

Well I got three right.
www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/reading-room/news/announcing-the-womens-prize-for-fiction-2019-longlist

I was wrong. Both Circe and Silence of the Girls are there.
It’s an interesting looking list, lots of books I’ve never heard of. Just has a quick skim through of them, it seems very USA heavy.
No Ali Smith

Just watched Simon Savidge's booktube video of the longlist.

I've got Circe on my tbr list to read soon, surprised Milkman is there after winning the Booker, cross Normal People is on it and pleased for Sarah Moss. Although Ghost Wall is so short and it took me only a couple of hours to read, it is good.

I quite like the sound of My Sister the Serial Killer, but I think that's about it for me. Not planning to read any more from the longlist.

I've read four of the books on the longlist: Circe, The Silence of the Girls, Normal People and Milkman. Will probably read the Barbara Kingsolver at some point, because she's been reliably good in the past.

It's a hard one for me because I think Milkman is head-and-shoulders above any other contemporary novel I've read in years. It's quite extraordinary. I loved Circe, but Milkman seems to me to be in a different class. But would they give the prize to a novel that had already won the Booker? It would be very unusual.

Completely agree with you hackmum. Will be interesting to see.

Usually, I am lucky if I have read any of the Women’s Prize list, but this year I’ve incredibly read ten of them already. Even more incredible considering that four of the ones I haven’t read are books I’d actually never heard of.

Ali Smith isn’t submitting her books for prizes anymore, which is why Spring isn’t there and why Winter made neither the Women’s Prize nor Booker lists last year. A real shame, but I guess it is quite stressful and there are a lot of promotional things and readings to attend each time. Hopefully, with a couple of years off, she’ll change her mind.

I think Freshwater gives Milkman a run for its money. Very clever structurally and really engaging.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Is that the one with the two lesbians - one of whom is called Bobbi and the other one is actually Bi and has an affair with a friend's actor husband?

If so, seriously? I was really cross that I had bought it and wasted my money. I did finish it because I felt I had to but I thought the two main characters were stupid and I wanted to slap them.

Apologies if this wasn't the book!

I was going to bring it in to work and have a good old rant on this site! Just hate it when there are loads of books I want to buy and I buy a dud one. My thinking was that I read so many crime novels so let's read something different.

That was Conversations With Friends, her first book. I liked Normal People much better.

I thought Normal People was ok to read but had a lot that irritating about it so didn’t bother going back for the previous book. Surprised by the acclaim for it though I must say.

*was

I’ve read three of the long listed books: Milkman, Normal People and My Sister, The Serial Killer. There are some really interesting sounding ones on there by authors I hadn’t heard of.

I really enjoyed Normal People but was surprised by its Booker longlisting - I think it probably fits better on this list though out of the 4 I have read I don't see it as the winner. I agree with Acrasia that it was better than Conversations with Friends, and Skirmish, if you found Normal People annoying I think you'd probably hate the first one!

elkie I suspected that from what people have said - I wouldn’t rule out reading her next one on the thinking she might be improving. It was very readable, but felt quite lightweight.

I really enjoyed Circe and thought it better than her first one.

Interesting no Sarah Perry or Kate Atkinson, but good to see different names. Also surprised Old Baggage by Lissa Evans hasn’t had more recognition.

I was surprised not to see Sarah Perry too, but I’ve not read Melmoth. I have read Transcription and I am not surprised it didn’t make the list. I loved it, until the ending, when I wanted to chuck it out the window!

I’ve yet to read Transcription, quite enjoyed Melmoth. Whilst it isn’t quite up there with The Essex Serpent - and I felt the resolution seemed rushed - I’be barely read much about it at all which seemed odd after all the hype surrounding her last book.

Have heard mixed reviews of Silence of the Girls but would like to check out Freshwater.

It’s great though that we can talk about so many women authors that they are jostling for space. And Hilary Mantel is still out there somewhere too.

That's interesting from Acrasia about Ali Smith not submitting her books for awards submission. I've just remembered that at a talk Kate Atkinson did last year to publicise Transcription that I attended she also said she didn't want her books submitted. She said the pressure was too much for her and that she doesn't like losing.