Tag Archives: British fiction

Best Books of 2012: #47, ‘The Casual Vacancy’

As part of our Best Books of 2012 coverage, our editors weigh in on some of their personal favorites from the list. J.K. Rowling’s first published novel for adults has received more mixed reviews than any other book published in 2012. We … Continue reading

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Best Books of 2012: #43, ‘Capital’

As part of our Best Books of 2012 coverage, our editors weigh in on some of their personal favorites from the list. John Lanchester’s latest has been called “the British Corrections” and though Capital focuses on the varied residents of a London … Continue reading

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What we’re reading Wednesday: ‘Capital’ by John Lanchester

Capital by John Lanchester Norton • $26.95 • ISBN 9780393082074 on sale June 11, 2012 Novelist John Lanchester has been best known recently for his incisive, clear commentary on the fiscal follies of the last few years, some of which … Continue reading

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Howard Jacobson wins the Booker

Another surprise prizewinner for the 2010 season: Howard Jacobson nabs the Man Booker Prize for The Finkler Question, just published today in the U.S. Betting on the prize in the U.K. had to be closed early after they got a … Continue reading

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Scarlett September

There are plenty of big-name author releases I’m looking forward to this fall (Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, to name one). But a lesser-known British writer, Scarlett Thomas, is also up near the top of that list. Her inventive The End of … Continue reading

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Orange Prize longlist announced

The 2010 Orange Prize for Fiction longlist was announced today. This British award is given to the best novel written by a woman in English and published in the UK in a given year. Since many past winners (and nominees) … Continue reading

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A New Year's Day giveaway

Happy New Year! To set the tone for 2010, we’re giving away the paperback version of one of 2009′s hottest mystery debuts. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first in a new series starring precocious preteen … Continue reading

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The 12 books of Christmas: The Children's Book

If you’re looking for something to give the literature lover in your life—the reader in the family who likes nothing more than to get lost in a big story—look no further. A.S. Byatt’s The Children’s Book is a masterful look … Continue reading

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Wilkie Collins, live

OK, he’s not exactly “live,” but Victorian novelist Wilkie Collins is making a splash on the web these days. The occasion is the 150th anniversary of the serialization of his best-known work, The Woman in White.  Fans can now read … Continue reading

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And the Booker goes to . . .

Hilary Mantel for Wolf Hall.  To be released on this side of the Atlantic a week from today, this hefty historical novel drew an enthusiastic review from BookPage’s Lauren Bufferd, who deemed it a riveting portrait of Thomas Cromwell, chief … Continue reading

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Controversy courts Ian McEwan

Over the past year, novelist Ian McEwan (Atonement, Enduring Love) has dropped several tantalizing tidbits about his work-in-progress, an 11th novel—his first since 2007′s On Chesil Beach. It’s about global warming. It features a physicist whom McEwan has described as … Continue reading

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The fantastic Mr. Dahl

On July 7, Lynn blogged about New York Times columnist Nicolas Kristof’s controversial column on must-read children’s books. Also on July 7, Kristof posted an acknowledgement of the huge reader response he received; more than 2,350 people commented on his … Continue reading

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Happy birthday Harry!

Today’s a big day in Harry Potter-land. J.K. Rowling has said in interviews that Harry’s birthday is July 31, and the author’s own birthday is today, too. (She was born July 31, 1965.) Harry’s birth year is a bit more … Continue reading

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The (motion) Picture of Dorian Gray

After two other successful Wilde adaptations, director Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson have teamed up to bring Wilde’s only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, to the big screen. For the non-Wilde fans out there, the book tells the story … Continue reading

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