Booker Longlist Read-a-long/discussion

[Tryingtoread]

I have had a look and can’t find a thread on this but if there is one already please let me know and I’ll head over there!

I used to be a voracious reader but have struggled to find time/get into books since having DD.

we’re off on holiday in September so I was putting together a book list and went to look at the booker longlist. I’ve decided it will be a fun challenge for myself to try and read as many of the books as I can before the shortlist is announced on September 21st. I am on a 2 week holiday in September so I think I just may be able to finish them all, though not sure if this is realistic!

Has anyone read any of the books from the list? If anyone feels like joining me on this challenge or discussing any of the books I would love the hear your thoughts.

I’ve finished 2 books so far and have started another today.

1. The Bee Sting - Paul Murray. I really enjoyed this! It’s about an Irish family of four, with part of the book from each of their perspectives. A chunky 600+ page read but I rushed through, it really gripped me.
2. The Study of Obedience - Sarah Bernstein. This is about an outcast woman who has dedicated her life to serving her family from an early age. She has moved to a different (unnamed) country to live with her brother and act as a sort of housekeeper. She lives a very isolated life. I finished this today - it’s a much shorter book. I appreciate the writing style and admire it as a piece of literature, but it didn’t grip me in the same way. It’s intentionally quite ambiguous, the characters are all nameless and it feels you are missing chunks of the plot. I wouldn’t say i hugely enjoyed it but appreciated it as an art almost.

I am now onto ‘All the Little Bird-Hearts’ by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow and looking forward to it. All I know about it so far is that it’s about an autistic mother and her teenage daughter.

Excited to hear thoughts from anyone else whose read these or other books from the list. Please no spoilers!

Have now finished All The Little Bird-Hearts which was really readable. Characters were so well drawn and Vita very believable and chilling.
Also finished Pearl which I enjoyed.
Now on How to Build a Boat which is fairly compelling from the start.
Agree about the plethora of dead mothers.

Just finished How to Build a Boat, which I quite enjoyed. It’s difficult to create a believable neurodiverse child character, but it works here. However I wasn’t totally convinced by the school. Would marital breakdown really be a sackable offence for a teacher? In 2020? Also, I’m afraid I got a little bored by Tess.

I've finished a couple now:

Old God's Time this took me a while to get into, but I'm glad I stuck with it as I did enjoy it overall. I thought the subtle plot development was brilliant and how you never quite knew what was real or not - some of it was very hard to read in an uncomfortable way though.

Study for Obedience I didn't really get this - I can see it is an accomplished piece of writing, but it was too vague and everytime I started to get into it and think something was happening that I could get a handle on, it would shift back.

I'm half way through Pearl now which I am loving and has me completely gripped!

Well finally my library reservations are starting to arrive, clearly lots of demand in my town for Booker longlists. I've started on A Spell of Good Things but it's taking me a while to get going.

I’ve come to this late, so I’ll attempt to read the shortlist (is there another thread for that?)

I’ve read and loved House Of Doors. Like @lilyfire, I’d read the author’s previous two books and I love his style of writing. Look forward to reading more of your reviews.

I'm not enjoying A Spell of Good Things at all. I keep trying but I just can't seem to care about any of the characters. I can't relate to any of them. That doesn't usually put me off a book but I'm just not interested in any of them.
I'm giving up and moving on to How To Build A Boat.

Read How to Build a Boat - enjoyed it, but perhaps not a classic.

Just finished the Bee Sting - really loved this one. Kept you guessing, and thought the ending was gripping (controversial I know!). Has to be a contender for the win.

Moving on to Prophet Song now - third one by an Irish writer, they seem very well represented this year.

Will hopefully get half of the shortlist read before the award!

I've only just seen this thread. I've read 9 altogether, but only 3 from the shortlist.

Of the shortlist that I've read, I think it's probably between the Irish Pauls, both of which I thought were good.

Prophet Song was a tough read as it is relentlessly depressing but it is very convincing and well characterised. This is probably my pick to win of the shortlist.

The Bee Sting was a great page turner, although I think I preferred the children's narratives. The mother's narrative was the weakest for me, possibly due to the stream of conscious nature of it. I didn't mind the ambiguous ending but wondered if he'd tried to fit too many characters and themes in, some parts seemed a bit random.

I didn't really like Study For Obedience. It was too opaque and stilted for me.

Have just started I will Survive You.

Of the non short-listed books in my order of preference:

All the Little Bird Hearts - really strong story with original autistic voice - would have loved to see this go further. 5/5
Old God's Time - another unreliable narrator. I actually liked this more than I was expecting to, especially the descriptions of the sea, but not as much as some of Barry's others
The House Of Doors - evocative historic novel set in Penang. Felt like he was trying to fit a bit much in too, I was more interested in Lesley's story than the Somerset Maugham parts 4/5
In Ascension - ambitious, good atmosphere, was frustrated at some of the plot lines being left hanging when it moved from section to section 4/5
A Spell of Good Things - I would have liked the two stories to come together a bit more. It didn't quite capture my imagination, I felt the same as @Rae36 3/5
How To Build A Boat - a little bit too twee, especially compared with All the Little Bird Hearts. The guy was a bit too much of a saviour and didn't think the teacher's story fitted. Would have liked more about his father - 3/5

On the whole I think it was a bit of an odd selection this year. Quite insular, depressing books with quite a bit of stream.of consciousness and unreliable narrators. I may get to the other 2 on the shortlist if I see them on offer but am not desperate to read them.

Placemarking really but have started The Bee Sting.

I’m well into If I Survive You, which I’m enjoying. It’s essentially a linked group of short stories depicting the American immigrant experience. I would agree with @Stokey that it’s been a low key, depressing choice of books this year, with some strange omissions. Not sure I can face Prophet Song right now. I would really like Bee Sting to win.