Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019 | What books will I add to my TBR?

For the last two years I’ve been following closely the Women’s Prize for Fiction, especially the announcements of Long- and Shortlists. But this will be my first time attempting to read some of the nominated titles.

A new set 16 books have been carefully picked for the longlist of Women’s Prize for Fiction. Don’t think that I will be able to read all of them until the winner is announced on June 5th, 2019, but there are a few that definitely sparked my interest.

I listened to this last month. It was the first Audiobook ever that I gave a 5-star rating to. Absolutely loved the narrators, the story, the relationship between Roy and Celestial. (I have to admit, I kind of hated Celestial for most part of the book.)

GoodReads Blurb:

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined… more

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Madeline Miller is a very strong contender. Her book «The Song of Achilles» won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012. «Circe» won GoodReads Choice Award in Fantasy category last year, and people couldn’t stop talking about this book! So of course I purchased it. Haven’t read it yet, but definitely will be adding it to my immediate TBR!

GoodReads Blurb:

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. … more

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This is one of a few novellas that made it to the Longlist this year. Honestly, this sounds very intriguing. It is also classified on GoodReads as Contemporary AND Horror!

GoodReads Blurb:

In the north of England, far from the intrusions of cities but not far from civilization, Silvie and her family are living as if they are ancient Britons, surviving by the tools and knowledge of the Iron Age. For two weeks, the length of her father’s vacation, they join an anthropology course set to reenact life in simpler times. They are surrounded by forests of birch and … more

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I wonder why this year Women’s Prize for Fiction logo and website are using the same color as the cover of «Normal People» by Sally Rooney. Hm…

This has been advertised as a deeply political novel, so right there it sounds like something I would enjoy. Also, it was nominated for Man Booker Prize in 2018 and won Costa Book Award for Novel. Yet, another strong contender!

GoodReads Blurb:

Connell and Marianne both grow up in the same town in rural Ireland. The similarities end there; they are from very different worlds. But they both get places to study at university in Dublin, and a connection that has grown between them despite the social tangle of school lasts long into the following years. … more

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Look at this cover! Beautiful!

The blurb sounds very good, definitely something I would enjoy. However, the reviews on GoodReads are all over the place. There are quite a lot of 2-3 star ratings. I’m not entirely sure about this one, but I would love to give it a try.

GoodReads Blurb:

South London, 2008. Two couples find themselves at a moment of reckoning, on the brink of acceptance or revolution. Melissa has a new baby and doesn’t want to let it change her but, in the crooked walls of a narrow Victorian terrace, she begins to disappear. Michael, growing daily more accustomed to his commute, still loves Melissa but can’t quite get close enough to her to stay faithful. Meanwhile out in the suburbs, Stephanie is happy with Damian and their three children, but the death of Damian’s father has thrown him into crisis – or is it something, or someone, else? … more

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The last book from the Longlist that I’ll be adding to my TBR is «Praise Song for Butterflies» by Bernice L. McFadden. Set in West Africa, this novel focuses on the ritual servitude of traditional religious shrine.

GoodReads Blurb:

Abeo Kata lives a comfortable, happy life in West Africa as the privileged nine-year-old daughter of a government employee and stay-at-home mother. But when the Katas’ idyllic lifestyle takes a turn for the worse, Abeo’s father, following his mother’s advice, places her in a religious shrine, hoping that the sacrifice of his daughter will serve as religious atonement for the crimes of his ancestors. Unspeakable acts befall Abeo for the fifteen years she is enslaved within the shrine. … more

How do you feel about this year Longlist? Have you read any of the books from the List? Are you planning to?

Let me know in the comments down below!

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