The longlist of books for the 2010 Miles Franklin Literary Award has been announced. I am astonished to see that Cate Kennedy’s The World Beneath has been overlooked.
Lovesong by Alex Miller (Allen & Unwin) – see my review.
The Bath Fugues by Brian Castro (Giramondo Publishing) – see my review
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey (Allen & Unwin) – Update, see my review
Sons of the Rumour by David Foster (Picador) – see my review.
The Book of Emmett by Deborah Forster (Vintage) – see my review.
Siddon Rock by Glenda Guest (Vintage) – see my review.
Boy on a Wire by Jon Doust (Fremantle Press) Update 31/5/16 – see my review
Figurehead by Patrick Allington (Black Inc.) – see my review.
Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey (Hamish Hamilton). I haven’t read this one but from what I’ve read of the plot summary I would like to be enlightened as to how this one qualifies as ‘presenting Australian life in any of its phases’ under the terms of Miles Franklin’s bequest. I borrowed it from the library and read a bit of it, but was easily distracted into reading something else. I may get back to it before it’s due back… (Update: see my review)
Truth by Peter Temple (Text Publishing). Read, but not reviewed here on this blog for reasons my regular readers can guess at.
Butterfly by Sonya Hartnett (Penguin) – see my review.
The People’s Train by Thomas Keneally (Knopf) update 31/5/16 See my review
The judges were Richard Neville, Morag Fraser, Prof Gillian Whitlock, Lesley McKay and Murray Waldren .
The shortlist will be announced next month, and the winner will be announced on 22 June 2010.
ANZ LitLovers LitBlog 
Thanks for this, Lisa. I’ve got a proof copy of Jasper Jones winging it’s way to me as I write this. And I have copies of Butterfly and Parrot and Olivier in the TBR.
LikeLike
By: kimbofo on March 18, 2010
at 6:57 am
The shortlist is due (according to the MF Trust website) on an unspecified date in April, so I’ll do my best to keep you posted. I’ll be watching your blog for the reviews of Butterfly and Parrot & Olivier. I gave up reading both these authors some time ago so they won’t be on my TBR! Lisa
LikeLike
By: Lisa Hill on March 18, 2010
at 6:31 pm
I was suprised and dismayed The World Beneath wasn’t included! I also think Carey’s inclusion is a bit dodgy, I don’t see how it’s eligible but Ransom isn’t.
I personally hope Truth wins, although reading between the lines you don’t agree Lisa?. I was also impressed by Butterfly. Haven’t yet read any of the rest, something I will change in the next few months.
LikeLike
By: adevotedreader on March 18, 2010
at 7:43 am
Hi Sarah Well, no, I’m only willing to be strongly critical of books if I’ve taken the time and trouble to check them out properly, and I don’t have any interest or expertise in crime novels. I bought Truth because it won some international award and critics said that it wasn’t the usual crime genre novel. So I read it, I found it derivative of the ‘gritty’ American realism style (ho-hum) and utterly forgettable. The idea of it winning the MF is IMO bizarre, but hey, I’m the one who thought The World Beneath would win it this year, and the judges haven’t even longisted that, so don’t take any notice of what I think LOL! Lisa
LikeLike
By: Lisa Hill on March 18, 2010
at 8:07 pm
I completely agree with you! I can’t believe The World Beneath isn’t there! It looks like the same old names to me plus a couple of obligatory debut novellists.
LikeLike
By: Cath on March 21, 2010
at 2:27 am
[…] Lisa Hill at ANZ LitLovers LitBlog is covering the 2010 Miles Franklin Literary Award. […]
LikeLike
By: My Favorite Lit-Blog Things: March 20, 2010 « Hungry Like the Woolf on March 21, 2010
at 3:00 am
Hi Cath, thanks for joining in the conversation!
I also have the feeling that there’s an element of we’d-better-include-that-one-because-of-the-status-of-the-author-and-we’ll-look-like-dorks-if-we-don’t.
It has happened before – remember Joan London’s The Good Parents? A fantastic book! That was overlooked too ….
LikeLike
By: Lisa Hill on March 21, 2010
at 8:25 am
[…] has been longlisted for the 2010 Miles Franklin award. Wary now of making any predictions about the choices this year’s panel of judges might […]
LikeLike
By: Lovesong by Alex Miller « ANZ LitLovers LitBlog on March 27, 2010
at 10:38 am
[…] another one mysteriously missing from the Miles Franklin longlist. Did the judges read it? Andrea Goldsmith was short-listed for the Miles Franklin for The […]
LikeLike
By: Reunion, by Andrea Goldsmith | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog on March 22, 2013
at 5:38 pm
[…] another one mysteriously missing from the Miles Franklin longlist. Did the judges read it? Andrea Goldsmith was short-listed for the Miles Franklin for The […]
LikeLike
By: Reunion, by Andrea Goldsmith #BookReview | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog on September 25, 2018
at 6:08 pm