Orange Prize: 2010 shortlist

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he Orange Prize, given to a work of fiction written by a woman in English, has announced its 2010 shortlist. It's a British prize, and a novel's eligibility is determined by its British publication date.

The official announcement, including two excellent videos of the judges discussing the shortlist are available on its Web site.

The shortlist:

 

  • The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison
  • The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
  • Black Water Rising by Attica Locke
  • Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
  • A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
  • The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey
My reactions to the shortlist: It's no surprise to see Wolf Hall on the list, but I am shocked Sarah Waters' Little Stranger did not make the shortlist. I am also surprised The Long Song by Andrea Levy did not make the list, but I'm still waiting on its U.S. release to read it. Three U.S. authors are among the six finalists: Barbara Kingsolver, Attica Locke and Lorrie Moore. The Lacuna received mixed reviews, and I'm a little surprised it edged out The Help. Kudos to Rosie Alison and Attica Locke for their first novels being shortlisted (I'll review Black Water Rising on Wednesday, May 12 for a TLC book tour.) Although I haven't read it yet, I'm thrilled to see Rosie Alison make the shortlist. When the longlist was announced, The Very Thought of You had not been reviewed in an British publications. Even in literature, part of me cheers for the underdogs (like Paul Harding who just surprised the country with his Pulitzer win for Tinkers.)

U.S. Availability: The Very Thought of You and The White Woman on the Green Bicycle haven't been published in the United States yet, but Amazon has copies available through third party sellers. Both are very cheap on AmazonUK right now, and The Book Depository offers free shipping (with higher prices) to the U.S. I'm keeping my fingers crossed to get both through interlibrary loan.

My reviews: I haven't read any of these yet, but I do hope to read and review all six before the winner is announced. If you plan to read all six too, please stop by on Sunday, June 6 for a mock Orange Prize vote!

The winner will be announced June 9, 2010. 

I am an Amazon affiliate, and if you make a purchase through any of the above Amazon links, I receive a small commission. Thanks!

Comments

  1. Jackie (Farm Lane Books)April 20, 2010 at 11:55 AM

    I was surprised by the short list too. I want to read the short list, so decided to get head start by reading the long list. I've read 9/20 and only 1 (Wolf Hall) made it onto the list. This means I still have a lot of reading to do before June!

    I wasn't that surprised that The Little Stranger and The Long Song weren't on the list, but I was surprised that This is How, The Help and The Rehearsal didn't make the list these 3 were wonderful! I hope I can soon discover why these books I haven't read made the list!

    ReplyDelete

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