Bernardine Evaristo is all smiles after jointly winning the 2019 Booker with Margaret Atwood
When Bernardine Evaristo won the Booker with her novel Girl, Woman, Other, there was some controversy because of the judging panel's decision to jointly award the prize to Margaret Atwood.
For September's Tyneside Book Club meeting, members got a chance to judge whether it was a worthy winner.
There was praise for a book most found very readable, with members enjoying the lightness of touch and use of humour, as well as its more serious explorations of race and gender.
It felt very much like a book of the moment for many, although some did question whether that might also limit its longevity as references might date.
There was much discussion about Evaristo's approach of using distinct narratives from separate characters. For some this did mean some chapters were stronger and more compelling than others. But some members liked the links - sometimes unexpected - between the characters.
Some were concerned that the novel was overly metropolitan and middle class, with some sense of a tick box approach, especially with the inclusion of a non-binary character.
But other members found there was a good variety of voices, and that the perception of characters was skilfully altered and undercut by subsequent chapters. Members did certainly enjoy the fact that some characters were based in Tyneside and rural Northumberland, broadening that metropolitan feel.
Some members found the book a little preachy and unsubtle, but others thought it dealt with some serious issues in an entertaining but thoughtful way without ever sliding into pure polemic.
There was also quite a lot of discussion about Evaristo's decision to abandon punctuation and blend prose and poetry. Most members did not find it a barrier, and some found it did make the narrative flow more, and make it feel more like eavesdropping on an internal monologue. For some though, it was an unnecessary irritant.
Some members found the final chapter and ending a little pat and unnecessary, but for others the final connections that emerge drew the novel to a satisfying conclusion.
Was it a worthy Booker winner? There was some division, with some wondering whether its themes rather than overall quality pushed it over the line, but others felt that it was more than good enough to be a victor in its own right.
For September's Tyneside Book Club meeting, members got a chance to judge whether it was a worthy winner.
There was praise for a book most found very readable, with members enjoying the lightness of touch and use of humour, as well as its more serious explorations of race and gender.
It felt very much like a book of the moment for many, although some did question whether that might also limit its longevity as references might date.
There was much discussion about Evaristo's approach of using distinct narratives from separate characters. For some this did mean some chapters were stronger and more compelling than others. But some members liked the links - sometimes unexpected - between the characters.
Some were concerned that the novel was overly metropolitan and middle class, with some sense of a tick box approach, especially with the inclusion of a non-binary character.
But other members found there was a good variety of voices, and that the perception of characters was skilfully altered and undercut by subsequent chapters. Members did certainly enjoy the fact that some characters were based in Tyneside and rural Northumberland, broadening that metropolitan feel.
Some members found the book a little preachy and unsubtle, but others thought it dealt with some serious issues in an entertaining but thoughtful way without ever sliding into pure polemic.
There was also quite a lot of discussion about Evaristo's decision to abandon punctuation and blend prose and poetry. Most members did not find it a barrier, and some found it did make the narrative flow more, and make it feel more like eavesdropping on an internal monologue. For some though, it was an unnecessary irritant.
Some members found the final chapter and ending a little pat and unnecessary, but for others the final connections that emerge drew the novel to a satisfying conclusion.
Was it a worthy Booker winner? There was some division, with some wondering whether its themes rather than overall quality pushed it over the line, but others felt that it was more than good enough to be a victor in its own right.
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