Thank you Eric for your review and efforts 🙂 My congratulations to compatriot citizen Shehan, 👏,he demonstrated courage, a paradigm shift, transcends to publish this book. I definitely look for to read this book. I am a Sri Lankan tamil, lived through the war Years till late 90, so I can relate and resonate. I have experienced reality. The war brought terrible sadness,pain, unimaginable cruelty. Thank God the war ended, and the killing stoped. 👍👍👍👏🙏❤️🇦🇴
Thank you, Eric. I read this last month and gave it this short review: Wow. Just wow. Maali is a fascinating character whose life contained twists and turns I did not see coming. The themes are large -- life, war, sexuality, humor, questioning. The plot is interesting, but it is Maali's spirit that keeps this novel moving forward. A wonderful book and a new all-time favorite. I gave it a star rating of 7 out of 5.
Ordered this and I should receive it tomorrow. My 'problem', if one could call it a problem is, as I read the longlist they are all turning out to be brilliant. Finished Case Study which I thought was so innovative. Loved The Trees. It is going to be so so difficult to pick a winner
Yeah, I think it's going to be a very tough competition but it's good for us that the novels have such a high hit rate. And you've made me even more eager to read Case Study.
I also loved Case Study and was disappointed it didn’t make the short list. Just finished Seven Moons and I’m blown away by it! Finally, stunned by Small Things - packs a real punch!
Excellent, intelligent review. There were so many good books on the short list but i am happy Seven Moons won. Already have it on my to be re-read list. Interesting comparison to The Trees - I would add Glory to the same list - three books that explored very painful and vilolent histories with imagination and even humour.
I’m so glad I finally found a Booktuber who is smart, an excellent reviewer and has great taste in books. I read this book and loved it ❤ although the incessant sexual references seemed unrealistic and distracting😅
I feel this Booker longlist is giving us some awesome reading. I've just finished my third from the list (Trust) and it was excellent. Picking up Glory from my local bookseller today to read over the weekend
finally....i've been anxiously waiting for someone to read and talk about this book and i'm so happy you loved it. i haven't read it and had not even heard about it before the long list was announced when i thought the author's name was familiar and checked and found indeed it was the author who's long novel set in the world of cricket...a world i'd previously not spent a moment of my life in...who'd held me with the lightest touch engaged with pleasure..i know it's crazy but i just feel so proud of him!
Yeah, I thought I'd prioritise it since I've not seen many other readers discussing it yet. Such a surprising and fascinating book. I'd be eager to read his first novel now (though I'm not that interested in cricket)
What a great review. I just finished reading this book & boy, am I glad that I did not DNF it. It was written from a very new (for me) perspective that took me some time to get into but I now have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thanks for your enthouastic review. It helped me in how to read the book, as it was a bit confusing in the beginning. We read this book in our readingclub of 8 for next friday here in Amsterdam. I’m curious how my fellowreaders experienced this book.
Wow, my📚book🪣bucket list is overflowing. With your summary it reminded me of "The Testament of Solomon" with😶🌫️demons shrouded in mystery. I do believe😶🌫️demons inhabit the earth, going back to the lost books of Enoch. I just saw this on the news and you seem to be a prophet. "Colombo, Oct 18 (EFE).- With the memory of the civil war that ravaged Sri Lanka for 30 years and the repression against the Marxist insurgency of the 80s still fresh, Sri Lankans celebrated Tuesday the Booker Prize for Literature to their countryman Shehan Karunatilaka with smiles and tears." I am truly smiling. 🌹Thanks for sharing, I am truly smiling my📚book loving friend. 🇨🇦+✌🏻📚♥️✨🌎💫
Hopefully, my copy will be in my mailbox in the next few days! The description and cover immediately grabbed me from your initial video on the longlist and I’m so happy to hear that it lives up to it! Thanks for an exciting video!
I've read 2 of the longlisted books so far. Small Things Like These - absolutely love it. I'll be shock if it is not shortlisted. The Trees - very interesting version of an alternate universe America, but it seems to be mostly shock value. Good but not great.
Glad you loved Keegan's book. I feel like Everett channeled a lot of frustration and made a statement about the reality of deeply ingrained prejudice/violence through such a darkly comic story rather than just trying to shock.
I'm CRUSHED that I had purchased a copy of The Seven Moons but, a day later when the Booker longlist was revealed, the seller CANCELLED my order. I'll have read the other 12, but, as you suggest, this could be it. (Engage deep breathing.) Yes, I can wait. Nothing bad happens to anybody if I delay gratification. I walked my dog past the Stonewall every night for a gazillion nights before that night was The Night. ONward.
As always, I love your enthusiasm! I unfortunately waited too long to try to order this, and it’s now out of stock in the places I’ve checked. Your review made me sign up to be notified when it’s back in stock, and I’m even more excited…I’m so grateful to the Booker for bringing forward a handful of books I probably wouldn’t have found otherwise!
Thanks! I'm sad to hear it's challenging for readers to get copies of it. I guess it's a difficulty for a book which receives a relatively modest publication being catapulted onto the main stage that it takes time for more copies to be printed. Hope you get a copy soon!
@@EricKarlAnderson Thanks! And yes, this also happened for me with Tomb of Sand, which took a month and a half to get to me. It’s encouraging though, a sign that these books now have so many more readers (although as an author it does make me think of how close they must have been to vanishing into the midlist, and how many other incredible books out there, especially from indie presses, won’t get the attention they need and deserve.)
Copies of this have just become available to book with my library, so of course I have my reservation firmly established. Great to hear that you rate it so highly - I am looking forward to reading it even more now, thanks Eric! 😀
It will be the last one of the longlist I read because it’s not published in the States. I have ordered it from Book Depository, but order status says it’s waiting for release in four days. I already have my shortlist picked out. Sounds like Seven Moons could throw a monkey wrench 🔧 (or spanner) in the works. 🤦♀️
Very difficult read in the early parts but it became easier when the plot unfolded. Chapter Five Moons has the opening quote from Jeremiah 33:3 appears to author's license to discover the secret in Sri Lanka during he time of civil war. Final chapter appears to prove it as the light is seen. Jesus is mentioned a few times. An Anglican priest was cited. Catholic priests are roaming around in his narrative like so many others engineering students. Is he already in heaven or still purgatory?
Okay guys, everybody here is very well read. I understand. But the book is a little confusing to me. I lied. A lot confusing. Just a few pages deep and I'm already loosing clarity on what's happening really?? Is it just me who finds it confusing to get a grip on the story? What can I do to better understand it ? Start all over again ?🥲🥲 I really want to be able to understand it. It's just so much happening all at once. Is it just me who feels this? 🥲🥲
This is the only book on this year’s truly excellent Booker longlist I have not yet read and I hope my copy arrives soon so I can dive in. I loved The Trees so your comparison made me even more eager to read Seven Moons.
I'd love to read this, but so far it is not available in my library system (in New England) and not even available via my usual online book source (B&N).
I’m about halfway through and enjoying it so far and hope it gets shortlisted, though some parts are rather gruesome for me. I do hope that the account of the violence in Sri Lanka in the 80s is exaggerated as it sounds incredibly awful and bleak...
This book is currently on its way to me, and you got me really excited to read it :). Although I suspect I won’t have quiet the same experience of dread during that passage as I don’t believe in ghosts ;). Joking aside, the novel sounds intriguing and wonderful, and I’m really looking forward to reading it.
I found this book disturbing, chaotic and ultimately unreadable. The humor was grisly. On the whole I was disappointed with the calibre of Booker nominees this year.
What am I supposed to do? Hide the book I’m talking about? I read this book because I wanted to and made a video about it because I feel passionate about it - not to make a commercial. 🙄
I finished reading ‘Chats with the Dead’ yesterday. I agree with your review. It is a very strong contender for the winner category. I liked reading it too. The only things that didn’t work for me was too many characters being thrown at almost every page. Anyway, thanks for you review .
So, I've only made it to page 136 so far in this book, so I'm sorry if my response thus far is short-sighted. But I don't like it. I don't like the main character, the supporting characters, or its depiction of the afterlife.
Shehan Karunatillaka stole my manuscript and based his novel on my work making cosmetic changes. It's unconscionable and he should be held to account, the man who shared the original manuscript of the book, demanded - Rajpal Abeynayake
