#lulu reads the final revival of opal and nev

[libraryleopard]

Adult historical fiction novel

Charts the rise and fall of a famous interracial rock music duo, Opal Jewel and Nev Charles, who hit it big in the 1970s and were then immortalized in a famous photo when a riot broke out at one of their concerts

In 2015, a journalist begins writing an oral history about Opal and Nev and unearths dark secrets about what really happened at that infamous concert

Told in transcripts & news articles

Explores music, race, family secrets, and fame

Black main character with alopecia

[alexsfictionaddiction]

The Women’s Prize For Fiction 2022 Longlist is here!

The Women’s Prize for Fiction is easily my favourite book prize because I’ve discovered so many fantastic books through attempting to read through the entire longlist each year. I’ve never actually managed to do this unfortunately but I’m once again embarking on a mission to make it happen before the shortlist announcement this year!

The longlist for the Women’s Prize has been announced on 8th March, International Women’s Day. It’s a day that is hugely important for telling and celebrating women’s voices and stories all over the world. We still live in a time where some cultures suppress them and therefore, we miss out on some truly wonderful, inspiring, essential narratives that need to be given a platform.

Every year, the judges on the panel for the Women’s Prize aim to collate a diverse list of 16 books that span multiple countries, genres and lifestyles. The prize is open to any full-length novel by a woman, originally written in English, published between 1st April of the previous year to 31st March of the year of the prize (so, this year’s list comprises of books published between 1st April 2021 and 31st March 2022).

Here is this year’s Women’s Prize longlist:

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini. Published by Myriad Editions on 20th May 2021.

Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey. Published by Europa Editions on 15th April 2021.

The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson. Published by Mantle on 17th March 2022.

Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejidé. Published by Jacaranda Books on 22nd July 2021.

Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith. Published by Oneworld Publications on 8th July 2021.

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason. Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson on 10th June 2021.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton. Published by Quercus on 20th April 2021.

The Book of Form & Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki. Published by Canongate Books on 23rd September 2021.

Salt Lick by Lulu Allison. Published by Unbound on 16th September 2021.

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. Published by Viking on 5th August 2021.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller. Published by Viking on 8th July 2021.

This One Sky Day by Leone Ross. Published by Faber & Faber on 15th April 2021.

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead. Published by Doubleday on 4th May 2021.

Careless by Kirsty Capes. Published by Orion on 13th May 2021.

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. Published by Corsair on 20th January 2022.

Flamingo by Rachel Elliott. Published by Tinder Press on 3rd February 2022.

So, there you have it. The Paper Palace is the only one I’ve read. It made my monthly recommendations list because I was completely taken in by the heady forbidden love story and intoxicating writing. However, I know it was a bit of a polarizing book. Although the majority of reviewers that I follow enjoyed it, there are definitely a handful who didn’t. So, I didn’t expect to see it here but personally, I’m delighted that it is. 

The Paper Palace is actually one of five debut novels that have made the longlist. The others are Careless, Salt Lick, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev and Build Your House Around My Body. There are also four indie publishers represented, which I love to see.

I have to say that I watched quite a few longlist prediction videos before the reveal today and there are several BIG titles and names that haven’t made the cut (dare I mention the shocking omission of both Sally Rooney and Hanya Yanagihara?). However, I am delighted that there are quite a few books here that I probably wouldn’t have picked up, if they hadn’t made it. Last year’s list included the amazing How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, Because of You, Unsettled Ground, No One Is Talking About This and the winner Piranesi -all of which I don’t think I would have read without their longlist inclusions. Incidentally, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke ended up being one of my favourite books of last year and I still regularly think about it today. This year, The Women’s Prize is once again leading me to books that are probably brilliant but that I would have almost certainly previously passed up. 

The shortlist will be announced on 27th April with the winner being unveiled on 15th June. So, you don’t have too long to complete the list but I hope that you’ll at least pick up the ones that most appeal to you. Enjoy!