National Book Award for Fiction 2021 Longlist Reaction

13 Comments

1. Jacqueline McMenamin

   September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

   I think you’d have liked Overstory more on audio. I have Bewilderment on pre order as I’m reading the Booker shortlist ( except No one Is Talking About This)
   I will wait for the shortlist of the National Book Award before I make my mind up about what I read. I’ve already read the Women’s Prize shortlist ( except No one Is Talking). I’ve also been following along with the booktube prize and read almost all the fiction there too. So I’m a bit prized out.
   📖☘️👋🍀📚☕️🫖📕🐝💐
2. Kurt Anderson

   September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

   Thrilled to see The Prophets make the list. I picked up The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois last week. It’s a big old brick of a books so it’s going to take awhile to get through but I like what I’ve read so far.
3. Hannah's Books

   September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

   I am so excited to read Jeffers’s book! I get nervous because of the Oprah thing, but Jeffers is an amazingly smart poet. I looked through a very early galley of The Love Songs from the press and thought the prose was just astounding. The length of the book makes me have to do some planning, though, as you said. If the reader is vaguely familiar with Du Bois’s ideas (even just from Wikipedia), it will add to the experience. (BTW, WEB Du Bois more or less rhymes with “noise” or “Joyce”.)
4. Rachel is reading.

   September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

   So glad you talked about this list, there are several books on it that I'm super intrigued by– my copy of Bewilderment should be ready to pick up today!!! 🎉
5. Isabel Sahlin

   September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

   I just wanna say that I finished The rain heron yesterday by your recommendation. And I LOVED it!! Probably one of my favourite books this year. So exciting, moving and it had something to say!
6. mradcaqbdb

   September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

   I have The Prophets already (unread) and Bewilderment is on the way. I’ve got Hell of a Book, Intimacies, and Zorrie on hold at the library and Abundance in my Scribd queue. I think those are probably the only ones that grab me from the longlist. I didn’t read The Overstory, but the synopsis of Bewilderment and the review of Eric at Lonesome Reader really convinced to give it a go. It sounds beautiful. Since The Prophets has shockingly gotten very little award attention (I’m looking at you, Booker), I hope that it takes the prize.
7. Larry Has Opinions

   September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

   i dont really follow the national book award so this was the official longlist announcement video for me 😀
8. Compassion_for_all

   September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

   I was not a fan of Fates and Furies, but I liked Groff’s writing, so I read Matrix and loved it! I have an electronic copy of Abundance from my library, via Axis 360, and will read it after I finish The Magician by Colm Tóibín, which i am savoring—the writing and the story are so good. I read The Prophets soon after publication and it’s definitely in my top five for the year. It would be a most deserving winner if it should snag the prize. Bewilderment is out today and I will read that after Abundance. What a glorious time to be a reader!
9. L

   September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

   I want to read quite a few books on this list!
   I picked up Hell of a Book a week ago.
10. Katie {awonderfulbook.com}

    September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

    I've read both The Overstory and Bewilderment, and I don't think Bewilderment is as good a book, but it could very well end up on the short list and perhaps winning the Booker too. I'm very interested in The Prophets. Haven't heard much about the others.
11. Kims Whims

    September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

    I've only read The Prophets too. I think of it as, beautifully written about people loving each other and trying to survive under threat in horrific circumstances. It was not an easy read but I gave it 5 stars. I really want to read Powers and possibly Doer and maybe Groff.
    I enjoyed hearing your thoughts. It's an interesting award but not one I really follow very much.
12. Jorge Pereira

    September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

    "Cloud Cuckoo Land" by Anthony Doerr is very different from his previous books. I got an advance copy and really enjoyed it. I loved the different voices, even though at times was a bit disorienting. My favorite voice was the one of the girl who leaves in the future. It is a difficult book to talk about without given out spoilers. BTW, I do have mixed feelings about "Fates and Furies." It is not one of my favorites.
13. Jennifer Nash

    September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm

    I haven't read any of the longlist, which is not that normal but I'm excited to check out most of these. I have read the first bits of Matrix and Hell of a Book and whole the two are obviously very different, they're both books I want to finish!