WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION | 2018 LONGLIST PREDICTIONS

As most of you out there in book world are well aware, this Thursday (March 8th) is the announcement of the 2018 Longlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly Bailey’s Prize, formerly Orange Prize). It’s a well-loved prize amongst book bloggers and booktubers because it features books by women, and it often features selections that seem a little more approachable than some of the other prizes (Man Booker, notably). I’ve heard that this year’s longlist will be sixteen books, so I’m trying to stick relatively close to that number.

Now because I’ve been so out of the loop for the past few years and am still unable to read as much as I would like (and have a lot to catch up on), I haven’t read many books that qualify for the Women’s Prize this year. But I’ve been hearing other people’s opinions on all the big releases, and that has given me a general sense of which books are getting a lot of buzz, and particularly which have been well received by discerning and literary readers. So this is my guesses based on the impressions I’ve gotten and a little bit on my own reading.

Criteria:

Books that are eligible for the Women’s Prize must have been published in the UK between the beginning of April 2017 and the end of March 2018. The books don’t have to be by British authors, but must have been written originally in English.

Books I think are likely to be on the longlist:

                 

               

               

               

Books I’d really like to see on the Longlist:

          

Of all of these I’ve only fully read The Lie of the Land by Amanda Craig, which I absolutely loved. I’m not sure if it will make it on to the list, but if it does I will be absolutely thrilled. I’ve read part of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Conversations With Friends, The End We Start From, The Immortalists and Tin Man. All I plan to return to and can see why they have been getting so much attention. I haven’t yet read Winter by Ali Smith, but I did read Autumn, which was the first book in this seasonal quartet (of which Winter is the second), and if Winter holds up, I’d definitely expect to see it there. Likewise I haven’t read Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach yet, but I did read A Visit to the Goon Squad. I didn’t love it, but I can see why she is generally well-regarded in literary circles, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see her newest release on the list.

The rest of the books on the “expect to see” list are based on having heard rave reviews from many different people, and from them being books I am also interested in checking out. I don’t have much more to say about them than that, but I won’t be surprised to see any of them on the list.

For the other two on my “would like to see on the list” picks, here’s why. The Boat People is on this year’s Canada Reads list (more on that coming soon), and from what I’ve heard it’s been highly praised. It talks about very current immigration issues, and it does so with a structure I am very interested to experience – from the viewpoints of one of the immigrants, his lawyer, and the adjudicator who must decide his fate. Plus it would be great to see Canada represented on the list.

And finally, Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon. I read The Trouble with Goats and Sheep last year and it was so beautifully written, and so evocative, that it stuck with me well past finishing it. I think she is a very talented writer, and if Elsie is even half as well written as her first book, it deserves a shot at the prize.

So that’s it for my predictions for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction. I have no idea how accurate my guesses will be, particularly since I haven’t been able to read most of these yet. But it’s always fun to take a run at it and see how you do! Do you guys agree with any of my predictions? Which books not on this list do you think stand a good chance? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments!