Reading All the Bookers!

Booker Prize :   Shortlisted 2019 Plot Time and Place :   Istanbul, present day. Opening sentence :   "Her name was Leila." Plot summary :  Leila has been murdered and lies in a dumpster, but the brain still works for 10 minutes after death, so she remembers scenes from her life and her friends. Review :  Great. This book is a sensitive and beautiful portrayal of life for women and girls in a conservative society; a love letter to the city of Istanbul; and an ode to friendship. Rating :  4/5

  Booker Prize : Shortlisted 2016 Plot Time and Place :   1960's, a small town in New England Opening sentence :   "I looked like a girl you'd expect to see on a city bus, reading some clothbound book from the library about plants or geography, perhaps wearing a net over my light brown hair." Plot summary :   Eileen Dunlop, an unassuming yet disturbed young woman, is trapped between her role as her alcoholic father’s carer in his squalid home and her job as a secretary at the boys’ prison, filled with its own daily horrors. When the charismatic Rebecca Saint John arrives on the scene as the new counsellor at the prison, Eileen is enchanted and unable to resist a miraculously budding friendship. But this new affection is about to cost her dearly. (from the bookerprizes.com) Review : I loved this. Eileen is a fascinating character, so flawed, unhappy, trapped in a miserable life. And I liked the noir atmosphere, the suspense, and the writing. I identified with Eil...