Mann Booker Prize 2010

[northepaul]

The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson has been announced as the winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

Not sure I would have chosen that particular book to win. My money would have been on The Long Song by Andrea Levy.

What do you think?

Do you think the Booker Prize is an accurate representation of current trends in literature?

[Nicos]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that one of the Book Prize competitions ( may have been the Mann Booker Prize) requested writers to write more cheerful books.
I've not yet read any of this years entries- so , sorry, can't comment on my choice!

[Two_Sheds]

Long Song was OK, but not a patch on Small Island.

I always try and read some of the Bookers, but never much like them. And no, not reflective of literary trends, but offers something a bit more highbrow I suppose. I usually prefer the Orange shortlist.

When I worked at WHSmith, the top ten was always your chick lit/romance/crime bestsellers ... but they weren't even necessarily the bestsellers, they were what publishers expected to sell well.

[northepaul]

I loved The Life of Pi, which won earlier in the noughties, then I tried to read The Sea by John Banville which won in 2008 (I believe) and found it was far too tedious.

I also felt that Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro should have won in 2009( again I think it was that year)

I have not read any of Levy's books but judging by popular opinion I would have thought it should have won.

[Flummery]

Never read a Howard Jacobson, but I shall now. It sounds excellent.
Read Small Island and Never let me Go - for our village Book Group. Loved both - the Ishiguro one stays with you.

[Two_Sheds]

I loved The Life of Pi, which won earlier in the noughties, then I tried to read The Sea by John Banville ... far too tedious.

The Sea is supposedly Beckett-like: triple tedious.

I didn't like Pi either though, I found it a bit silly. I do try the literary novels, but I really do prefer a good page-turner (I have yet to finish a "Richard & Judy" novel though, I've hated them all)

The last good book I read was Old Filth by Jane Gardam. Loved it. Immediately ordered all her back catalogue from the library, but nothing matches it.