Whitbread Shortlists

[Colyngbourne]

The shortlists are here http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1083638,00.html

Mark Haddon seems to be doing rather well of late, getting onto the Adult list rather than the First Novel.

[Colyngbourne]

Now that he's won the prize, has anyone else read the Mark Haddon here? I know John didn't rate it as a contender. I'm waiting for the paperback version of that and the Almond (whom I really enjoy as a writer for young adults).

[amner]

The only thing there that grabs me particularly is An Evening of Long Goodbyes and, as I happened to notice this morning that the Heffers paperback shop 100 yards up the road from me is having a 50% off Closing own sale (a bizarre event in Cambridge, almost deserving of a thread on its own), I might just pop out and pick it up.

Unless they have any McGrath in, of course.

[wshaw]

I read the Mark Haddon and thought it bloody wonderful. The invention in the first few chapters is fantastic and carries you through, so even though the last third really doesn't pay off the promise of its beginning it's still a great book.

I reckon it's less about aspergers thanabout writing a book in the most stripped down prose - and what a rich universe you can create with minimal simile and no metaphor.

It's kind of like an exercise in fulfilling all that stuff that I believe they try and drill into you on the Iowa Writers' program that people like Raymond Carver, Philip Roth and Tobias Wolf taught at (if I've got he right one), where the style is to teach you to write with as few adjectives and adornments as possible.

I couldn't understand some of the maths though. If there's anybody out there who can help me understand his proof and disproof in the appendix, I'd be very grateful.

[Colyngbourne]

Hello :D Glad you're around again (and enjoyed the Haddon). Are you still writing 'Hackney'?

[wshaw]

Finished the thing. Finally. Three weeks ago.

Much better this time round, I think.

Now I'm waiting nerve-wracked to see if anyone likes it. How have things been here?

[Colyngbourne]

well, I'd personally say pretty good, though we could do with a few more contributions from all the other members. There's been an interesting dialogue between Mr. Self and jessejamesonfan, and the Book Group is hopefully all geared up to discussing Robinson Crusoe, having pretty much hated The God of Small Things, and loved Dorian this last autumn.

[amner]

How have things been here?

let's see .. it was September you were here last, I think. Well, I thought the site might be grinding to a halt, but things have picked up since the New Year and I think we do OK now. The Book Group looks like it's going to slim down, but that doesn't surprise me really.

Over all I think we're in a good state. Our leader Wavid has left his cushy job and now works properly for a living so we rarely see him, which has cheered everyone up enormously.

[bakunin_the_cat]

Are we going to get to see any more of Hackney or are you worried that we'll all nick your ideas, sell them to Hollywood and go off and buy digital cameras? Apart from anything else, for me it has local interest so I'm curious to know if I'd recognise the place.

[m.]

the Book Group is hopefully all geared up to discussing Robinson Crusoe, having pretty much hated The God of Small Things, and loved Dorian this last autumn.


The Book Group looks like it's going to slim down, but that doesn't surprise me really.

Ha, the next choice is mine and though I'm not trying to satisfy everybody's taste (impossible), I am trying to be reasonable and have just abandoned the thought of choosing a ca 500 pages long Argentinian novel from 60s. Might be hard to get. It looks interesting though, so maybe I'll try and review it after I read it.

[wshaw]

Are we going to get to see any more of Hackney or are you worried that we'll all nick your ideas, sell them to Hollywood and go off and buy digital cameras? Apart from anything else, for me it has local interest so I'm curious to know if I'd recognise the place.

Digital cameras. Now you're talking. I just bought one of those as a present for my beloved, so I enjoyed that thread.

Two weeks of making screen savers and emailing photos of the kids hither and thither. But she's settled down again now.

I'd hope you recognise the Hackney i was writing about... but disloyal to my old hood, I've now changed the title...

w

[amner]

disloyal to my old hood, I've now changed the title...

oh? Care to share?
.

[wshaw]

Care to share?
.

I'll tell you if it gets a deal.