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#BookerPrize2021
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BkClubCare
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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“And that‘s Manie, her much-younger brother, who looks to her eyes like an owl, a baby owl she‘d picked up and kept once as a child.” #owlchild
#booklink #coinky-dink When a book reminds you of another! #Chouette #TOB202LongList #TOB #TOB2022 #BookerPrize2021

BkClubCare Lifluence 18092 (edited) 3y
BkClubCare Chouette is French for 🦉 owl 3y
BkClubCare 14% Milk Tart = 🥧 3y
readingonarainyday What do you think of this book so far? 3y
BkClubCare Good! Some of the phrasing is quite striking. I‘m highlighting a lot. 3y
35 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
Simona
Bewilderment | Richard Powers
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Mehso-so

I do like the basic story/idea, some passages are just simple beautiful, but the story about the grieving father with the very/over-sensitive son living in the world where wild animals are disappearing every day, quickly becomes didactic and preachy. Powers is trying too hard to make the statement/message and to provoke reader‘s emotions about our f….up world, for my taste. 🤷🏻‍♀️ While I really didn‘t liked overall sentiment of the story … 👇

Simona … I still think that this could be the winner of the #BookerPrize2021 3y
BookwormM To me this was the only book on the Longlist that read like a Booker book and I loved it 🤣🤣although I did say it was a bit too preachy 3y
BarbaraBB I just started it and it‘s hard to stay focused 🤦🏻‍♀️ 3y
Simona @BarbaraBB Despite my issues with it, I still think it is worth to stick to the end. 3y
Simona @BookwormM Unfortunately ‘preachy‘ is strong turnoff for me and inexcusable 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3y
59 likes5 comments
blurb
Simona
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Reading the longlist was interesting journey whose motto could be - something for every taste. From Booker nominees I expect challenging, exceptional, different, thought provoking stories, and some on this list are and some are just average. I have on my #BookerPrize2021 shortlist only five books, because Bewilderment by R.Powers has not yet been published, however, I expect to like it 🤞🤷🏻‍♀️

BarbaraBB You predicted 4 out of 6, impressive! 3y
50 likes1 comment
review
Simona
Great Circle | Maggie Shipstead
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Mehso-so

The historical novel has two timelines - part of the story is set in the 20th century where Marian and the early days of aviation are at the forefront, and part of the story is from the present, where the main character is Hadley - a famous film actress. Of course, those two stories, Mariana and Hadley are connected. And that, I think, is also the weakest point of the story. In places, these connections work, but most of the time, they‘re just …👇

Simona … how to move the story forward. There is also such big difference in the characterization of the two main characters that Hadley's story is almost disturbing and eventually becomes uninteresting, although - in a larger frame - necessary to close the circle. Historically very rich, incredibly deeply researched, an interesting look at social expectations regarding gender/femininity, yet - too many cumbersome parts … 👇 3y
Simona … too many unnecessary twists, and my personal biggest problem - too sweet prose. Enchanting literary adventure. #BookerPrize2021 3y
BookwormM I think the Hadley timeline was unnecessary and the whole Hollywood idea could have been dropped there were other characters who could close the circle IMO 3y
BarbaraBB I‘m in no hurry to read this. 3y
46 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
Simona
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

In the span of four days, we get to know the claustrophobic world of Samuel, who works as a lighthouse keeper in an unnamed African country on an unnamed island, where he finds a corpse every now and then ... until one day he finds a barely alive refugee on the shore and that triggers in Samuel various memories from his past. The basic thread of the story is the legacy of colonialism, where the now ‘free‘ state is falling from one extreme … 👇

Simona … to the other. Nothing experimental in the structure, simple/clean prose without any metaphors, scarcely in dialogues, but the story of the lonely old man on the island is very powerful, effective and interesting view on the race/racism, freedom, solitude and inner demons. Uncomplicated, quite story on the surface, but with strong undertow. #BookerPrize2021 3y
merelybookish Great review, especially last sentence! 3y
sarahbarnes Great review! I haven‘t been able to get ahold of a copy of this one yet. 3y
See All 8 Comments
BarbaraBB Wonderful review! How are you doing with the longlist? 3y
Megabooks Fantastic review! 3y
batsy Great review, Simona. I also saw a very positive review of this on Goodreads today and I'm super keen to read this! 3y
Simona Thanks @BarbaraBB I finished the longlist two weeks ago (well, except Bewilderment), but I didn‘t posted reviews primarily because I was too lazy, and secondly because I was pondering about few books with which I couldn‘t figure it out what to do with them - I literally didn‘t have nothing to say about them.Those were China Room,The Sweetnesses of Water,No One is Talking About This and Klara and the Sun. Finally I decided to not review them🤷🏻‍♀️ 3y
54 likes1 stack add8 comments
review
Simona
The Fortune Men | Nadifa Mohamed
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Pickpick

Mahmood is a Somali seaman who lives in Wales, he is married to a white woman, has three children, struggles through racial prejudice, tries to provide for his family, lives his life as best he can ... until he is convicted of a murder. Most remarkable in this book is depiction of Mahmood's naivety, his trust in the judiciary - the truth always wins, and the strongest point of this narrative, seems to me, is clash between Mahmood as he … 👇

Simona … is seen by the world, as opposed to his inner world. Very good characterisation. #BookerPrize2021 3y
BarbaraBB This one sounds so good too. 3y
Nag1 I really recommend this 3y
44 likes3 comments
review
Simona
A Town Called Solace | Mary Lawson
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Mehso-so

A story about growing up, dying, family, regrets ... in short, a story about life and correcting mistakes. Readable, gentle, simple and, unfortunately, unremarkable. 🤷🏻‍♀️ #BookerPrize2021

review
Simona
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

A book where the complexity of the story (in the foreground is the white family in South Africa, in the background all the political and social changes in the country) is extremely enriched with a very thoughtful and dynamic structure, sometimes unusual narration (jumps from first to third person) and comprehensive characterization with a full spectrum of people from outspoken racists to white savior, it is a book/story with an extremely … 👇

Simona … strong message that offers the reader discomfort (justifiably) and a lot of thoughts about our whiteness and broken promises ... Superb! #BookerPrize2021 3y
vivastory Wow, what a review!! 3y
Simona @vivastory I still have to read Bewilderment by R.Powers, but I think that The Promise is the winning book. The structure of the story is really backbone of the narration and so incredibly synchronous with the story itself. Very strong narration in all senses, on micro and macro level, and that is rare achievement IMO. 3y
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vivastory Has Bewilderment been published where you live? It won't be released here until next wk. I believe. I've heard great things about it, but I keep hearing rave reviews for Galgut's. I have been meaning to read Galgut for awhile now. I will be very curious to see what makes the shortlist tomorrow. 3y
Simona You are right, it wasn‘t published yet and the big date is next Tuesday. I'll be very disappointed if this book doesn't come on the shortlist. That was my first book by Galgut and absolutely not the last. I‘m going to compile my shortlist tomorrow before the announcement of the official release and I‘m saving free spot for Powers, just because I loved The Overstory 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3y
BarbaraBB Wow, this sounds wonderful and I can‘t wait to see your shortlist!!! 3y
37 likes6 comments
review
Simona
A Passage North: A Novel | Anuk Arudpragasam
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Mehso-so

It's a book I have very mixed feelings and thoughts. While the basic story is simple - Krishan is on a train, going north to attend his grandmother's caregiver funeral. When he observes landscape, his thoughts are in the past, he thinks about love, losses, desire, death, politics, war, violence, trauma - the execution is a little more complex. The first person narration is coloured very philosophically and with its long sentences … 👇

Simona … it's becoming increasingly difficult to read it, which is usually not a problem for me, but not this time. I don‘t know why, but this stream of conscious was for me tedious and hard to read, and yet, I do think that this book was good and beautiful written in some places. #SriLanka #BookerPrize2021 3y
39 likes1 comment
review
Simona
Second Place: A Novel | Rachel Cusk
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Pickpick

The perception of the individual is what shapes our personal/intimate reality and, of course, the problem arises when our reality/expectations do not match the perception of another individual. For me, this clash/relation between expectations is the main thread, which author spread out to the various spheres of life - partnership relations, maternity, and, above all, art and creativity. The whole story is based on the self-reflection of the … 👇

Simona … main character who feels invisible/ignored and criticised (criticism is another important thread), which requires a concentrated reader, but the final result/message of this layered story is simply magnificent. #BookerPrize2021 #doublespin 3y
BarbaraBB Wow that‘s a raving review. I assume this is your favorite? 3y
charl08 This was a big ol' "No.thank you" from me. I have been glad since to see others liked it, as it made me feel less guilty! 3y
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TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 3y
Simona I have two strong favourites this year The Promise by Galgut and yes, Second place 😁 @BarbaraBB 3y
Simona @charl08 I saw reviews here on Litsy, and it seems that this is a book that doesn‘t allow a middle ground - whether you like it or not at all. I like seeing so different reactions and interpretations of the story. 3y
batsy Nice review! I really need to get around to Cusk soon. 3y
Simona Thank you @batsy That was my first Cusk and I‘m totally smitten by her complicated prose 😘 3y
36 likes8 comments