The Poisonwood Bible

This is a slightly modified version of the review I posted for this book on my own blog: A bunch of people in my Around the World group were all reading The Poisonwood Bible together this week. As anyone who read about me being stuck in Australia already knows, I used this book as a reward for getting through Voss, and really enjoyed my reward. In the time I was reading it, I drove from Philly to Atlanta with a preschooler and a bulldog in tow. Now that I'm here, I'm helping out a friend with severe vertigo and a sheltie on chemo (who eats homemade food that is a little tricky to dish out, never mind make, when the world is spinning), so it's not exactly a great reading week. The preschooler had 5 vaccinations the other day, and is either sick in relation to that or independent of it, but that is probably the only reason I have actually already finished this book. She's sleeping much more than usual.

I loved the book. I read a lot of Kingsolver in the 90s and really enjoyed her work, but hadn't read anything she had written since. This was wonderful to read from page one, with chapters alternating between distinctive voices of 4 daughters and their mom narrating the experience of being dropped into the wilderness of the Belgian Congo of 1960 by a missionary patriarch with survivor guilt from his experience in the military in the South Pacific. You will grieve over what the "first world" has done to Africa and what one man's ego has done to his family as you follow the maturation of the women in this tale. Below is my Goodreads review.

My review: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book and the different voices of the women in this missionary family whose lives are variously transformed by their time in the Belgian Congo. Tragic naivete is replaced by different types and levels of insight in the 5 women. Kingsolver clearly loves the country and its people.

Wendy's Progress List - 2010

I have so many Orange prize winners and nominees on my TBR pile. Instead of setting a goal for 2010, I am simply going to list what I read this year on this post.

The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters (2010 Long List) - COMPLETED April 3, 2010; rated 4/5; read my review on my blog.

Laura's 2010 Goals & Progress

The Orange Prize is my favorite award after the Booker Prize.  In 2009, I finished the winners list and read two shortlisted works.  In 2010 my goal is 8:  7 shortlisted works, plus the 2010 winner. I'll be doing most, if not all, of my Orange reading during Orange January and Orange July.

Orange Prize Books Read in 2010 (Books will be listed as completed)

• Amy & Isabelle (Strout)
• The Night Watch (Waters)
• The Wilderness (Harvey)
• The Lacuna (Kingsolver)
• The Outcast (Jones)
• The Invention of Everything Else (Hunt)
• Burnt Shadows (Shamsie)
• The Siege (Dunmore)
  

My complete list of  Orange Prize reviews can be found here.

Laura's 2009 Goals and Progress

The Orange Prize is my favorite award after the Booker Prize. In 2008, my Orange Prize Project goal was to read 4 winners or shortlisted works, and I read 5. In 2009 my goal is 8. I plan to complete the winners list, including the 2009 winner. I'll be doing most, if not all, of my Orange reading during "Orange January" and "Orange July. "

Orange Prize Winners Read in 2009 (Books will be listed as completed)
2008 - The Road Home (Tremain)
2003 - Property (Martin)
2000 - When I lived in Modern Times (Grant)
1999 - A Crime in the Neighborhood (Berne)
1998 - Larry's Party (Shields)
2009 - Home (Robinson)
1997 - Fugitive Pieces (Michaels)
1996 - A Spell of Winter (Dunmore)

Orange Prize Shortlist Books Read in 2009 (Books will be listed as completed)
1998 - The Ventriloquist's Tale (Melville)

(My complete List of Orange Prize Fiction Winners & Shortlists read can be found here)

Mandy: Introduction, Reading to Date and Goals.

Hello everyone. I’ve always followed the Orange Prize quite religiously and so, when I stumbled upon this blog, I couldn’t resist joining up.
I intend to take part in Orange January and Orange July and also read many more listed books throughout the year. I have plenty of unread short and long listed books on my shelf, so, for January, I intend to try to read what I already own, rather than buy any more books. After reading some of the reviews on this blog, I can tell I’m going to fail this task miserably!
I will be treating long listed/short listed/new writers and winning books in the same way. If the book appeals to me I’ll be reading it, whatever category it falls in to. I’m ashamed to say, I’ve read none of the new writers. I intend to change this.
Here is a list of the books I’ve already read;

2007
Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2006
On Beauty, by Zadie Smith
Beyond Black, by Hilary Mantel
The Accidental, by Ali SmithThe Night Watch, by Sarah Waters

2005
The Remedy, by Michele Lovric

2004
Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood
Brick Lane, by Monica Ali
Kith and Kin, by Stevie Davies

2003
Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

2002
Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters

2000
Girl With A Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier

1997
Anita and Me, by Meera Syal

1996
The Ghost Road, by Pat Barker

Wendy's Progress List

UPDATE January 3, 2009 - MY GOALS FOR 2009

My goal for 2009: 10 books from this list

Winners:

• The Road Home, by Rose Tremain (2008)
• The Lizard Cage, by Karen Connelly (New Writers 2007)
• On Beauty, by Zadie Smith (2006)
• We Need to Talk About Kevin (2005)
• Small Island, by Andrea Levy (2004)
• Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett (2002)
• The Idea of Perfection, by Kate Grenville (2001)
• Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels (1997)
• A Spell of Winter, by Helen Dunmore (1996)

Nominees:

• Fault Lines, by Nancy Huston (short list 2008)
• The Septembers of Shiraz, by Dalia Sofer (long list 2008)
• The Monsters of Templeton, by Lauren Groff (New Writers short list 2008)
• Digging to America, by Anne Tyler (short list 2007)
• What Was Lost, by Catherine O’Flynn (long list 2007)
• Minaret, by Leila Aboulela (long list 2006)
• The Mammoth Cheese, by Sheri Holman (short list 2005)
• A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian, by Marina Lewycka (short liet 2005)
• Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson (long list 2005)
• Ice Road, by Gillian Slovo (short list 2004)
• The Amateur Marriage, by Anne Tyler (long list 2004)
• What I Loved, by Siri Hustvedt (long list 2003)
• In the Forest, by Edna O’Brien (long list 2003)
• Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold (long list 2003)
• Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters (short list 2002)
• Five Quarters of an Orange, by Joanne Harris (long list 2002)
• Amy and Isabelle, by Elizabeth Strout (short list 2000)

*********************

The books I've read from winners and shortlists are highlighted in orange. The books I've read from the longlists are highlighted in green; ratings, links and reviews as indicated.

I've gone through my current stacks of TBR books and found a number of Orange Prize winners and nominees. In the lists below, I have italicized those books I hope to read in 2008.

The Orange Prize for Fiction

2008

The Road Home, by Rose Tremain - WINNER (Read January 16, 2009; rated 5/5; read my review)
Fault Lines, by Nancy Huston
The Outcast, by Sadie Jones (Read February 2, 2008; rated 3.5/5; read my review)
When We Were Bad, by Charlotte Mendelson
Lullabies for Little Criminals, by Heather O'Neill
Lottery, by Patricia Wood

From the Longlist:
The Gathering, by Anne Enright (Read March 9, 2008; rated 4.5/5; read my review)

2007

Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - WINNER (Read January 7, 2007; rated 5/5; read my review)
Arlington Park, by Rachel Cusk
The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai (Read March 17, 2007; rated 4.25/5; read my review)
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, by Xiaolu Guo
The Observations, by Jane Harris
Digging to America, by Anne Tyler

From the Longlist:
What Was Lost, by Catherine O'Flynn

2006

On Beauty, by Zadie Smith - WINNER
The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss
Beyond Black, by Hilary Mantel
The Accidental, by Ali Smith
Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living, by Carrie Tiffany
The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters (read February 12, 2008; rated 4.5/5; read my review)

From the Longlist:
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson (read in 2006; rated 2/5)
Minaret, by Leila Aboulela

2005

We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver - WINNER
Old Filth, by Jane Gardam (read May 29, 2007; rated 3.5/5; read my review)
The Mammoth Cheese, by Sheri Holman
Liars and Saints, by Maile Meloy
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, by Marina Lewycka

From the Longlist:
Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson

2004

Small Island, by Andrea Levy - WINNER
Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood (Read in 2006; rated 3.5/5)
The Great Fire, by Shirley Hazzard (Read August 9, 2007; rated 4/5; read my review)
Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Read January 24, 2007; rated 5/5; read my review)
Ice Road, by Gillian Slovo
The Colour, by Rose Tremain

From the Longlist:
The Amateur Marriage, by Anne Tyler

2003

Property, by Valerie Martin - WINNER
Buddha Da, by Anne Donovan
Heligoland, by Shena Mackay
Unless, by Carol Shields
The Autograph Man, by Zadie Smith
The Little Friend, by Donna Tartt

From the Longlist:
What I Loved, by Siri Hustvedt

2002

Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett- WINNER
No Bones, by Anna Burns
The Siege, by Helen Dunmore
The White Family, by Maggie Gee
A Child's Book of True Crime, by Chloe Hooper
Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters (Read January 24, 2009; rated 5/5; read my review)

From the Longlist:

2001

The Idea of Perfection, by Kate Grenville - WINNER
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood (Read August 4, 2007; rated 4.5/5; read my review)
Fred & Edie, by Jill Dawson
Hotel World, by Ali Smith
Homestead, by Rosina Lippi
Horse Heaven, by Jane Smiley

From the Longlist:

2000

When I Lived in Modern Times, by Linda Grant - WINNER
If I Told You Once, by Judy Budnitz
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
The Dancers Dancing, by Eilis Ni Dhuibhne
White Teeth, by Zadie Smith (Read in 2003; unrated)

From the Longlist:
The Translator, by Leila Aboulela (Read March 23, 2007; rated 4.5/5; read my review)

1999

A Crime in the Neighborhood, by Suzanne Berne - WINNER
The Short History of a Prince, by Jane Hamilton
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver (Read July 12, 2008; rated 5/5; read my review)
Paradise, by Toni Morrison
The Leper's Companions, by Julia Blackburn
Visible Worlds, by Marilyn Bowering

From the Longlist:

1998

Larry's Party, by Carol Shield - WINNER
Lives of the Monster Dogs, by Kirsten Bakis
The Ventriloquist's Tale, by Pauline Melville
The Magician's Assistant, by Ann Patchett
Love Like Hate Adore, by Deirdre Purcell
The Weight of Water, by Anita Shreve

From the Longlist:

1997

Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels - WINNER
Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood (Read May 14, 2007; rated 4.5/5; read my review)
One by One in the Darkness, by Deirdre Madden
Accordion Crimes, by E. Annie Proulx (Read 2006; rated 2/5)
Hen's Teeth, by Manda Scott
I Was Amelia Earhart, by Jane Mendelsohn

From the Longlist:
Fall On Your Knees, by Ann-Marie MacDonald (Read April 28, 2007; rated 4/5; read my review)

1996

A Spell of Winter, by Helen Dunmore - WINNER
The Book of Colour, by Julia Blackburn
Spinsters, by Pagan Kennedy
The Hundred Secret Senses, by Amy Tan
Ladder of Years, by Anne Tyler
Eveless Eden, by Marianne Wiggins

From the Longlist:
The Ghost Road, by Pat Barker (Read December 25, 2008; rated 4.5/5; read my review)

Orange Prize for New Writers

2007

The Lizard Cage, by Karen Connelly - WINNER
Poppy Shakespeare, by Clare Allan
Bitter Sweets, by Roopa Farooki

2006

Disobedience, by Naomi Alderman - WINNER
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, by Yiyun Li
The Dream Life of Sukhanov, by Olga Grushin

2005

26a, by Diana Evans - WINNER
Lucky Girls, by Nell Freudenberger
How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff

Introduction and progress - Jackie

I love prize winning fiction, so this challenge is very appealing to me! I have read a few of them already, but there are a lot more buried in my reading pile. Hopefully, by taking part in this challenge, I will be encouraged to move a few of them to the top of the pile!
The ones I have read so far are:

2008
The Outcast, by Sadie Jones

2006
The Accidental, by Ali Smith

2005
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, by Marina Lewycka

2004
Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2001
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood

1996
The Hundred Secret Senses, by Amy Tan

The Monsters of Templeton, by Lauren Groff is top of my reading pile, so I should finish reading it soon.
I look forward to sharing thoughts on Orange prize winners with you over the coming months.

Jackie

Laura's 2008 Goals and Progress

I love reading prize winners, so when Wendy (aka Caribousmom) announced this project, there was no question about my participation. I have an aggressive reading plan for 2008 already, so my goal before the year is out is to read at least 4 Orange Prize winners or shortlisted works, including:

• 2007 - A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, by Xiaolu Guo (completed 8/10/08 - review)
• 2004 - Small Island, by Andrea Levy - WINNER (completed 5/24/08 - review)
• 2004 - Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (completed 9/10/08 - review)
• 2002 - Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters (completed 12/26/08 - review)
• 2001 - The Idea of Perfection, by Kate Grenville - WINNER (completed 10/8/08 - review)

Complete List of Orange Prize Fiction Winners & Shortlists Read (with links to reviews where available):

2007
Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - WINNER (review)
The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai (review)
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, by Xiaolu Guo (review)

2006
On Beauty, by Zadie Smith - WINNER
The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss

2005
We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver - WINNER (review)
Old Filth, by Jane Gardam (review)

2004
Small Island, by Andrea Levy - WINNER (review)
Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (review)

2003
Unless, by Carol Shields

2002
Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett- WINNER
Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters (review)

2001
The Idea of Perfection, by Kate Grenville - WINNER (review)
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood

2000
White Teeth, by Zadie Smith

1999
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
Paradise, by Toni Morrison

1998
The Weight of Water, by Anita Shreve

1996
The Hundred Secret Senses, by Amy Tan
Ladder of Years, by Anne Tyler

Terri - Quarterly Check-in September '08

Just a quick check-in and update on what I've read since the end of June. Orange July was amazing, probably my most favorite reading month ever. I read almost everything on the list I made and added one I hadn't intended. Here's what I've read since June:

• The Girls
• We Need to Talk About Kevin
• The Idea of Perfection
• The Tenderness of Wolves
• The Namesake
• Sorry
• The History of Love
• When the Emperor Was Divine
• A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian

Everything on the list was at least 4 stars out of 5 except The Namesake and Short History of Tractors, which were both 3.5

Now, I'm already looking forward to Orange January!

Nicole's Reading Goals and Progress

Hey Everybody!

I'm finally getting the opportunity to post my progress for the Orange Prize. I have all the books below in my library.  I have read the ones in bold and I will post the reviews here separately. I guess my starting off point will be to read what I have first.  We'll see how it goes!

Award for New Writers - Winners and Short Lists: 2005- Present
2005
Lucky Girls, by Nell Freudenberger

Orange Prize Fiction Winners and Shortlists: 1996 to the Present
2008
The Road Home, by Rose Tremain - WINNER

2007
Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - WINNER
The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, by Xiaolu Guo

2006
On Beauty, by Zadie Smith - WINNER
The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters

2005
We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver - WINNER
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, by Marina Lewycka

2004
Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood

2003
Property, by Valerie Martin - WINNER
The Little Friend, by Donna Tartt

2002
Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett- WINNER

2001
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood

2000
White Teeth, by Zadie Smith

1999
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
Paradise, by Toni Morrison

1997
Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood

Terri Makes Orange Progress

I haven't posted here since my introduction in March - which doesn't mean I haven't made any progress in the challenge. I'm just not real big on writing reviews.

I am joining in Jill's Orange July and I gotta say, I am thrilled at the idea of a whole month of reading contemporary women authors!

In addition to what I had listed in my intro, here's what I've read from the lists since:

• Half of a Yellow Sun
• Small Island
• Unless
• The Blind Assassin
• The Gathering

My projected list for July is full of amazing-sounding books:

• The Girls
  
• We Need to Talk About Kevin
• The Idea of Perfection
• The Tenderness of Wolves
• The Namesake
• What I Loved
• Property
• The History of Love
• Amy and Isabelle
• When the Emperor Was Divine
• A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian
  

Come on July!!!!

3M's Progress

Wow, I've only read five winners or shortlist titles! I plan on reading the titles in blue in 2009. The books I've read previously are highlighted in orange with links to reviews. I've updated my list to include the 'extra credit' longlist titles, of which I've read only six. I already own the bold titles.

The Orange Prize for Fiction

2008
Winner:
Rose Tremain The Road Home

Shortlist:
Nancy Huston Fault Lines
Sadie Jones The Outcast
Charlotte Mendelson When We Were Bad
Heather O’Neill Lullabies for Little Criminals
Patricia Wood Lottery

Longlist:
Anita Amirrezvani The Blood of Flowers
Stella Duffy The Room of Lost Things
Jennifer Egan The Keep
Anne Enright The Gathering (rating: 4; review)
Linda Grant The Clothes on Their Backs
Tessa Hadley The Master Bedroom
Gail Jones Sorry
Lauren Liebenberg The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam
Deborah Moggach In The Dark
Anita Nair Mistress
Elif Shafak The Bastard of Istanbul
Dalia Sofer The Septembers of Shiraz
Scarlett Thomas The End of Mr Y
Carol Topolski Monster Love

2007
Winner:
Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (rating: 4.5; review)

Shortlist:
Arlington Park, by Rachel Cusk
The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai (rating: 3; review)
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, by Xiaolu Guo
The Observations, by Jane Harris
Digging to America, by Anne Tyler

Longlist:
Poppy Shakespeare, by Clare Allan
Peripheral Vision, by Patricia Ferguson
Over, by Margaret Forster
The Dissident, by Nell Freudenberger
When to Walk, by Rebecca Gowers
Carry Me Down, by MJ Hyland
The Girls, by Lori Lansens
Alligator, by Lisa Moore
What Was Lost, by Catherine O'Flynn
The Tenderness of Wolves, by Stef Penney
Careless, by Deborah Robertson
Afterwards, by Rachel Seiffert
Ten Days in the Hills, by Jane Smiley
The Housekeeper, by Melanie Wallace

2006
Winner:
On Beauty, by Zadie Smith

Shortlist:
The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss
Beyond Black, by Hilary Mantel
The Accidental, by Ali Smith
Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living, by Carrie Tiffany
The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters

Longlist:
Minaret, by Leila Aboulela
Harbor, by Lorraine Adams
Disobedience, by Naomi Alderman
Watch Me Disappear, by Jill Dawson
House of Orphans, by Helen Dunmore
The Constant Princess, by Philippa Gregory
White Ghost Girls, by Alice Greenway
Dreams of Speaking, by Gail Jones
Lost in the Forest, by Sue Miller
Rape: A Love Story, by Joyce Carol Oates
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson (rating: 5)
Prep, by Curtis Sittenfeld
Frangipani, by Celestine Hitiura Vaite
The Position, by Meg Wolitzer

2005
Winner:
We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver

Shortlist:
Old Filth, by Jane Gardam
The Mammoth Cheese, by Sheri Holman
Liars and Saints, by Maile Meloy
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, by Marina Lewycka

Longlist:
Away From You, by Melanie Finn
Black Dirt, by Nell Leyshon
Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson (rating: 3.5)
Escape Routes for Beginners, by Kira Cochrane
The Falls, by Joyce Carol Oates
It So Happens, by Patricia Ferguson
The Mysteries of Glass, by Sue Gee
Nelson's Daughter, by Miranda Hearn
The Remedy, by Michele Lovric
The River, by Tricia Wastvedt
The Great Stink, by Clare Clark
Tatty, by Christine Dwyer Hickey
The Zigzag Way, by Anita Desai
Ursula, Under, by Ingrid Hill

2004
Winner:
Small Island, by Andrea Levy

Shortlist:
Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood
The Great Fire, by Shirley Hazzard
Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Ice Road, by Gillian Slovo
The Colour, by Rose Tremain

Longlist:
Brick Lane, by Monica Ali
The Sari Shop, by Rupa Bajwa
Kith and Kin, by Stevie Davies
State of Happiness, by Stella Duffy
The Flood, by Maggie Gee
The Electric Michelangelo, by Sarah Hall
Notes on a Scandal, by Zoe Heller
The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Visit from Voltaire, by Dinah Lee Kung
Gilgamesh, by Joan London
The Internationals, by Sarah May
Love, by Toni Morrison
The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger (rating: 4)
The Amateur Marriage, by Anne Tyler (rating: 4)

2003
Winner:
Property, by Valerie Martin

Shortlist:
Buddha Da, by Anne Donovan
Heligoland, by Shena Mackay
Unless, by Carol Shields
The Autograph Man, by Zadie Smith
The Little Friend, by Donna Tartt

Longlist:
Special, by Bella Bathhurst
Caramelo, by Sandra Cisneros
English Correspondence, by Janet Davey
Dot in the Universe, by Lucy Ellmann
What the Birds See, by Sonya Hartnett
What I Loved, by Siri Hustvedt
War Crimes for the Home, by Liz Jensen
The Solace of Leaving Early, by Haven Kimmel
In the Forest, by Edna O'Brien
Fox Girl, by Okja Keller
When the Emperor Was Divine, by Julie Otsuka
Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
The Cutting Room, by Louise Welsh
Water Street, by Crystal Wilkinson

2002
Winner:
Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett

Shortlist:
No Bones, by Anna Burns
The Siege, by Helen Dunmore
The White Family, by Maggie Gee
A Child's Book of True Crime, by Chloe Hooper
Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters

Longlist:
Pop, by Kitty Aldridge
A True Story Based on Lies, by Jennifer Clement
Now You See Me, by Lesley Glaister
The Element of Water, by Stevie Davies
Five Quarters of an Orange, by Joanne Harris
Niagara Falls All Over Again, by Elizabeth McCracken
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk (rating: 4.5)
Middle Ages, by Joyce Carol Oates
The Story of My Face, by Kathy Page
Crawling at Night, by Nani Power
La Cucina, by Lily Prior
The Hero's Walk, by Anita Rau Badami
Sister Crazy, by Emma Richler
The Dark Room, by Rachel Seiffert

2001
Winner:
The Idea of Perfection, by Kate Grenville

Shortlist:
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood (rating 3.5; review)
Fred & Edie, by Jill Dawson
Hotel World, by Ali Smith
Homestead, by Rosina Lippi
Horse Heaven, by Jane Smiley

Longlist:
The Hiding Place, by Trezza Azzopardi
In the Blue House, by Meaghan Delahunt
The Last Samurai, by Helen Dewitt
Fish, Blood & Bone, by Leslie Forbes
The Wild, by Esther Freud
Dog Days, Glenn Miller Nights, by Laurie Graham
Nowhere Else on Earth, by Josephine Humphreys
Ahab's Wife, by Sena Jeter Naslund
From Caucasia, with Love, by Danzy Senna
The Bonesetter's Daughter, by Amy Tan
The PowerBook, by Jeanette Winterson
MotherKind, by Jayne Ann Phillips

2000
Winner:
When I Lived in Modern Times, by Linda Grant

Shortlist:
If I Told You Once, by Judy Budnitz
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
The Dancers Dancing, by Eilis Ni Dhuibhne
White Teeth, by Zadie Smith

Longlist:
The Translator, by Leila Aboulela (rating: 4)
Girl With A Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier
Fasting, Feasting, by Anita Desai
A Dangerous Vine, by Barbara Ewing
Danny Boy, by Jo-Ann Goodwin
A Sin of Colour, by Sunetra Gupt
Born Free, by Laura Hird
Everything You Need, by A.L. Kennedy
The Hunter, by Julia Leigh
Charming Billy, by Alice McDermott
Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith, by Gina B. Nahai
Island, by Jane Rogers
Last Chance Texaco, by Christine Pountney
What the Body Remembers, by Shauna Singh Baldwin


1999
Winner:
A Crime in the Neighborhood, by Suzanne Berne

Shortlist:
The Short History of a Prince, by Jane Hamilton
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
Paradise, by Toni Morrison
The Leper's Companions, by Julia Blackburn
Visible Worlds, by Marilyn Bowering

Longlist:
Master Georgie, by Beryl Bainbridge
The Voyage of the Narwhal, by Andrea Barrett
In A Fishbone Church, by Catherine Chidgey
Crocodile Soup, by Julia Darling
Restitution, by Maureen Duffy
Trumpet, by Jackie Kay
Comfort Woman, by Nora Okja Keller
Buxton Spice, by Oonya Kempadoo
The Vintner's Luck, by Elizabeth Knox
Marchlands, by Karla Kuban
The Giant O'Brien, by Hilary Mantel
The Most Wanted, by Jacquelyn Mitchard
A History of Silence, by Barbara Neil
Evening News, by Marly Swick


1998
Winner:
Larry's Party, by Carol Shield

Shortlist:
Lives of the Monster Dogs, by Kirsten Bakis
The Ventriloquist's Tale, by Pauline Melville
The Magician's Assistant, by Ann Patchett
Love Like Hate Adore, by Deirdre Purcell
The Weight of Water, by Anita Shreve

Longlist:
Bitter Grounds, by Sandra Benitez
Man or Mango? by Lucy Ellmann
Gaglow, by Esther Freud
The Aguero Sisters, by Cristina Garcia
The House Gun, by Nadine Gordimer
The Breaking, by Kathryn Heyman
Round Rock, by Michelle Huneven
Ark Baby, by Liz Jensen
Undiscovered Country, by Christina Koning
The Orchard, by Drusilla Modjeska
Black and Blue, by Anna Quindlen
Impossible Saints, by Michele Roberts
The Underpainter, by Jane Urquhart
Baby Love, by Louis Young

1997
Winner:
Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels

Shortlist:
Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood
One by One in the Darkness, by Deirdre Madden
Accordion Crimes, by E. Annie Proulx
Hen's Teeth, by Manda Scott
I Was Amelia Earhart, by Jane Mendelsohn


Longlist:
Every Man For Himself, by Beryl Bainbridge
Death Comes for Peter Pan, by Joan Brady
The Mistress of Spices, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Last Thing He Wanted, by Joan Didion
The Cast Iron Shore, by Linda Grant
The Enchantment of Lily Dahl, by Siri Hustvedt
The Autobiography of My Mother, by Jamaica Kincaid
With Child, by Laurie R. King
Fall On Your Knees, by Ann-Marie MacDonald
All the Blood is Red, by Leone Ross
Red Leaves, by Paulina Simons
Anita and Me, by Meera Syal
Gut Symmetries, by Jeanette Winterson
The Frequency of Souls, by Mary Kay Zuravleff

1996
Winner:
A Spell of Winter, by Helen Dunmore

Shortlist:
The Book of Colour, by Julia Blackburn
Spinsters, by Pagan Kennedy
The Hundred Secret Senses, by Amy Tan
Ladder of Years, by Anne Tyler
Eveless Eden, by Marianne Wiggins

Longlist:
The Ghost Road, by Pat Barker
Official and Doubtful, by Ajay Close
The Rape of Sita, by Lindsey Collen
Keeping Up with Magda, by Isla Dewar
The Blue Flower, by Penelope Fitzgerald
The Private Parts of Women, by Lesley Glaister
The Passion of Alice, by Stephanie Grant
Egg Dancing, by Liz Jensen
So I Am Glad, by A.L. Kennedy
Never Far From Nowhere, by Andrea Levy
Mother of Pearl, by Mary Morrissy
Promised Lands, by Jane Rogers
River Lines, by Elspeth Sandys

Orange Prize for New Writers

2008
Inglorious by Joanna Kavenna - WINNER
The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam by Lauren Liebenberg

2007
The Lizard Cage, by Karen Connelly - WINNER
Poppy Shakespeare, by Clare Allan
Bitter Sweets, by Roopa Farooki

2006
Disobedience, by Naomi Alderman - WINNER
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, by Yiyun Li
The Dream Life of Sukhanov, by Olga Grushin

2005
26a, by Diana Evans - WINNER
Lucky Girls, by Nell Freudenberger
How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff

Australia, Africa and Mindspace

Hi folks, I am loving this project. The judges have come up with a great long list, I haven't had a duff read yet and it's not often I can read 5 books in a row and say that.

I have just read Sorry, set in Australia; The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam, set in Africa; and the The End of Mr Y, set in, well Mindspace, and you have to read it to find out what that is.

I will be posting reviews shortly but so far I think The End of Mr Y is my favourite (though not necessarily the best).

Look forward to hearing how others are getting on.

Oranges, Peanut Butter and Shiraz

Well at least I now have book number 3 under my belt on my quest to read the 2008 Orange Longlist. I have a countdown clock on my blog which very helpfully reminds me that there's only 57 days to go until the winner is announced. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I feel its presence like a nagging husband in the passenger seat of my car (yes, mine does that too).

My latest literary conquest is Lauren Liebenberg's "The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam". Feel free to have a quick read of my review.

I hate to damn with faint praise, but I'm going to use the word "like". Because I did like it. But I'm afraid with the modern cannon of African literature we have at our disposal these days the bar is set very high so I can't honestly say that we have another Gordimer, Nwapa or Adichie on our hands. Good, but not good enough. Sorry ;-(

Right, I'm off to get stuck into "The Septembers of Shiraz" (do you see what I did, with the title of my post? Clever eh?). Send out a search party if you don't hear from me by Sunday.

The long Longlist and the days that are too short!

I'm desperately trying to eat my way through this years Orange Longlist before the Shortlist is announced. Only just over a week to go, and I'm only on my third book. Yikes!

So far I have managed to read Rose Tremains' "The Road Home" (click here to read the review I posted on my personal blog), and Man Booker winner "The Gathering" by Anne Enright (review fresh off the press!). If it was a straight run between the two books "The Gathering" would have it for me, but I'm holding out for some of the other titles on the Longlist. They seem much more my cup of tea.

My copy of The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam arrived from Germany this morning, just in the nick of time. I've been looking forward to reading this so much because African literature generally goes down well with me and I love the title of the book. Oh dear, I'm just so shallow. Dear Reader... I shall keep you posted on how I get on with it.

I hope your own reading endeavours are going well. I'm off to stick my nose in a book. The ironing is just going to have to wait.

Introducing Sonia (cue fanfare)

Hi, I'm Sonia, and I have loved books ever since the day I could grip them in my grubby little fists. My mum says that I used to sit on the potty for hours at a time with a big stack of books on one side, and I wouldn't get up until I'd read them all and stacked them neatly on the other side of me, leaving a ring shaped groove around my little bottom.

So why am I here writing about the Orange Prize? Well, a couple of years ago I was getting stuck for inspiration for my reading, and so I gave myself the challenge of trying to read the entire Man Booker Prize longlist before judging day. And blow me down, I did it. I got such a buzz from watching the awards ceremony on TV and actually being able to have an informed opinion about the winner.

But after that, such a comedown... what to read next? So I attempted the Orange Prize Longlist (fortunately there was a bit of overlap with Booker that year), and then I tried it again, and again with varying degrees of success. I'll be honest, not every book does it for me, but every now and then I discover a work of pure gold and I wonder at the genius of these authors who for a brief moment transport me out of my tiny existence into another, richer world,

Last year was a bit of a dry year for me in reading terms, as I was starting up my own business, but this year I'm back in the saddle again more determined than ever, and for the first time, blogging my experiences.

Reading the longlist is such a big part of who I am and it's so reassuring to think that there is a group of people out there for whom that passion makes sense...

Orange Prize winners and runners up that I have read before

2007 winner
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Half of a Yellow Sun
2007 shortlist
Rachel Cusk Arlington Park
Kiran Desai The Inheritance of Loss

2006 winner
Zadie Smith On Beauty
2006 shortlist
Nicole Krauss The History of Love
Hilary Mantel Beyond Black
Ali Smith The Accidental
Carrie Tiffany Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living

2005 winner
Lionel Shriver We Need to Talk About Kevin
2005 shortlist
Jane Gardam Old Filth
Sheri Holman The Mammoth Cheese
Maile Meloy Liars and Saints
Marina Lewycka A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

2004 winner
Andrea Levy Small Island
2004 shortlist
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Purple Hibiscus
Shirley Hazzard The Great Fire

2003 winner
Valerie Martin Property
2003 shortlist
Donna Tartt The Little Friend

2002 winner
Ann Patchett Bel Canto

2001 winner
Kate Grenville The Idea of Perfection
2001 shortlist
Margaret Atwood The Blind Assassin

2000 shortlist
Zadie Smith White Teeth

1999 shortlist
Barbara Kingsolver The Poisonwood Bible
Toni Morrison Paradise

1998 shortlist
Ann Patchett The Magician's Assistant

1997 shortlist
Margaret Atwood Alias Grace

1996 shortlist
Anne Tyler Ladder of Years

Terri - intro and progress

Hello all - my name is Terri and I live in Portland Oregon. I know quite a few of you from other places - Library Thing mostly. Thanks, Wendy, for inviting me to participate. Challenges are new to me and my reading has expanded so much because of them. Though my biggest challenge is not to get stressed out about the challenges!

I hadn't even heard of the Orange Prize before LT, but I'm so drawn to contemporary women writers, so this seems like a natural for me. Here's what I've read to date of the winners and from the short lists:

Fiction prize:

• Fingersmith
• The Poisonwood Bible
• The Weight of Water
• Alias Grace
• Accordion Crimes
• The Hundred Secret Senses
• Digging to America (which I detested!)

New writers:

• The Lizard Cage
  

I have a number of the winners and short list books very high on my TBR pile already:

• Half of a Yellow Sun
• The Inheritance of Loss
• A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
• The Night Watch
• We Need to Talk About Kevin
• Old Filth
• Small Island
• Unless
• The Blind Assassin (top of the heap)
  
• The Magician's Assistant

There are also about a dozen on the longlists that I've read but won't list them just now. I haven't quite decided how I want to tackle this -- I think reading all the winners is a must for me; and then perhaps adding at least one from each short list. I'll keep you posted!

(Later, edit) Ok, I've decided to read all the winners (both categories), at least one from each short list and at least one from each long list. This is in addition to those I've already read. Whew. Glad that's settled.

We seem to have some date issues - the front page of this blog shows it's Tuesday April 1st. I hope that's wrong, 'cause if it's right, I'm supposed to be at work!! And it shows the date of my post as yesterday's date. Puzzling.

I'm looking forward to sharing progress and thoughts with you all!

Megan's Intro and Progress

Hello, everybody. I'm Megan and I blog at Leafing Through Life. I was so excited to see an Orange Prize Project considering when I first discovered the prize I considered trying to read as many of the winners and short list titles that I could on my own, so it's great to be able to try and accomplish that in community! I've read several already - unfortunately before I started my blog and started to review books seriously, so I haven't got many reviews of the ones I've already finished - but I look forward to reviewing my future Orange Prize reads and sharing them here.

Here are the ones I've read so far (in bold) as well as the ones that I've already got on my shelves (in italics) which will be the ones most likely to be read soonest.

2007

Longlist

Ten Days in the Hills by Jane Smiley

2006

New Writers

Disobedience by Naomi Alderman (Winner)

Shortlist

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Longlist

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

2005

New Writers

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Shortlist

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Winner)
The Mammoth Cheese by Sheri Holman

Longlist

The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates
Ursula, Under by Ingrid Hill

2004

Shortlist

Small Island by Andrea Levy (Winner)
The Colour by Rose Tremain

Longlist

Brick Lane by Monica Ali
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Love by Toni Morrison
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

2003

Shortlist

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

Longlist

The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

2002

Shortlist

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (Winner)
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Longlist

Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

2001

Shortlist

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley

Longlist

The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi
Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund

2000

Shortlist

Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout

Longlist

Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

1999

Shortlist

The Short History of a Prince by Jane Hamilton
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Paradise by Toni Morrison

Longlist

The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox

1998

Shortlist

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett
The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve

Longlist

Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen

1997

Shortlist

Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels
Accordion Crimes by E. Annie Proulx
I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn

Longlist

Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

1996

Shortlist

The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

Bethany's Intro and Progress

Yes, I'm new here...my name is bethany (or b) from B&b ex libris, I have recently found out about this wonderful world of book blogging and am so thankful to now be a part of it! I have been blogging for a while ( at: the good. the bad. the ugly.), but I am new to this idea of book blogging.

I haven't read many of the books on these lists, so I decided to join and to give it a shot. Here it goes.

bold: titles I own
italics: am dying to read, need to get my hands on!
orange: titles I've read
black: titles I will read in 2008 ( I decided on 3 that I already own and if I can I'll do more!)

The Orange Prize for Fiction

2007
Winner:
Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Shortlist:
Arlington Park, by Rachel Cusk
The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, by Xiaolu Guo
The Observations, by Jane Harris
Digging to America, by Anne Tyler

Longlist:
Poppy Shakespeare, by Clare Allan
Peripheral Vision, by Patricia Ferguson
Over, by Margaret Forster
The Dissident, by Nell Freudenberger
When to Walk, by Rebecca Gowers
Carry Me Down, by MJ Hyland
The Girls, by Lori Lansens
Alligator, by Lisa Moore
What Was Lost, by Catherine O'Flynn
The Tenderness of Wolves, by Stef Penney
Careless, by Deborah Robertson
Afterwards, by Rachel Seiffert
Ten Days in the Hills, by Jane Smiley
The Housekeeper, by Melanie Wallace

2006
Winner:
On Beauty, by Zadie Smith

Shortlist:
The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss (rated 4.5/5 review here)
Beyond Black, by Hilary Mantel
The Accidental, by Ali Smith
Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living, by Carrie Tiffany
The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters

Longlist:
Minaret, by Leila Aboulela
Harbor, by Lorraine Adams
Disobedience, by Naomi Alderman
Watch Me Disappear, by Jill Dawson
House of Orphans, by Helen Dunmore
The Constant Princess, by Philippa Gregory
White Ghost Girls, by Alice Greenway
Dreams of Speaking, by Gail Jones
Lost in the Forest, by Sue Miller
Rape: A Love Story, by Joyce Carol Oates
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson
Prep, by Curtis Sittenfeld
Frangipani, by Celestine Hitiura Vaite
The Position, by Meg Wolitzer

2005
Winner:
We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver

Shortlist:
Old Filth, by Jane Gardam
The Mammoth Cheese, by Sheri Holman
Liars and Saints, by Maile Meloy
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, by Marina Lewycka

Longlist:
Away From You, by Melanie Finn
Black Dirt, by Nell Leyshon
Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson
Escape Routes for Beginners, by Kira Cochrane
The Falls, by Joyce Carol Oates
It So Happens, by Patricia Ferguson
The Mysteries of Glass, by Sue Gee
Nelson's Daughter, by Miranda Hearn
The Remedy, by Michele Lovric
The River, by Tricia Wastvedt
The Great Stink, by Clare Clark
Tatty, by Christine Dwyer Hickey
The Zigzag Way, by Anita Desai
Ursula, Under, by Ingrid Hill

2004
Winner:
Small Island, by Andrea Levy

Shortlist:
Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood
The Great Fire, by Shirley Hazzard
Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Ice Road, by Gillian Slovo
The Colour, by Rose Tremain

Longlist:
Brick Lane, by Monica Ali
The Sari Shop, by Rupa Bajwa
Kith and Kin, by Stevie Davies
State of Happiness, by Stella Duffy
The Flood, by Maggie Gee
The Electric Michelangelo, by Sarah Hall
Notes on a Scandal, by Zoe Heller
The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri (rated 4/5 )
A Visit from Voltaire, by Dinah Lee Kung
Gilgamesh, by Joan London
The Internationals, by Sarah May
Love, by Toni Morrison
The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
The Amateur Marriage, by Anne Tyler

2003
Winner:
Property, by Valerie Martin

Shortlist:
Buddha Da, by Anne Donovan
Heligoland, by Shena Mackay
Unless, by Carol Shields
The Autograph Man, by Zadie Smith
The Little Friend, by Donna Tartt

Longlist:
Special, by Bella Bathhurst
Caramelo, by Sandra Cisneros
English Correspondence, by Janet Davey
Dot in the Universe, by Lucy Ellmann
What the Birds See, by Sonya Hartnett
What I Loved, by Siri Hustvedt
War Crimes for the Home, by Liz Jensen
The Solace of Leaving Early, by Haven Kimmel
In the Forest, by Edna O'Brien
Fox Girl, by Okja Keller
When the Emperor Was Divine, by Julie Otsuka
Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
The Cutting Room, by Louise Welsh
Water Street, by Crystal Wilkinson

2002
Winner:
Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett

Shortlist:
No Bones, by Anna Burns
The Siege, by Helen Dunmore
The White Family, by Maggie Gee
A Child's Book of True Crime, by Chloe Hooper
Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters

Longlist:
Pop, by Kitty Aldridge
A True Story Based on Lies, by Jennifer Clement
Now You See Me, by Lesley Glaister
The Element of Water, by Stevie Davies
Five Quarters of an Orange, by Joanne Harris
Niagara Falls All Over Again, by Elizabeth McCracken
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk (rated 4.5/5 review here)
Middle Ages, by Joyce Carol Oates
The Story of My Face, by Kathy Page
Crawling at Night, by Nani Power
La Cucina, by Lily Prior
The Hero's Walk, by Anita Rau Badami
Sister Crazy, by Emma Richler
The Dark Room, by Rachel Seiffert

2001
Winner:
The Idea of Perfection, by Kate Grenville

Shortlist:
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood
Fred & Edie, by Jill Dawson
Hotel World, by Ali Smith
Homestead, by Rosina Lippi
Horse Heaven, by Jane Smiley

Longlist:
The Hiding Place, by Trezza Azzopardi
In the Blue House, by Meaghan Delahunt
The Last Samurai, by Helen Dewitt
Fish, Blood & Bone, by Leslie Forbes
The Wild, by Esther Freud
Dog Days, Glenn Miller Nights, by Laurie Graham
Nowhere Else on Earth, by Josephine Humphreys
Ahab's Wife, by Sena Jeter Naslund
From Caucasia, with Love, by Danzy Senna
The Bonesetter's Daughter, by Amy Tan
The PowerBook, by Jeanette Winterson
MotherKind, by Jayne Ann Phillips

2000
Winner:
When I Lived in Modern Times, by Linda Grant

Shortlist:
If I Told You Once, by Judy Budnitz
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
The Dancers Dancing, by Eilis Ni Dhuibhne
White Teeth, by Zadie Smith

Longlist:
The Translator, by Leila Aboulela
Girl With A Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier
Fasting, Feasting, by Anita Desai
A Dangerous Vine, by Barbara Ewing
Danny Boy, by Jo-Ann Goodwin
A Sin of Colour, by Sunetra Gupt
Born Free, by Laura Hird
Everything You Need, by A.L. Kennedy
The Hunter, by Julia Leigh
Charming Billy, by Alice McDermott
Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith, by Gina B. Nahai
Island, by Jane Rogers
Last Chance Texaco, by Christine Pountney
What the Body Remembers, by Shauna Singh Baldwin


1999
Winner:
A Crime in the Neighborhood, by Suzanne Berne

Shortlist:
The Short History of a Prince, by Jane Hamilton
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
Paradise, by Toni Morrison
The Leper's Companions, by Julia Blackburn
Visible Worlds, by Marilyn Bowering

Longlist:
Master Georgie, by Beryl Bainbridge
The Voyage of the Narwhal, by Andrea Barrett
In A Fishbone Church, by Catherine Chidgey
Crocodile Soup, by Julia Darling
Restitution, by Maureen Duffy
Trumpet, by Jackie Kay
Comfort Woman, by Nora Okja Keller
Buxton Spice, by Oonya Kempadoo
The Vintner's Luck, by Elizabeth Knox
Marchlands, by Karla Kuban
The Giant O'Brien, by Hilary Mantel
The Most Wanted, by Jacquelyn Mitchard
A History of Silence, by Barbara Neil
Evening News, by Marly Swick


1998
Winner:
Larry's Party, by Carol Shield

Shortlist:
Lives of the Monster Dogs, by Kirsten Bakis
The Ventriloquist's Tale, by Pauline Melville
The Magician's Assistant, by Ann Patchett
Love Like Hate Adore, by Deirdre Purcell
The Weight of Water, by Anita Shreve

Longlist:
Bitter Grounds, by Sandra Benitez
Man or Mango? by Lucy Ellmann
Gaglow, by Esther Freud
The Aguero Sisters, by Cristina Garcia
The House Gun, by Nadine Gordimer
The Breaking, by Kathryn Heyman
Round Rock, by Michelle Huneven
Ark Baby, by Liz Jensen
Undiscovered Country, by Christina Koning
The Orchard, by Drusilla Modjeska
Black and Blue, by Anna Quindlen
Impossible Saints, by Michele Roberts
The Underpainter, by Jane Urquhart
Baby Love, by Louis Young

1997
Winner:
Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels

Shortlist:
Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood
One by One in the Darkness, by Deirdre Madden
Accordion Crimes, by E. Annie Proulx
Hen's Teeth, by Manda Scott
I Was Amelia Earhart, by Jane Mendelsohn


Longlist:
Every Man For Himself, by Beryl Bainbridge
Death Comes for Peter Pan, by Joan Brady
The Mistress of Spices, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Last Thing He Wanted, by Joan Didion
The Cast Iron Shore, by Linda Grant
The Enchantment of Lily Dahl, by Siri Hustvedt
The Autobiography of My Mother, by Jamaica Kincaid
With Child, by Laurie R. King
Fall On Your Knees, by Ann-Marie MacDonald
All the Blood is Red, by Leone Ross
Red Leaves, by Paulina Simons
Anita and Me, by Meera Syal
Gut Symmetries, by Jeanette Winterson
The Frequency of Souls, by Mary Kay Zuravleff

1996
Winner:
A Spell of Winter, by Helen Dunmore

Shortlist:
The Book of Colour, by Julia Blackburn
Spinsters, by Pagan Kennedy
The Hundred Secret Senses, by Amy Tan
Ladder of Years, by Anne Tyler
Eveless Eden, by Marianne Wiggins

Longlist:
The Ghost Road, by Pat Barker
Official and Doubtful, by Ajay Close
The Rape of Sita, by Lindsey Collen
Keeping Up with Magda, by Isla Dewar
The Blue Flower, by Penelope Fitzgerald
The Private Parts of Women, by Lesley Glaister
The Passion of Alice, by Stephanie Grant
Egg Dancing, by Liz Jensen
So I Am Glad, by A.L. Kennedy
Never Far From Nowhere, by Andrea Levy
Mother of Pearl, by Mary Morrissy
Promised Lands, by Jane Rogers
River Lines, by Elspeth Sandys

Orange Prize for New Writers

2007
The Lizard Cage, by Karen Connelly - WINNER
Poppy Shakespeare, by Clare Allan
Bitter Sweets, by Roopa Farooki

2006
Disobedience, by Naomi Alderman - WINNER
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, by Yiyun Li
The Dream Life of Sukhanov, by Olga Grushin

2005
26a, by Diana Evans - WINNER
Lucky Girls, by Nell Freudenberger
How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff

WOW, I have A LOT of work to do!!!

Marg's Progress List

I was just about to post a review when I realised that I actually haven't introduced myself yet! I post at Reading Adventures, and just can't seem to resist the urge to join these long term challenges for prize winners.

Here's my progress list for the Fiction prize:

2007 Winner - Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
2002 Winner - Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

2007 Shortlist - The Observations by Jane Harris
2002 Shortlist - The Siege by Helen Dunmore
1999 Shortlist - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
1998 Shortlist - The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve

2007 Longlist - The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
2006 Longlist - The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
2006 Longlist - Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
2005 Longlist - Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
2004 Longlist - The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2000 Longlist - Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
1997 Longlist - Red Leaves by Paullina Simons


I haven't read any of the nominees for the New Writers prize.

I look forward to sharing reviews with you all.