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Booker Prize Winners

This group is dedicated to those who enjoy books that won or where short-listed for the Booker.
  • Category: General | Started Wednesday, March 7 2007

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  • Booker Prize

    Good group to get started. I have ready many, not all, and I have loved some, liked some, and could not understand why some won the award! So maybe I can find out what I have been missing in that last category.
    deactivated member started this discussion 1 year ago. ( reply )

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  • deactivated member 

    Here is a list of the prize winners.
    2005 The Sea by John Banville
    2004 The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
    2003 Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre
    2002 Life of Pi by Yann Martel
    2001 True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
    2000 The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
    1999 Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee
    1998 Amsterdam: A Novel by Ian McEwan
    1997 The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
    1996 Last Orders by Graham Swift
    1995 The Ghost Road by Pat Barker
    1994 How Late It Was, How Late by James Kelman
    1993 Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle
    1992 The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (co-winner)
    1992 Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth (co-winner)
    1991 The Famished Road by Ben Okri
    1990 Possession: A Romance by A. S. Byatt
    1989 The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
    1988 Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
    1987 Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
    1986 The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis
    1985 The Bone People by Keri Hulme
    1984 Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner
    1983 Life & Times of Michael K by J. M. Coetzee
    1982 Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally
    1981 Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
    1980 Rites of Passage by William Golding
    1979 Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald
    1978 The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch
    1977 Staying on by Paul Scott
    1976 Saville by David Storey
    1975 Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
    1974 The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer
    1973 The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell
    1972 G. by John Berger
    1971 In a Free State by V. S. Naipaul
    1970 The Elected Member by Bernice. Rubens
    1969 Something to Answer For by P. H. Newby

    posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
    show 5 replies
    • paul

      paul 

      Noticeable how many have been made into movies. I think some of these won as 'make-up' to the author for missing out for worthier earlier works (kinda like some oscars). In particular, Amsterdam - Atonement was much better by Ian McEwan. May also apply to Rites of Passaage, a hum-drum sea-faring adventure (Lord of the Flie's is Golding's classic). and The Old Devils, which is funny, but maybe won in recognition of Kindgley Amis' earlier career. Midnitght's Children is fantastic, as are the Coetzee books. Life of Pi is over rated, imho,. Remains of the Day I enjoyed . The Sea, The Sea, I found very boring. Anyway, can't go far wrong by reading from this list.
      posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
    • deactivated member 

      I had not noticed the book-movie connection! So true. And I liked your comment about how some of these may not represent the best work of an author but maybe it was time to give them an award. I started reading McEwan with "Enduring Love" and honestly, was a bit disappointed in most of the other books of his I have read. And I am clueless as to what "Vernon God Little" is about, let alone why it won this award. Maybe someone can give me another viewpoint on it.
      posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
    • paul

      paul 

      I hadn't liked Ian McEwan's works until 'Atonement.' Is it 'Enduring Love' that's the incest story? I just found his books disturbing without any redeeming qualities. But 'Atonement' and 'Saturday' I thought were great; 'Amsterdam' quite uninteresting. I haven't read "Vernon God Little" - the title is certainly seems nonsensical. Another on the list that I tried to read but failed was 'The God of Small Things'. Maybe I'll try again sometime - but it was a little too much magic realism for me. I plan on reading "The Blind Assassin' sometime - I've only read "Cat's Eye" by Attwood, and enjoyed it immensely in parts, and admired it without thoroughly enjoying it in it's entirety. .
      posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
    • deactivated member 

      In looking over this list for the past 10 years, I have to say that I did not enjoy most of the winners! I was surprised by that. The Life of Pi, The Blind Assassin, and The God of Small Things were the only ones that were "keepers" for me. I have read all the others and just found them too dry, or the story line did not interest me, or something, It is hard to put a finger on. But until I just gave this list a good look I thought that the Booker prize winners were so excellent. I guess for me, I should have better known what I was talking about!
      posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
    • v.usha

      v.usha 

      i have really enjoyed some of the writings in this category - ian macewan's saturday, and amsterdam; coetzee's disgrace, life and times of michael k, elisabeth costello, youth, boyhood, waiting for the barbarians, dusklands [though i liked only the first story about the cryptographer]; peter carey's oscar and lucinda; ondatje's english patient and banville's the sea.
      they are not consistently likeable or even readable stories but i think these prizes point to a body of work from a particular author which can provide deep insights to the way we humans behave.
      coetzee in that sense never disappoints. i am still amazed at how a man can actually get under the skin of a female writer and put across the female perspective with such clarity that you forget that the autor is a male, as in elisabeth costello!
      banville's the sea is a good read which takes us into the world of a widower grappling with his loss and a daughter who wants to marry an 'unsuitable' boy while reliving his past in a house which was close to his childhood home.
      life of pi began very well and deteriorated so badly after a hundred odd pages that it made me wonder whether the judges actually read the entire book before announcing the awards.
      i am currently into 'my name is red'. i have enjoyed the presentation of the story which is cryptic and still able to retain interest as it tantalises the reader to double guess who the murderer is in every chapter.
      posted 11 months ago. ( reply )
  • capira

    capira 

    I like the idea of this group, too. I have read a few Bookers over the years and have added a couple of my favourites to the shelf: Possession and The Bone People.
    I look forward to some discussions and recommendations.
    posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
    show 1 reply
    • scotie

      scotie 

      Just reading this tonight & like others, I try to read Bookers (now called the Man Booker - ?). I thought Atonement was not his best, Enduring Love & Saturday were much better (& if you plan on seeing the Atonement movie, heads up, we were saddly disappointed in Toronto at TIFF). I can not say enough good things about Disgrace - LOVE IT - LOVED IT. Man of Petersburg was so so, as was Slow Man.
      I am very curious to hear about Bone People. My group hated it, or didn't finish it, and have held it against me ever since. LOL I have read it twice, but I like dark, difficult, emotional reads. But that's just me. Have you read Blindness? Another excellent choice in literature. Jose Saramago hasn't won the Booker, but he is a Noble winner.
      posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
  • DaniG

    DaniG 

    Paul~ I totally agree with you. In general I really like books that have won The Booker, but they do tend to award apology awards like the Oscars! I love Ian McEwan, esp. "Saturday" and "Atonement". Enduring Love isn't the incest one--it's the one where people are all drawn together b/c of a hot air balloon accident and one guy becomes obsessed with another--pretty good, although it sounds quite strange as I have described it. Margaret At wood is amazing and "Blind Assassin" is probably her best novel, although I don't dislike any of her books. At first I didn't really like "God of Small Things"--in fact I "re-started" it twice. I ended up enjoying it, just takes some getting used to. My other favorites are "Disgrace" (LOVE Coetzee), "In a Free State" and "Midnight's Children" (which I do think is Rushdie at his best)...........
    posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
    show 4 replies
    • smog

      smog 

      By the way Enduring Love is also a movie.
      posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
    • paul

      paul 

      DaniG, I shall take a look at "In A Free State", as your views on the other books that you mention coincide so much with my own. I really enjoyed "Disgrace" - I wish I could articulate exactly why. All I can say is that it seemed very honest and fearless. I now realize that I have seen the "Enduring Love" movie, and was confusing it with "First Love, Last Rites" and maybe "The Cement Garden" by McEwan. I do think he's a great author, however, and I'll be sure to read his novel "On Chesil Beach" when it's available.
      posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
    • DaniG

      DaniG 

      Hi Paul~ I hope you enjoy "In A Free State"....V.S. Naipul is one of my favorite authors, and, in my humble opinion, IAFS is him at his best. I also love "A Bend in the River" (which I think, but am not certain was shortlisted for the Booker). Was "Enduring Love" a good movie or was it one of those made-for t.v. types? I am a big fan of McEwan in general, but must admit I was a bit underwhelmed by "Cement Garden" and also "Amsterdam"..........I really enjoy pretty much everything Coetzee has written. I think his books are masterfully crafted. Have you read "Waiting For the Barbarians"? I can't decide if I like WFTB or "Disgrace" more. Did you notice that both Naipul and Coetzee both went on to win the Nobel prize? I find that pretty interesting. Do you have anything that you would recommend to me particularly?
      posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
    • paul

      paul 

      DaniG~ Apologies for not replying sooner; I've only just seen your post. "Enduring Love" was not a TV movie, and I believe is worth renting, although not of the same caliber as McEwan's writing (really, I don't think any movie could do him justice). I thought "Waiting for the Barbarians" was wonderful, and I agree that it's difficult to decide which is better, "WftB" or "Disgrace". I think "WftB" is the better literary novel, although I can't say why exactly. However, I found "Disgrace" more accessible (maybe less allegorical?). I must read more of Coetzee's work - I started "Master of Petersburg", but put it down, as it wasn't what I wanted to read at the time. If you've read "Life and Times of Michael K", I'd be interested to hear how you found it. I believe I read a V.S.Naipul novel a long while back, but can't remember which; it may have been "A Bend in the River". I remember liking the way it was written, though I found it kind of slow (again, it probably just did not suit my mood at the time). I hadn't noticed that both he and Coetzee won Nobel prizes. Maybe Shelfari needs a group dedicated to Nobel winners - I haven't followed that award at all. I'm reluctant to recommend anything to you, as you are far better read than I. However, I wonder whether you've read any Angela Carter? Her short story "Company of Wolves" was made into a great movie. "Nights at the Circus" was wonderful also. I'm currently reading "The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman", which Ian McEwan praises in a blurb on the cover. I'm unsure whether she was ever nominated for the Booker. I think she was, but still she seems relatively unknown and underrated.
      posted 1 year ago. ( reply )
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