I was thrilled to hear this morning that Richard Flanagan has won the Booker Prize with his magnificent novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North has been reviewed widely:
- My review and a Sensational Snippet
- Kevin from Canada
- Musings of a Literary Dilettante
- Tony’s Book World and
- Whispering Gums.
©Lisa Hill
Author: Richard Flanagan
Title: The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Publisher: Knopf, 2013
ISBN: 9780857981486
Source: Personal library, purchased from Benn’s Books Bentleigh
Availability
Fishpond: The Narrow Road to the Deep North (hbk); The Narrow Road to the Deep North(pbk); and also the audiobook The Narrow Road To The Deep North
ANZ LitLovers LitBlog 
Who needs a Miles Franklin?! ;)
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By: musingsofaliterarydilettante on October 15, 2014
at 7:35 pm
Ah well, I was sorely tempted to mention that…
I have sworn to keep myself nice about it online, but if we ever meet over a fine glass of wine somewhere, I’ll tell you exactly what I think about the travesty that the MF has become!
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By: Lisa Hill on October 15, 2014
at 8:01 pm
So…I did get a copy of this on my trip back home, and have to say I was rather disappointed. Still, it’s always good to see an Australian author lauded.
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By: mantalini on October 15, 2014
at 8:20 pm
I was disappointed with it too, mantalini, but I did admire it, especially the ambition and ‘largeness’ of it, if that makes sense, and wanted it to win this one, and thought it was a definite for the MF.
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By: Jenny Ackland on October 15, 2014
at 10:58 pm
Well, I’m relieved I’m not the only one. Although like you Jenny I didn’t think it was all ghastly. It was just I didn’t think that the love story was well conceived, and the writing was far too over-wrought, and the framing character was … well, more of a frame than a character.
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By: mantalini on October 16, 2014
at 12:55 am
Yes everyone seems to have loved it, but there are a few who weren’t absolutely won over. I wanted to love it, but agree with your points esp re the love story.
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By: Jenny Ackland on October 16, 2014
at 7:12 am
One of the things I admire most about it is that it’s a story for all of us: the POWs are such a special part of our history and they have been honoured in this book as never before, without sentimentalising. I was astounded when it didn’t win the MF, 2014 will be remembered in our literary history in the same way that 1995 (The Hand That Signed the Paper) is remembered for having made a dreadful mistake.
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By: Lisa Hill on October 16, 2014
at 7:04 pm
I also thought of you when I heard this news Lisa, and knew that you would be happy. I would love to hear your views on the MF. I’m really happy for RF that he won this one, it’s a great achievement.
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By: Jenny Ackland on October 15, 2014
at 10:57 pm
Thanks for the surge of activity on my blog – can’t see any other reason for it.
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By: Anokatony on October 16, 2014
at 12:21 am
Lots of excited Aussies reading your review!
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By: Lisa Hill on October 16, 2014
at 7:05 pm
As you know, I’m delighted he won this. I’ve championed his work for years and often felt like I was talking into the abyss, so *finally* he may just get the worldwide attention he deserves. His intelligence, wisdom and humanity resonate off the page. I’ve only just discovered he’s a Rhodes scholar; I can’t say I’m surprised. He talks so much sense about so many things: a proper deep thinker.
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By: kimbofo on October 16, 2014
at 1:01 am
I’m fond of many authors, but Richard Flanagan is the one I admire most for the way he takes on really big issues that matter. Every time I hear him speak or read his books I feel inspired to try to be a better person.
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By: Lisa Hill on October 16, 2014
at 7:06 pm
Yay! I just finished the book yesterday and thought it was marvelous, allthough difficult to read in places – glad an Aussie won even though I’m American.
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By: beckylindroos on October 16, 2014
at 1:59 am
Yay, I’m glad you loved it too – it’s a universal story:)
I had them all in stitches at work today when I was *still* raving on about how “we” won the Booker. I suspect that this is how most normal people feel when “they” win something at the Olympics, eh?
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By: Lisa Hill on October 16, 2014
at 7:09 pm
Two Antipodean Booker winners in a row — with the new rules allowing the Yanks in, ANZ can now claim it is the acknowledged centre of quality fiction written in English :-) . Well done.
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By: KevinfromCanada on October 16, 2014
at 5:19 am
Next, I want someone from South Africa to win it. Zakes Mda, or someone like that…
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By: Lisa Hill on October 16, 2014
at 7:10 pm
Great news
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By: winstonsdad on October 16, 2014
at 5:49 am
This is wonderful news, Lisa! Last year it was a New Zealander and this year it is an Australian – ANZ literature rocks! Australia, you beauty! I loved what KevinFromCanada said – that ANZ is now the acknowledged centre of quality fiction written in English.
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By: Vishy on October 16, 2014
at 6:43 pm
Oh, I think we would say that we are *an* acknowledged centre, one of many. There is so much great writing around the world, how lucky we are to be able to enjoy it:)
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By: Lisa Hill on October 16, 2014
at 7:12 pm
[…] Lisa at ANZLitlovers has posted on Richard Flanagan’s (exciting-to-us) Booker Prize win for The narrow road to the deep north, and has provided links to reviews by several bloggers. So, I thought I’d do something different. In my review and follow-up post, I discussed the role of poetry in the novel. Reviewer (and novelist) Romy Ash suggests that there are two love stories in the book, the second one being a “love letter to literature”. […]
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By: Richard Flanagan, the Booker Prize, and Books | Whispering Gums on October 17, 2014
at 9:30 pm
I was thrilled to see Flanagan win. I have read one other short listed novel and dabbled in two more. Flanagan’s effort is far superior, not even in the same category. I was worried it would be pipped at the post for being such a ‘traditional’ and old fashioned type of winner.
The more time that passes since I read it, the more I admire it. It’s a difficult read but a wonderful literary effort.
Here’s my review: http://wp.me/p3dB1g-hu
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By: orangepekoereviews on October 18, 2014
at 8:05 am
I confess to not having read any of the Booker nominees yet. I have History of the Rain on the TBR (it didn’t make the shortlist) but none of the others excited me much. *chuckle* I loved your review of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves – that should have got a prize for the most naff title of the year IMO.
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By: Lisa Hill on October 18, 2014
at 8:42 am