Difference between revisions of "Man Booker Prize 2009"

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'''Winner'''
 
'''Winner'''
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=Hilary Mantel
 
|author=Hilary Mantel
 
|title=Wolf Hall
 
|title=Wolf Hall
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|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=A revisionist look at Henry VIII's minister, Thomas Cromwell. Rich, absorbing and intelligent, it's a beautiful, beautiful book.  
 
|summary=A revisionist look at Henry VIII's minister, Thomas Cromwell. Rich, absorbing and intelligent, it's a beautiful, beautiful book.  
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007230184</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=0007230184
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
'''The Shortlist'''
 
'''The Shortlist'''
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=A S Byatt
 
|author=A S Byatt
 
|title=The Children's Book
 
|title=The Children's Book
Line 19: Line 19:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=This is a rich and vast novel that is both thought provoking but at the same time easy to read about childhood and children's stories. Set between the late Victorian age and World War One, it tells of an age obsessed by children's stories and follows the lives of a number of families and their own children at various ends of the social spectrum.
 
|summary=This is a rich and vast novel that is both thought provoking but at the same time easy to read about childhood and children's stories. Set between the late Victorian age and World War One, it tells of an age obsessed by children's stories and follows the lives of a number of families and their own children at various ends of the social spectrum.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0701183896</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=0701183896
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=J M Coetzee
 
|author=J M Coetzee
 
|title=Summertime
 
|title=Summertime
Line 28: Line 28:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=A postmodernist novel that presents research evidence gathered by a fictional biographer on the years when the deceased semi-fictional John Coetzee was finding his feet as a writer. Too clever by half, perhaps, but very readable and thought-provoking to boot.  
 
|summary=A postmodernist novel that presents research evidence gathered by a fictional biographer on the years when the deceased semi-fictional John Coetzee was finding his feet as a writer. Too clever by half, perhaps, but very readable and thought-provoking to boot.  
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846553180</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=1846553180
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=Adam Foulds
 
|author=Adam Foulds
 
|title=The Quickening Maze
 
|title=The Quickening Maze
Line 37: Line 37:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=Based on true events, this is a reworking of a  time that the nature poet, John Clare, spent in a mental institution. The Tennyson brothers also figure largely in this short and descriptive novel.
 
|summary=Based on true events, this is a reworking of a  time that the nature poet, John Clare, spent in a mental institution. The Tennyson brothers also figure largely in this short and descriptive novel.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0224087460</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=0224087460
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=Simon Mawer
 
|author=Simon Mawer
 
|title=The Glass Room
 
|title=The Glass Room
Line 46: Line 46:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=A genteel examination of the nature of humanity set against the beauty of modernist architecture and the horrors of genocide. Understated emotion. Recommended.
 
|summary=A genteel examination of the nature of humanity set against the beauty of modernist architecture and the horrors of genocide. Understated emotion. Recommended.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408700778</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=1408700778
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=Sarah Waters
 
|author=Sarah Waters
 
|title=The Little Stranger
 
|title=The Little Stranger
Line 55: Line 55:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary= When was the last time you couldn't put a Booker nominated novel down? Sarah Waters, author of acclaimed novels ''Fingersmith'' and ''The Night Watch'' has written a chilling psychological ghost story that kept me guessing until the very last page.
 
|summary= When was the last time you couldn't put a Booker nominated novel down? Sarah Waters, author of acclaimed novels ''Fingersmith'' and ''The Night Watch'' has written a chilling psychological ghost story that kept me guessing until the very last page.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1844086011</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=1844086011
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
'''Longlisted books which didn't make the shortlist'''
 
'''Longlisted books which didn't make the shortlist'''
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=Sarah Hall
 
|author=Sarah Hall
 
|title=How to Paint a Dead Man
 
|title=How to Paint a Dead Man
Line 66: Line 66:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=A visceral exploration of art, love, loss and the human condition.
 
|summary=A visceral exploration of art, love, loss and the human condition.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>057122489X</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=057122489X
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=Samantha Harvey
 
|author=Samantha Harvey
 
|title=The Wilderness
 
|title=The Wilderness
Line 75: Line 75:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=This impressive debut novel by Samantha Harvey tracks the progress of a protagonist with Alzheimer's disease. It's a demanding and troubling read but reaps rewards for readers prepared to give it their attention.
 
|summary=This impressive debut novel by Samantha Harvey tracks the progress of a protagonist with Alzheimer's disease. It's a demanding and troubling read but reaps rewards for readers prepared to give it their attention.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0224089684</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=0224089684
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=James Lever
 
|author=James Lever
 
|title=Me Cheeta
 
|title=Me Cheeta
Line 84: Line 84:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=A spoof biography of Cheeta the chimpanzee, that gives a great insight into the golden age of Hollywood. It's top quality trash (in the best possible way), and a great deal of fun.
 
|summary=A spoof biography of Cheeta the chimpanzee, that gives a great insight into the golden age of Hollywood. It's top quality trash (in the best possible way), and a great deal of fun.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007280165</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=0007280165
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=Ed O'Loughlin
 
|author=Ed O'Loughlin
 
|title=Not Untrue and Not Unkind
 
|title=Not Untrue and Not Unkind
Line 93: Line 93:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=A journalist in Africa, late 1990s, finds the problems inherent in reporting the unearthly horrors of ethnic warfare, and the benefits of grounding relationships with his damaged colleagues.  It's a meaty premise, but closer perhaps to bushmeat than prime rump.
 
|summary=A journalist in Africa, late 1990s, finds the problems inherent in reporting the unearthly horrors of ethnic warfare, and the benefits of grounding relationships with his damaged colleagues.  It's a meaty premise, but closer perhaps to bushmeat than prime rump.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1844881857</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=1844881857
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=James Scudamore
 
|author=James Scudamore
 
|title=Heliopolis
 
|title=Heliopolis
Line 102: Line 102:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=An interesting, but not outstanding book about the identity crisis of a newly-rich, ex-favela young man. It takes itself too seriously at times and attempts to shock with a half-incest theme, but is still in essence another book about coping with uncertainty and lack of self-definition. The book might appeal to men in their late twenties - the level of indecisiveness and responsibility looks just about right, and it does broaden one's horizons.
 
|summary=An interesting, but not outstanding book about the identity crisis of a newly-rich, ex-favela young man. It takes itself too seriously at times and attempts to shock with a half-incest theme, but is still in essence another book about coping with uncertainty and lack of self-definition. The book might appeal to men in their late twenties - the level of indecisiveness and responsibility looks just about right, and it does broaden one's horizons.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846551889</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=1846551889
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=Colm Toibin
 
|author=Colm Toibin
 
|title=Brooklyn
 
|title=Brooklyn
Line 111: Line 111:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=A deceptively simple story of a young woman who leaves 1950s Ireland for New York, falls in love and then returns to her home town. But Brooklyn is about much more than that, and Tóibín's understated prose has a depth and resonance that is a real pleasure to read.
 
|summary=A deceptively simple story of a young woman who leaves 1950s Ireland for New York, falls in love and then returns to her home town. But Brooklyn is about much more than that, and Tóibín's understated prose has a depth and resonance that is a real pleasure to read.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0670918121</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=0670918121
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{topten
+
{{Frontpage
 
|author=William Trevor
 
|author=William Trevor
 
|title=Love and Summer
 
|title=Love and Summer
Line 120: Line 120:
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|genre=Literary Fiction
 
|summary=A young farmer's wife embarks on an affair in rural 1950s Ireland with unanticipated consequences. Exploring themes of love and escape, the novel develops into a climax that approaches the perfection of Trevor's short stories.
 
|summary=A young farmer's wife embarks on an affair in rural 1950s Ireland with unanticipated consequences. Exploring themes of love and escape, the novel develops into a climax that approaches the perfection of Trevor's short stories.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0670918245</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=0670918245
 
}}
 
}}
  

Revision as of 10:39, 1 February 2024

Winner

0007230184.jpg

Review of

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

5star.jpg Literary Fiction

A revisionist look at Henry VIII's minister, Thomas Cromwell. Rich, absorbing and intelligent, it's a beautiful, beautiful book. Full Review

The Shortlist

File:0701183896.jpg

Review of

The Children's Book by A S Byatt

4.5star.jpg Literary Fiction

This is a rich and vast novel that is both thought provoking but at the same time easy to read about childhood and children's stories. Set between the late Victorian age and World War One, it tells of an age obsessed by children's stories and follows the lives of a number of families and their own children at various ends of the social spectrum. Full Review

1846553180.jpg

Review of

Summertime by J M Coetzee

4.5star.jpg Literary Fiction

A postmodernist novel that presents research evidence gathered by a fictional biographer on the years when the deceased semi-fictional John Coetzee was finding his feet as a writer. Too clever by half, perhaps, but very readable and thought-provoking to boot. Full Review

File:0224087460.jpg

Review of

The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds

3.5star.jpg Literary Fiction

Based on true events, this is a reworking of a time that the nature poet, John Clare, spent in a mental institution. The Tennyson brothers also figure largely in this short and descriptive novel. Full Review

1408700778.jpg

Review of

The Glass Room by Simon Mawer

4star.jpg Literary Fiction

A genteel examination of the nature of humanity set against the beauty of modernist architecture and the horrors of genocide. Understated emotion. Recommended. Full Review

1844086011.jpg

Review of

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

5star.jpg Literary Fiction

When was the last time you couldn't put a Booker nominated novel down? Sarah Waters, author of acclaimed novels Fingersmith and The Night Watch has written a chilling psychological ghost story that kept me guessing until the very last page. Full Review

Longlisted books which didn't make the shortlist

057122489X.jpg

Review of

How to Paint a Dead Man by Sarah Hall

4.5star.jpg Literary Fiction

A visceral exploration of art, love, loss and the human condition. Full Review

File:0224089684.jpg

Review of

The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey

4star.jpg Literary Fiction

This impressive debut novel by Samantha Harvey tracks the progress of a protagonist with Alzheimer's disease. It's a demanding and troubling read but reaps rewards for readers prepared to give it their attention. Full Review

0007280165.jpg

Review of

Me Cheeta by James Lever

4star.jpg Literary Fiction

A spoof biography of Cheeta the chimpanzee, that gives a great insight into the golden age of Hollywood. It's top quality trash (in the best possible way), and a great deal of fun. Full Review

1844881857.jpg

Review of

Not Untrue and Not Unkind by Ed O'Loughlin

3.5star.jpg Literary Fiction

A journalist in Africa, late 1990s, finds the problems inherent in reporting the unearthly horrors of ethnic warfare, and the benefits of grounding relationships with his damaged colleagues. It's a meaty premise, but closer perhaps to bushmeat than prime rump. Full Review

1846551889.jpg

Review of

Heliopolis by James Scudamore

3.5star.jpg Literary Fiction

An interesting, but not outstanding book about the identity crisis of a newly-rich, ex-favela young man. It takes itself too seriously at times and attempts to shock with a half-incest theme, but is still in essence another book about coping with uncertainty and lack of self-definition. The book might appeal to men in their late twenties - the level of indecisiveness and responsibility looks just about right, and it does broaden one's horizons. Full Review

0670918121.jpg

Review of

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

5star.jpg Literary Fiction

A deceptively simple story of a young woman who leaves 1950s Ireland for New York, falls in love and then returns to her home town. But Brooklyn is about much more than that, and Tóibín's understated prose has a depth and resonance that is a real pleasure to read. Full Review

0670918245.jpg

Review of

Love and Summer by William Trevor

4.5star.jpg Literary Fiction

A young farmer's wife embarks on an affair in rural 1950s Ireland with unanticipated consequences. Exploring themes of love and escape, the novel develops into a climax that approaches the perfection of Trevor's short stories. Full Review

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