Congratulations to the winner, Susanna Clarke, for her work Piranisi and congrats to all the other contenders.
This year I made it a personal goal to read all of the books on the Women’s Prize Longlist before the winner was announced. I was...not successful. As is often the case, life got in the way and my grand plans of reading all of the nominated books on top of my other reading plans fell through. But, that’s okay, because, also, as is often the case, I’ve enjoyed the journey, so I’m not all that said that I didn’t quite make it to my destination. On that note - enough with the cliches - below, find my ratings for the books I did read, the list of books I’m currently reading still, the book I still hope to read, and the book I DNF’d in less than 10 pages.
Books I Read (and My Ratings for Each)
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi - 5 stars
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - 4 ¾ stars
Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi - 4 stars
Consent by Annabel Lyon - 4 stars
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters - 4 stars
The Golden Rule by Amanda Craig - 4 stars
Luster by Raven Lilani - 4 stars
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan - 3 ¾ stars
How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones - 3 ¾ stars
Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller - 3 ¼ stars
Piranisi by Susanna Clarke - 3 stars
No One is Talking About This - 2 ¾ stars
Books I’m Still Reading
Nothing But Blue Sky by Kathleen MacMahon
Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
Book I Still Hope to Read
Summer by Ali Smith
Book I DNF’d
Because of You by Dawn French
Overall, I think this was an incredible collection of works, and I’m so glad I set myself the challenge to read them all - because even though I didn’t succeed, I absolutely did succeed in broadening my horizons and finding a few new favorites along the way. (Although, who am I kidding? Any book by Brit Bennett was always going to be a favorite for me, with or without a prize recommending it. After reading The Mothers, I’m pretty sure I would read a grocery list written by Brit Bennett - she is one of the best, most lyrical writers of our generation.) I am a bit sad that neither The Vanishing Half nor Transcendent Kingdom won because I am confident both of them will be on my list of favorite books of the year, plus I think both Bennett and Gyasi deserve all the recognition in the world, and Piranisi just wasn’t a favorite of mine, although I enjoyed it, but like I said, I’ve just enjoyed the journey of getting to read these incredible books.
What were your thoughts on the Women’s Prize this year? Did you find any new favorites? Share below!
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