When the longlist for the Women’s Prize for fiction 2023 was announced, I selected four books, which sounded appealing to me. And in a rare fit of consistency, I actually read all four of them. The verdict? A bit mixed, I would say. Two were very enjoyable, one was partly enjoyable and one I regret picking up. If you are curious which books I refer to – read on! 🤓
Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead is a retelling of David Copperfield. Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia in the 1990s, it focuses on the opioid crisis and the extreme poverty and hopeless conditions in rural communities. The novel captivated me from page one and I was highly invested in the protagonist. Unfortunately, it went downhill towards the halfway mark and it took me some effort to muddle through what felt like an endlessly long middle part. Eventually, it picked up pace again and made me glad I didn’t give up. In short, my opinion is remarkably similar to my verdict on most Dickens novels: Great storytelling, but way too long. 3 1/2 stars.
Title: Demon Copperhead [2022] Author: Barbara Kingsolver Format: Audiobook, narrated by Charlie Thurston Genre: Historical Fiction
After the hefty Demon Copperhead, I was glad to pick up Wandering Souls, which is a neat little thing, bordering to novella length. We follow three young siblings, who flee Vietnam after the war and try to make a life for themselves in the UK. The story is very much inspired by real events and I found it impactful and well-written. Unfortunately, the main storyline was constantly interrupted by various interludes. I could kinda see the point of the journalistic facts, which helped putting the story into context. And I could even forgive the comments from a deceased family member, which really came together in the end. However the lengthy musings from the narrator about the novel itself took me completely out of the story. I listened to these musings on 200% speed, but it still annoyed me and broke the flow. Putting this in an epilogue or even in authors notes (it was my impression that it was commentary from the author herself) would have worked so much better. If it hadn’t been for the structure, the novel could easily have reached 4 1/2 stars territory. As it is, it ended up being a strong 4 stars read. Still, a very promising debut.
Title: Wandering Souls [2023] Author: Cecile Pin Format: Audiobook, narrated by Aoife Hinds, Ioanna Kimbook, Ainsleigh Barber Genre: Historical Fiction
The borders between fiction and nonfiction seem to be blurred. Where Wandering Souls is a fictionalised biography, Homesick is a fictionalised memoir, which started out as a real memoir. Fictionalised or not, unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. Written from a child’s perspective, fundamentally it is a basic coming-of-age story, focusing on the relationship between two sisters. Neither the comments on languages and translation (Croft is a prize winning translator) nor the “vignetty” writing style helped to make me interested. Many readers seem to love this book and my rating probably says more about my personal taste than the quality of the writing. But 2 1/2 stars is what it amounts to.
Title: Homesick [2022] Author: Jennifer Croft Format: Audiobook, narrated by Jennifer Croft, Boris Dralyuk, Emily Sutton-Smith Genre: Fictionalised Memoir
The Bandit Queens effortlessly blends serious themes such as domestic violence and a problematic caste system with black humour, delightful dialogue and a fantastic depiction of the dynamics between a group of Indian women, who bicker and gossip, but also stand up for each other. Perhaps, the ending felt slightly farcical, but otherwise the story was flawlessly implemented and it’s hard to believe, this is a debut. Whereas Wandering Souls had a higher emotional impact, The Bandit Queens was overall the more successful novel.
Title: The Bandit Queens [2022] Author: Parini Shroff Format: Audiobook, narrated by Shazia Nicholls Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Since I read these books, the shortlist for the Women’s Prize 2023 has been announced:
- Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
- Pod by Laline Paull
- Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks
- Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
- The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Of the ones I’ve read, only Demon Copperhead was shortlisted. Even if not a favourite of mine, I could easily see this novel winning the prize, which would make Barbara Kingsolver the first author to win the prize twice.
For now I won’t be reading more books from the longlist, but who knows what will happen in the future? And of course, I look forward to see the winner, which will be announced the 14th June 2023.
Have you read any books from the longlist? Do you have a favourite?
Great post. I have little patience with too much artifice (re your astute comments). When a device seems more important than, or too interruptive, of the flow, the writer loses me. Many people adored “Outline”–I didn’t. I think that sometimes the juries in these situations opt for extreme cleverness over the basics of a story well-told, characters well-hewn, and a sense of place and time that contribute to the narrative. Sorry to babble–just had my coffee!
That was exactly my thoughts. Whereas, I would have enjoyed Wandering Souls a lot more with a slightly more linear and traditional storytelling, I doubt it would have been longlisted without the unusual structure. Juries definitely reward cleverness and it isn’t always enough, just too have a strong story. No need to apologise, you wrote a great comments, which I happen to agree wholeheartedly with.
Based on your own thoughts of those you’ve read and of the titles that were shortlisted, I don’t think I’ll dive into any of these stories anytime soon, but I would prefer checking out Dickens’ original story before any retelling. The Bandit Queens does sound pretty intriguing though! Thanks for sharing these with us! What do you plan on reading next? 😮
The Bandit Queens was fun! I hear what you say about reading original Dickens. Now I worry, I ruined David Copperfield for myself by reading Demon Copperhead. Luckily, I have a bad memory 😀 , so I just have to wait a while, then I will probably have forgotten the latter.
I am taking a break from fiction to catch up on my nonfiction ambitions. At the moment, I listen to Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, which is fascinating and quite scary.
I’ve just finished, and loved, Homesick. I can’t imagine its working as an audio book. I can’t see wanting another person to be in the frame as I am someone peeking through the keyhole at Amy’s and Zoe’s difficult lives.
It was mostly Jennifer Croft herself, who narrated Homesick, so no outsider intruded in the story. However, I agree it didn’t work well on audio, partly because one of the other narrators had the most annoying voice. Even so, I doubt I would have loved Homesick, even if reading the physical book.
Luckily, we’re all different!
So true!
Like you, I try to read about half of the longlist if I can. I loved Demon Copperhead (agree it’s long though) and The Marriage Portrait and Pod are both excellent. I’m reading Fire Rush right now, listening on audiobook, and looking forward to seeing where it goes.
Ah interesting! I’ve seen quite a lot of love for The Marriage Portrait, whereas Pod seems to be quite divisive. I look forward to hear what you make of Fire Rush, it sounds like an unusual book in terms of setting and style.
I don’t enjoy Kingsolver, so will give that a miss. I’d like to read Bandit Queens. Usually enjoy Indian novels.
I haven’t read many Indian novels, but if I can find anything like The Bandit Queens, I will be right there. Demon Copperhead was my first Kingsolver. I won’t rule out trying more of her books in the future. Hope they are shorter…
I read Demon Copperhead and loved it but I agree it did drag in the middle. I’ve got library holds on a few of the longlist.
Ah ok, I hope your library holds come through. Look forward to hear what you think of the others from the longlist.
I’m looking forward to reading some of those on the shortlist in the coming weeks. Interesting comments, I’ll let you know what I think.
Absolutely! It’s always interesting to hear other views. It seems everyone loves Demon Copperhead and it just won the Pulitzer Prize. Maybe, I missed something…
And now Kingsolver won the Pulitzer prize for fiction with this one!
I have enjoyed all her previous novels, but decided to pass on this one
She did! It was a joined win with Trust, which – as it happened – I didn’t love either.
I just started Demon Copperhead as an e-book for my book club. I think I need to finish it in 2 weeks which could be tough. I’m not sure it will be for me. I liked Louise Kennedy’s novel quite a bit. I dont think Kingsolver will be denied … hmm but we will see.
Oh no, I don’t think Demon Copperhead is a book suitable to be read under time pressure. I’ve learned, the best way for me to get through Dickens is to read the novels in small bits a time (like on my short daily commute). I did the same with Demon Copperhead. I heard good things about Louise Kennedy’s novel, with some people saying it might be the winner, if Demon doesn’t take the prize.