The Man Booker Prize Longlist for 2014 was recently announced, with 13 books, including a few by American writers. This is the first time that non-British writers are being considered for the prize.
I admit that I’ve not read any of the 13 novels – a few of which have not actually been released to the public yet. From the short summaries I’ve read, it seems like there are a couple with romance themes, a few family-themed novels, a couple of art-related stories, 1 about music, a couple about identity, and one historical fiction (maybe?).
Of the 13, the one that caught my attention was The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan. It seems like a romance with a historical / cultural backdrop. It’s too early to tell, but it seems like a strong contender for the prize.
The other titles that I would be interested in reading are To Rise Again at a Decent Hour (Joshua Ferris), We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (Karen Joy Fowler), J (Howard Jacobson), Ofeo (Richard Power), and The History of Rain (Niall Williams). The Lives of Others (Neel Mukherjee) seems a bit intriguing, and of course there’s David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks, but I’m a bit hesitant to read a novel written by David Mitchell.
So, which of these have you read and which are your favorites / predictions?
The Misanthropologist 
The only title I have read is The Wake which is a really fascinating exercise in storytelling. I always think of the Booker where big name publishers and past winners have a leg up over anything small or non-conventional. To have crowd sourced title make the list is pretty cool. It’s also a great little book though I would be surprised to see it win. Of course, no matter what wins, everyone will have something to grumble about which makes the Booker the Prize we all love to hate!
Actually, from its summary, The Wake sounds intriguing.
I like the Booker better than the Pulitzer though. The winners are, most of the time, excellent books (at least among the ones I’ve read).
Why are you hesitant?? LOL!
My picks for the shortlist, based on the reviews and blurbs, would be:
The Blazing World
The Bone Clocks – This looks to me like the most popular contender. I think he’s overdue for the prize now. This is already his fifth consecutive longlist.
HIstory of the Rain
How to Be Both
The Lives of Others – This looks to me like a very strong contender.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Haha well, you know how I feel about David Mitchell 😛
Your predictions are good, I agree with The Lives of Others, and Blazing World….not so sure about The Bone Clocks hahaha j/k!
If anything, Ladbrokes is looking at Mukherjee, Mitchell, and Smith. I saw their odds just after I posted my first comment.
I forget how you feel about Mitchell, haha!
Well, let’s just say it isn’t very good! Hehehe
Thanks for posting the list. I’ll have to take a closer look at some of the titles.
You’re welcome!