Show Notes
Last week we crowned the best Booker shortlist ever and this week, we're going even deeper into that list. In 2005, the odds were on Julian Barnes to win the Booker Prize with Arthur & George but the judges chose The Sea by John Banville. Arthur & George traces the intersecting lives of an obscure solicitor and the world-famous creator of Sherlock Holmes, while The Sea follows a man attempting to escape a recent loss while confronting a past trauma. So, we're taking a closer look at both books and asking: who was right – the Booker judges or the bookies?
In this episode Jo and James:
Give plot summaries of Arthur & George and The Sea
Share a short biography of Julian Barnes and John Banville
Discuss the merits of each novel
Consider whether the bookies' favourite should have won the Booker Prize in 2005
Reading list:
The Sea by John Banville
Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
The Accidental by Ali Smith
A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie
In the Fold by Rachel Cusk
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
Saturday by Ian McEwan
Further resources: How do you place a winning bet on the Booker Prize? via The Atlantic
A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.
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