Man Booker Prize

A few weeks ago, a friend spotted a course at the University of Sydney that focused on the Man Booker Prize. Held over two Saturdays (beginning this week coming up) our course materials are the books short-listed for the prize. So in less than a month, I needed to read 6 books. Totally possible as I"m a person whose reading style resembles that of a hungry person with a plate of food - I pretty much devour them.

At least that's what I said to myself when signing up for the course, but I forgot what I'm like when I'm forced to read something. (Although I have a undergraduate degree in history (meaning I passed) the number of books I didn't read far outnumbers the ones I actually did read. But I read a shit load of books in those years - just very few had anything to do with any course I took....)

But remembering this less than perfect behaviour - I thought to myself it would be a little different this time. See these are works of fiction - not historical works of literature (I'm almost starting to yawn just thinking about them....) so it should be much easier to get through the following list:

Man Booker Prize Shortlist 2005
Banville, John "The Sea "
Barnes, Julian "Arthur & George "
Barry, Sebastian "A Long Long Way "
Ishiguro, Kazuo "Never Let Me Go "
Smith, Ali "The Accidental "
Smith, Zadie "On Beauty "

Not so.

The first three listed are to be read for this weekend - and so in a very logical way I decided to start at the beginning of the list.

BIG mistake. BIG. I've never read John Banville before - and I gotta tell you, after spending a few days attempting to read his stuff and only getting 100 pages into the book - I'll never read him again. (Note - I have never stopped reading a book before - no matter how bad - and I have read some really bad books in my day...)

0 for 1.

And at the same time, my friend started on Ishiguro Kazuo's "Never Let Me Go" which she found quite revolting (I don't know the details because I don't want to know what happens before I attempt to read it.)

0 for 2.

I started wondering what the selection criteria for the Man Booker Prize actually was - it certainly couldn't be because they thought a book was good.

But then I read "Arthur & George", and things improved, but in no way was I prepared for "A Long Long Way". What a FABULOUS book. Really. I LOVED IT.

I know I still have three books to go (once which I'm already mentally prepared for it to be a dud) but I really do hope this book wins. I knew where it was headed from almost the beginning, but in no way was I disappointed or was the ending spoiled. Just well-written, heartfelt and touching. Amazing for a story that is about the horrors and brutality of war. Kind of reminded me of "The Wars" written by Timothy Findlay - a Canadian author that we had to read in high school.

I read it in one day. I couldn't put it down until the last 20 pages, and I only did then because then I wanted to savour it.

If you're looking for something that's easy to read, yet stimulates your brain, I highly recommend "A Long Long Way".