Women's Prize for Fiction book reviews and shortlist predictions 🔮

I haven't made a specific effort to read the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist this year, but have ended up reading over half of it! So here are my reviews, my rankings of the books (although, to be honest, there is so little between some of these books for me that it's been hard to nail down a definitive order) and of course my guess at the shortlist.
Let me know which ones you've read, how you thought about them, and what you're expecting to see on the shortlist.
Instagram giveaway:
/ c5eegyflrhu
Enter Ghost review:
• I judged a book prize!...
Western Lane review:
• Reviewing the Booker P...
Soldier Sailor review:
• Ireland ☘️ and Hay Fes...
-
00:00 Giveaway
01:45 9th place
04:09 8th place
07:08 7th place
07:56 6th place
10:35 5th place
13:17 4th place
16:26 3rd place
19:15 2nd place
20:00 1st place
20:43 Shortlist predictions
-
Thank you so much for watching.
📚 Join the Read Good Challenge 2024: • Read Good Challenge 20...
✉️ Email: benreadsgood[at]gmail.com
📸 Instagram: / benreadsgood
📊 Storygraph: app.thestorygraph.com/profile...
🎁 Amazon wishlist (books that are tricky to get in a physical bookshop in the UK): www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/...
-
#books #booktube #womensprize

[@benreadsgood]

Thanks for watching 🙌 Let me know your shortlist predictions here in the comments!

[@bookonnoisseur]

I loved Soldier, Sailor too! Crossing my fingers it’s on the shortlist tomorrow

[@benreadsgood]

Prayer circle!!! It really deserves a spot.

[@hettiestroebel4952]

Congratulations on your new numbers!! Great to hear your book list preferences!

[@benreadsgood]

Thanks so much - it’s been really lovely to have everyone along for the reading ride!

[@CharlieBrookReads]

Yeah for Soldier Sailor you were bang on the money with that one. It’s one of my faves on the list and of the year so far too. Congrats on hitting 4k 👏❤️

[@benreadsgood]

Thank you Charlie! 🙌 And I'm so glad to hear you loved Solider Sailor too. What a novel!!!

[@cathyg.9996]

Congratulations on reaching those milestones! 🎉 Great reviews! I haven’t read any of these books but I do have both Ordinary Human Failings and Soldier Sailor on reserve at my library. I hear a lot of good things about both books.

[@benreadsgood]

Thanks so much! Sounds like you've got some Irish bangers ahead of you 🇮🇪

[@curatoriallyyours]

Congratulations on your milestones!

[@benreadsgood]

Thanks so much! 🙏

[@peaseblossom4252]

I’ve only read 3 (The Wren The Wren, Hangman, and Western Lane) because I’ve switched to reading Pulitzer possibilities until that’s announced. I absolutely adored Western Lane-5 stars-and really hope it’s short-listed. I felt the same as you about The Wren The Wren, but thought it was just me not “getting the point”. I listened to Hangman, and though the narration was really well done and enjoyable, I think this is a book better read in print so one can flip back and revisit as the pieces fall into place. If it’s shortlisted, I’ll reread it. I do plan to read the entire list once I’m done with the Pulitzer. Thanks for your video, and congrats on 4k! 🎉

[@benreadsgood]

Oooh the Pulitzer is so soon! I've got my predictions video coming up next actually! Glad to hear you loved Western Lane - I think its subtlety gets a bit lost in the shuffle but it really was a beautiful little book.

[@wfitzpatrick75]

I love that you loved Dolly Maunder and not so much The Wren, The Wren. All of your thoughts were exactly what I was thinking about them both. Thanks for another great video!

[@benreadsgood]

It surprised me that it went that way! But glad you agree 😊

[@EllenFelicity]

'Appreciation' rather than 'enjoyment' is a good way of putting it, I definitely felt that way about some of the books on this list (though not Dolly Maunder - I didn't appreciate that 😂 I agree that the character of Dolly is impressive, the writing style just did not work for me at all)

[@benreadsgood]

Haha I'm sorry you didn't get on with Dolly. I seem to have had my Dolly doubts defied multiple times this year: Dolly Alderton, Dolly Maunder... whatever next?!

[@KierTheScrivener]

I thought I was alone in being underwhelmed with The Wren, The Wren but as I hear more reactions I think it's less impactful than it might first seen. Nightbloom and Brotherless Night are both great books!

[@benreadsgood]

Yeah I think it's beautiful but a bit too understated to pack much of a punch, especially when it sits on the list alongside Ordinary Human Failings, which I think does a very similar thing, but does it so much better. Glad to hear those two are great - I'm well-stocked if they make it to the shortlist!!

[@SupposedlyFun]

I don't know how, but I somehow missed all the UK BookTubers raving about Soldier Sailor. It comes out in the US about a week before the prize is announced!

[@benreadsgood]

Sounds like it's the perfect time to buy into the hype! It's so good. It did fly under the radar a bit last year and should have been on the Booker longlist.

[@ReadtoFilth]

Interesting books with great topics ! Your voice is very smoothing, perfect for an audiobook.

[@benreadsgood]

Haha thank you - I will await the call-up from a publisher to record an audiobook 😂

[@TheLeniverse]

I've read all but two. Just uploaded my shortlist predictions, very last minute 😅 My views are not your views, for sure (except that we both love Soldier Sailor). And I agree with everything you say about Hangman, but on balance I just didn't think it succeeded.

[@benreadsgood]

I love that this list has been received with such a wide range of opinions - one of the most fun things about it! And yeah I can totally see how Hangman can fall one way or the other for people.

[@Showmeyourshelfie]

Woohoo, so glad to have someone else on team Dolly and all her restlessness! Yes, it's an unpopular opinion and I'm with you there. Her struggle to figure out the disconnect she had with her parents and then not be able to remind it with her own children was heart wrenching. She championed for herself in such an impressive way but was just lost and recognized her own failings in motherhood. I just loved this one and was surprised that some of my booktube buddy's had such opposing opinions. Well, you are good company! Team Dolly and Soldier! You're on your own with Western Lane though - ha! Thanks for the video!

[@benreadsgood]

Yeah she was such a complicated character and it made her feel so real (which, I guess, she was!) Glad to hear I'm not the only one. And to be honest it feels like readers in general think a bit differently of is versus bookish social media, as it has a score over 4 on Goodreads.

[@cindyfreese254]

I’ve been wanting to read Soldier Sailor since the longlist announcement, but not available in the states till June 4th. Glad you liked it! Thanks for the video.

[@benreadsgood]

Ahhh I can't believe they've made you wait so long. It will be worth it - it's an absolute banger!

[@cindyfreese254]

@@benreadsgood thanks! Well I caved and ordered it from the UK. Hopefully I get it soon; it’s just the type of book I adore.

[@TheEmzies]

Brotherless Night is my favourite from the longlist and hoping it gets more attention by shortlisting. Agree with your review of And Then She Fell and The Wren, The Wren. I'm one of the few who thought Soldier Sailor was dull but I can see it easily being a winner.

[@benreadsgood]

I really hope you're right - I'd love to see Brotherless Night on the shortlist so I can guilt-free prioritise it and leave the rest of the TBR to gather a little more dust 😂

[@karenmoore4430]

Hi Ben of the ones I have read I think that Soldier, Sailor, Ordinary Human Failings, Nightbloom, and Enter Ghost will be on the shortlist. I am reading A Trace of Sun at the moment.

[@benreadsgood]

All solid picks! Hope you're enjoying A Trace of Sun ☀️

[@barbarahelgaker390]

Glad to hear someone else really liked Dolly Maunder!

[@benreadsgood]

I was expecting to hate it but it worked so well for me. What a character!

[@rebecca.reader]

Hi Ben, I have only read four of the longlist, so far. Western Lane, The Maiden, The Wren The Wren and Soldier Sailor. The Wren The Wren was my favourite, followed closely by Soldier Sailor. I feel that I haven't read enough to predict the shortlist, but I'd love to see Enter Ghost, Brotherless Night, Dolly Maunder and Nightbloom on there as those are the four that I really want to read.

[@benreadsgood]

Fingers crossed the ones we want to read make it - seems like we have plenty of overlap! I think I'll read Brotherless Night regardless though. It just sounds so good.

[@MsPixieD]

Hi Ben, congrats on your milestones! Towards the end of this video, you talked about how, although you'd warmed up to the longlist, "there are certainly better eligible books" that you've read. Can you please list some here? I'm still building my tbr, and after comparing Booktubers' reviews for 4-5 months, your reactions to books I've read tend to vibe with my opinions. So I'd really like to know the longlist of your dreams 😀 Btw, I'm doing your Storygraph challenge, and for the "read a previous women's prize- winning book" prompt, I picked Grenville's The Idea of Perfection, thinking if I liked it I might add Dolly Maunder to my list. (I did think Idea was very well imagined and written). Your review cements that decision. Your review also made me more eager to read Nolan's book, which didn't appeal to me when I first heard the blurb (although when another BookTuber read the first sentence, the writing did sound spectacular! Glad to have that confirmed.) And even for the one you didn't like as much, it was good to find out the author does so well narrating part of the audiobook, because that helped me decide I'll listen vs. physically read Wren. Cheers!

[@benreadsgood]

Hello! The eligible books I've read and enjoyed more include The Night Alphabet, Tom Lake, Pet, and The Rachel Incident. All of those were five star reads for me! Glad to hear Grenville's backlist is good too. I might end up having to pick one (or more 😅) up at some point! Ordinary Human Failings was a really nice surprise for me after not getting on with Nolan's first one, so definitely shows that it's good to give authors a second chance. Thanks so much for watching!

[@MsPixieD]

@@benreadsgood I've read Tom Lake (for your J-Ann-uary prompt!), checked out Rachel Incident from the library on Saturday, and those other two are on my tbr 😀

[@FeelToBelieve]

I’ve only read 9, with three to go and four unavailable (I’m in US, but I’m okay with not reading The Maidens, Dolly, Trace of Sun….Soldier Sailor the only non available I’m wishing I could read). Of the 3 remaining for me two are Brotherless Night and In Defence of the Act. Knowing my style and others’ reviews…I’m holding a place for both on my shortlist. That gives four remaining places, which would be: - Ordinary Human Failings - River East, River West - And Then She Fell - Western Lane And so glad to hear someone else not love The Wren, The Wren. My first Enright and I went in with SUCH high expectations. Except my one DNF (Blue Beautiful World), The Wren was the worst for me!

[@MsPixieD]

I'm also in the U.S. Dolly Maunder and Soldier Sailor are on order at my library, so they are almost available! (Dolly is also on audio on Hoopla). At first I wasn't keen to read Soldier Sailor, as I've never had children, but Ben's review has encouraged me to place a hold on that title.

[@benreadsgood]

Yeah it was quite a disappointing read for me, but I'd definitely be open to reading Enright again. The writing really was great, and paired with a good story it could be very special. Solider Sailor is worth the wait once it finally comes out in the US. Can't believe it's taken so long!

[@AliceandtheGiantBookshelf]

I can’t believe Restless Dolly Maunder rates so highly in your ranking, but then I didn’t read an awful lot of it because I found the writing style so irritating. So maybe I have missed out on a good story by doing that. Hangman would be such a wildcard, and I think if it gets shortlisted it might win. 😬 I’ve filmed my predictions, so I won’t mention all of them here, but I still believe in Anne Enright maths. 😊📚

[@benreadsgood]

It surprised me too! I did an audio/physical combo and it worked really well for me, although the audio quality was pretty trash. To be honest there is very little between In Defence of the Act, Ordinary Human Failings, Restless Dolly Maunder and Western Lane. I liked them all very much and in slightly different ways. Looking forward to seeing your predictions!

[@louisesavidgemuses4135]

I’ll be a sad little sailor too if Soldier Sailor doesn’t make the shortlist 😊

[@benreadsgood]

We'll have to set sail on a sad little boat, all of us disappointed sailors together!

[@StephanieP1901]

Ordinary Human Failings is my favorite of what I’ve read. I hope it wins. 🤞🏻 I’ve also read and loved Enter Ghost , The Maiden, Brotherless Night and Nightbloom. I’ve read Soldier Sailor but I fail to see the profundity in it. Yes, being a mother his hard and downright wretched at times. I’ve been Soldier. This book just want that illuminating or even interesting to me. It was beautifully written, but plotwise it could have been my journal from 2013-2014. I do think Soldier will be on the short list, along with Enter Ghost and Ordinary Human Failings. The other theee are more difficult. Probably Enright. I’d like to see Nightbloom. Brotherless Night is good but there are better books. The Maiden is wonderful and I’d be thrilled to see it make the cut, but I’m not sure. The writing is gorgeous and the plot is wonderful. The character development is probably the best I’ve read from this list, but something about it makes me think it’s not prize material. I’ve heard great things about A Touch Sun, so maybe that’s our dark horse.

[@benreadsgood]

Ordinary Human Failings was certainly a pleasant surprise for me after not liking Nolan's debut, and I'm no longer surprised that it has had so much prize attention. Soldier Sailor captures something that I think must have been hard to transform from nebulous feelings and emotions into words, and does it magnificently. I was swept away. I think there's an argument to be made for pretty much any of the novels to make the shortlist, so it'll be really interesting to see what we end up with!

[@Tetsujin-28]

HANGMAN: Sounds interesting so I read the sample and may download the book. Great content. #Furious

[@benreadsgood]

It's weird and disorienting and really enjoyable. Hope it works for you!

[@lorrainefoord7384]

Great video as usual Ben. My predictions: Enter Ghost Brotherless Night Nightbloom Ordinary Human Failings Soldier Sailor 8 Lives Having that list (all read except Soldier Sailor), I kinda hope Dolly Maunder and In Defence of the Act are shortlisted. Really great to see Dolly so high on your rankings.

[@benreadsgood]

A solid prediction! I'd be happy to see Ordinary Human Failings in there, as I was so pleasantly surprised by it. And Dolly Maunder came out of nowhere for me - after all the naysaying I almost didn't read it, but I had such a good time with it.

[@jenniferlovesbooks]

I finished Hangman last night and loved it! (I think that is also blurbed by Monica Ali). My predictions are: Hangman Ordinary Human Failings Nightbloom Soldier Sailor Brotherless Night Enter Ghost

[@benreadsgood]

Oooh I'm pleased you liked Hangman - I wasn't sure if it would be your cup of tea! And I hadn't spotted the Monica Ali blurb on that one. Verrrry interesting 👀

[@novellenovels]

Oh we have quite different opinions but that’s ok. I didn’t hate dolly or western lane but I didn’t love them. I did love soldier sailor but my favourite was brotherless night. I have loved nightbloom.

[@benreadsgood]

Variety is the spice of life! I suppose I'm in the mood for these quiet character studies at the moment 😅 SO excited for Brotherless Night, and I'm ready and raring to go to read that one and Nightbloom if they're shortlisted!

[@TKTalksBooks]

My prediction: Enter Ghost Brotherless Night The Wren The Wren Ordinary Human Failings Soldier Sailor In Defense of the Act Wish list for Shortlist : Ordinary Human Failings Soldier Sailor Brotherless Night Hangman Nightbloom Enter Ghost

[@benreadsgood]

Those are some decent predictions! The field is really strong (and evenly spread) so I don’t think there are many books that would make it that I’d think of as a total shock. Thank you for watching!

[@cecilialau_]

It seems a very divided group of judges with this longlist. Which explains the less than enthusiastic responses I’ve seen for this year’s 16. The books get very divisive reviews, I feel, either ppl like/love a few, but then almost resent the rest. Not even indifference. But I guess some might feel that another book was unfairly left out, idk. But absolutely still so looking forward to seeing the shortlist announced. Have to say I think I’ll be “disappointed” or have the same oh well reaction as with the non-fic shortlist. But in the end it comes down to subjective opinions. We just all have different tastes, it’s hard to come by a winner that’s also a winner for the “general” majority. I wonder if Brotherless Night will be this year’s The Bandit Queens (hope not bc I’m with you on that!) And no, haha, I was not surprised that Soldier Sailor stays at the top of your list 😁🙌

[@benreadsgood]

Ahhh sorry to hear this year's list hasn't been The One for you. Hopefully there's something in the shortlist that will make it worth your while though. The beauty of some of these lists is that sometimes you find a single book that's so special it makes it all worth it 😊

[@cecilialau_]

@@benreadsgood I haven’t read any of them actually ☺️ I just feel I’ve heard ppl either like or dnf the books. Sometimes the same one gets either a “it was okay/good” or a dnf. But I might be wrong. Maybe the shortlist announcement changes that perception 🕺☀️

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

Hi 👋 Ben. Congratulations on your channel subscription 🎉 I’ve only finished 6 from the long list. I’m over halfway through a 7th. I’ve only started 2 more. Sad that you didn’t get on with The Wren The Wren My hopeful shortlist? Brotherless Night Enter Ghost Solider Sailor/ Ordinary Human Failings I’m currently listening to Night Bloom I’ve only started The Maiden And Then She Fell

[@benreadsgood]

Thanks so much! It is a shame that The Wren The Wren wasn't quite for me - it definitely wasn't a *bad* book, just my least favourite here, and I'd definitely read another Enright novel. Looks like we have a few in common we'd like to see on the shortlist!

[@jaysfarrell]

In Defence of the Act is one of my favourites from this year. So I need to ask - are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

[@benreadsgood]

Haha I love this question. I’m probably a bit of an egg! I did really like the book, and there was one iteration of this ranking where it was third. There wasn’t much in it between many of them in the middle of the list!

[@maryminnock9863]

Really sorry to be picky but it's pronounced CARmel not CarMEL. Common name for middle-aged women in Ireland.

[@benreadsgood]

Ahhh there's me being preoccupied trying to make sure I said Haudenosaunee correctly and I messed up Carmel instead 🤦‍♂️ Apologies, and thanks for pointing it out! I'm sure it won't be the last time I talk about these books and characters, so I'll get it right next time 😊

[@maryminnock9863]

@@benreadsgood One of my great friends in school was called Carmel so it was kind of for her I said it. 😁 But none of the Carmels I know would take any offence! 😉

[@benreadsgood]

I’ll get it right for your friend! 😅