The end of Life of Pie is genius. Wonderful list. Not only because it contains books that I love and respect, but because it gives me a new list of books that I want to read
Oh my goodness, the first time I read that, it blew my mind, and I had no idea how he pulled it off, but it also entirely made sense. One of my favourite things is that there is a chapter where the only words are ‘The story’. And thank you! There are so many books I left off the list that I almost can’t imagine aren’t on it because of how good they were. But it was either select 12 or select 25!
Loved this list Bob and I keep meaning to read Moon Tiger. My favourites from your list are The Remains of the Day, probably one of my all time favourite books and Milkman which is just incredible.
We have very similar sensibilities. I did not disagree with any of your choices or honorable mentions. This is astounding to me! Cheers! Thank you for all you contribute to BookTube 😊
Life of Pi is phenomenal. And the movie also. Love stories about most kind of cats. They for some reason entertaining to me. Very inspiring video. But also love Amsterdam. Some years ago Booker became my favorite award.
Ahh, I’ve not seen the film yet- I’m a little nervous about watching it because of how much I adore the book! Amsterdam is a great one too! I really like that book, and I re-read it a couple of years ago and was amazed by how much I still remembered- it had really lodged itself in my brain!
Adding all the ones I haven't read to my tbr! The Remains of the Day is one of my favourite books ever. Disgrace was a five star read. I wasn't interested in Life of Pi but when I've heard you talk about it before I actually looked up the ending and it really makes me want to read. (I'm behind on book tube viewing hence the super late comment!)
Ah fantastic video Bob! I agree with many of your selections particularly The Remains of the Day, Milkman, The Sea, The Sea. I'm very keen to read more of your choices. The Line of Beauty and Moon Tiger are high on my TBR. Thank you for sharing ❤ I didn't love The Gathering or The Promise as much. Others I've read that stood out were The God of Small Things, Hotel Du Lac, The White Tiger, The Blind Assassin and Possession! I'm looking forward to trying to read more of the winners in the future. Thanks again!
Thank you! Ohhhh, Hotel Du Lac! I had it on several lists and I can’t believe I didn’t mention it- I loved that book! Blind Assassin too is one I think is very very good!
I'm the lone Rushdie nut then lol. A list like this without Midnight's Children on it, yeah. Also loved Disgrace and Life of Pi from your selections. I'll throw in another favorite of mine, The White Tiger, which is one of the quirkiest Booker winners I've ever read. I've stayed away from Iris Murdoch mainly b/c of the perception that her writing is so difficult and philosophical. Not sure if that's for me. I really tried with Wolf Hall, but it wasn't the right time. You've put Ben Okri on my radar and made an outstanding case for him, so thank you for that, BOB! 🤓
Aha, totally fair! It’s odd- if it was a list of best/most deserving winners, Midnight’s Children would absolutely be there. I enjoyed it a lot, and think it’s really an excellent book, but some of these other books edged it out in terms of my personal love for them. The White Tiger was one I had on my original list and debated heavily. A 5-star book for me too! That’s fair on Murdoch- I think her writing often straddles that line well (and I think The Black Prince is my favourite example of it) but some of hers lean more philosophical in a way I struggled with. But yes, Famished Road is brilliant, I think! I hope you like it!
I love hearing all your favourites. My friend's father went to university with Yann Martel and loves to rant about how he asked dumb questions in class and how he's mad he won a Booker. I just find it really funny and try to mention him whenever possible. But I haven't read Life of Pi yet.
Thank you! And no way! That’s hilarious! He’s probably one of my favourite authors- I’ll read a book of his and wonder if he’s going to do it again, and then about halfway/ two thirds in, he does something that knocks my socks off.
Oh, I really enjoy this video😃. My favourite book of this list is the sense of an ending. I agree, it's brilliant! You should make a part 2❤ (sorry for my pour writting. I'm from Argentina and i struggle with english😬)
Thank you! And yes, The Sense of an Ending really impacted me when I first read it- I couldn’t believe books could do that! And no need to apologise at all- it’s great!
Hi Bob. This was such a good video! I have, to my shame, only read 6 Booker winners. Those are Remains of the Day, Life of Pi, Girl, Womam, Other. The Testements, The Promise and Prophet Song. I thought they were all phenomenal! My favourite probably being Remains of the Day. I will definitely be reading more in the future.
Hello! Ahh, thank you! And nothing to be ashamed of- there were a few winners that never really took off, despite their wins! Going back and reading some of them was really interesting, because of how they completely passed me by, especially ones that one in my lifetime/adult years!
I’ve only read four on the list. Ann Enright, Alan Hollingsworth, George Saunders, Anna Burns. Goes to show how few of Booker books I’ve read before I started watching booktube in 2015/2016? I wrote to Alan Hollingsworth. I’ve loved all his books. I got a lovely letter back. Ann Enright is beloved by me. The Wren, The Wren is great on audio as Ann reads the part of Carmel. If you could have a dinner party of favourite writers, who would you invite and how big would the table need to be? 🍀👋☘️📖🇮🇪📕📚☕️🤗
Such brilliant books! The only one that was really not in my scope is The Famished Road, I really should try to get to it. The others I've either read or are still sitting on my TBR. Life of PI, I put off reading for ages, thinking I wouldn't be able to suspend disbelief, but it's just so brilliant. It's a firm favourite of mine and I still think about how brilliant it is over a decade later. I only just got to Moon Tiger this year after sitting down with Oleander Jacaranda, a memoir of Penelope Lively's. She's revisited Egypt and writes about her childhood years there. A great list, thanks for sharing Bob. I'm biased and love the Aussie winners too but that's just me 🙂 Some on the longlists are more my favourites than the winners too.
Thanks! Famished Road has such a special place in my heart- there’s something about the way the book builds pace and tension after the halfway point that completely grips me. Oh yes! I still can’t forget how hard it hit me when I first read the plot twist in Life of Pi. Just excellent. Ooh, exciting- I want to read more Lively! And yes! Oscar and Lucinda was such a joy for me too, and Richard Flanagan’s winner was truly excellent, I thought.
Difficult to pick favourites, and interesting to see yours with 21st Century eyes. Did you find some didn't stand the test of time? My favourite would have to be Hotel du Lac as that was my first and introduced me to the Booker Prize.
Definitely! My list started at about 25! And yes, absolutely- some felt very of their moment to me, which is fine, although I became very aware that mine skewed towards more recent winners, and/or books I happened to read when I was a teenager! Hotel du Lac is excellent! That was one I really toyed with on the list, but her observations and characterizations are impeccable!
Lists are irresistible. I am glad you gave Penelope Fitzgerald an honourable mention. It is probably fair to say Offshore is not her best book but it would still edge out Line of Beauty for me. I would probably have The Siege of Krishnapur in my 12 and that would replace The Famished Road which is the only one of your list that I never read. Obviously I need to remedy this.
Aha, yes! I feel like I live and die by them at times And yes, it felt weirder to not mention Fitzgerald because she’s really been the best part of my Booker project so far- discovering her work has been a real treasure. Ah interesting! I enjoyed Siege more than I thought I would, but still couldn’t fully connect with it. But hearing how much Hilary Mantel loved it made me want to revisit it in future.
Really enjoyed this video, Bob! You have such thoughtful commentary about each of your choices. I have read Remains of the Day, The Gathering, The Sense of an Ending and Lincoln in the Bardo and thought them all excellent reads. I have The Famished Road sitting on my shelf and you’ve inspired me to add it to my TBR in January! Thank you and congrats for reading all the Booker winners- what an accomplishment! Love your Booker year shortlist roundups too!
Ahh, thank you so much/ that’s very kind of you to say! Oooh, yay, glad you liked those! And I hope you enjoyed Famished Road and the others- I think you’re in for a treat!
Fantastic video! I enjoyed hearing about the many Booker books I have not read yet. I'm a big fan of the Booker books I have read on your list--especially The Remains of the Day. Disgrace felt like a sucker punch when I read it a long time ago, but I've been feeling like I should reread it lately because I've had a couple of people comment on it not aging well. And I agree that the ending of Life of Pi is fantastic--I was so glad I read it not long after it was published in the United States so no one had a chance to spoil it for me. And I'm always glad to find someone else who agrees that Bring Up the Bodies is better than Wolf Hall (I do think there's a benefit to all the work that goes into reading Wolf Hall, but mostly because it sets the stage for such a delicious and profound sequel). PS Yes, the audio of Lincoln in the Bardo is incredible.
Thank you so much! And yes- the ending of Life of Pi is so fantastic that I really want to relive that feeling of when I first read it! Yay- I get why people love Wolf Hall more, but BUTB was just such a thrilling experience (especially, like you said, because of how Wolf Hall sets it up).
Of the books on your list, "The Gathering" is my personal favorite. And "Shuggie Bain" ranks among my absolutely favorite books of all time, so it would have made my own list. Those two would definitely have been joined by "The Sense of an Ending," "Lincoln in the Bardo," and " Milkman." Thanks, Bob.
Oh yes, great choice! Brilliant book! I really liked her book Ministry of Utmost Happiness too! She has such a great handle on point of view in her books, I think!
Great choices! - loads and loads of overlap with my faves (I have huge gaps pre-2000): I possibly would have left Bardo out but A Brief History of Seven Killings would be a non-negotiable for me: together with Milkman the absolute stand out of the winners post 2000.
Thanks for this much anticipated video! I have actually read 10 of these (clearly I need to get to Anne Enright and Alan Hollinghurst) but I agree with most of your choices and am convinced by your arguments. I have a particular love for English Patient and its co-winner Sacred Hunger that I would try to squeeze into my list, probably at the expense of Remains of the Day and Life of Pi (😱) but they were the first Booker winners I read and that was at the time of their win so my memory may be at fault! The qualities of Milkman, Lincoln in the Bardo and Disgrace make them exceptional books to me too.
I've only read three of the books on the list (Lincoln in the Bardo, Bring Up the Bodies and The Remains of the Day) but I'm sure I'll get to more. Authors like Murdoch and Lively aren't mentioned too much these days, it's been on my list to read something by them. The favourite Booker book I've read is probably Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo.
I think I agreed with about half of your dozen. The only ones I really disagreed with were Lively, Okri, Enright and Saunders. I would have found room for Farrell, Carey, Byatt and Flanagan if left to my own devices. You also had quite a lot from the last 15 years, which I’m not sure is the strongest period, but that might just be me showing my age…
Totally fair! Flanagan was a close call for me! And yes, it definitely skews towards more recent books (and especially a few where I read them as a teenager and so there’s an extra nostalgia factor to them). A lot of my shortlisted favourites are from the 70s and 80s though, so I’m not sure what it is I have against early winners! 😂
Now to throw caution to the wind and list your least favorite. :) Until I checked the list again just now, you probably could have safely named five I didn't even recognize. Just picked up Moon Tiger. Was surprised to see I didn't have it yet, so maybe I have two copies now. Bumped Famished Road close to the top of my list then looked at the page count. Still higher on my list than it was, but... :) In the mean time, must...finish...current...reads...
Ahaha, so tempting to choose the path of chaos 😂 There are only a few I’ve disliked- most I’ve enjoyed but preferred others to. Haha, yes, Famished Road is a bit longer, but I think it pulls off a really neat trick where you get about halfway through and then it suddenly just ramps up the pressure, so I found myself reading it quite quickly. Really dreamlike at times too.
