2013 Winners
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1st Prize The Man who wouldn't Stand Up Jacob Appel Fiction 2nd Prize Redemption Blues T. D. Griggs Fiction 3rd Prize Funnily Enough Sophie Neville Memoir |
This is the story of Arnold Brinkmann, a shy botanist from New York, whose interests are his garden centre and his writing about edible plants – his first book is entitled Please Do Eat the Lilies. He and his wife, Judith, are liberals who support open immigration, with friends who claim to enjoy being attacked by right-wing lunatics. When Arnold is filmed sitting down during a rendition of God Bless America at a baseball match, the story is picked up by the media and he becomes an object of contempt. The situation escalates until he gradually becomes America’s most wanted man and he is forced to go on the run. With much humour, the book explores modern attitudes in America and gently mocks both extreme left-wing thinking and the insular thinking that leads to paranoia. It maintains a pitch-perfect light touch, while never descending to the level of preaching. A wonderful, warm, laugh-out-loud book.
When Matt Silver, a world-renowned rock star, crashes his car into the Thames, he apparently drowns, along with one of his twin daughters. This book explores the grief of his wife Lauren and their surviving twin daughter, but also Silver himself as he hides in the underworld of London, disfigured, unrecognisable, working to come to terms with his new existence. Much of it is told from the point of view of Sam Cobb, a policeman who has recently lost his own wife, a good man who finds himself drawn into Lauren’s world, almost against his will. This is a beautiful, lyrical book about a marriage that was heading for disaster, grief and ultimately redemption. The characters are all richly portrayed, often sharp and difficult, but changing naturally as the book develops, groping their way towards comfort and reconciliation.
This is based on the diaries of a BBC television producer who is recovering from ME. She has had to abandon her work and retreat to her parents’ house in the country, which is filled with eccentric characters and animals. There is a bald macaw, a parrot called Josephine and two tame otters which sit on people’s shoulders and travel round with Sophie’s mother when she gives lectures about them. Sophie’s family is not conventional – her father was attacked by his rotavator and nearly killed, but her mother finds the whole episode very funny rather than alarming - and she has an abundance of extraordinary friends who lead interesting and dramatic lives. Sophie has to spend long tedious days in bed, but there is a sense of progress towards the end of the book as she begins to recover. The diaries are written with a light touch and much humour, enlightened by occasional, charming line drawings.
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The Shortlist
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The Man who wouldn't Stand Up
Jacob Appel Fiction See winners Great British Olympiums Mike Blake Non Fiction Cells Harriet Grace Fiction Redemption Blues T. D. Griggs Fiction There Must be Horses Diane Kimpton YA Flesh and Bronze Alison Leonard Fiction Inceptio Alison Morton Sci-fi/ thriller Funnily Enough Sophie Neville Memoir |
See winners This is a big, attractive book, written by a sports writer and broadcaster and former member of Great Britain’s Olympic management team. It is bursting with attractive photographs, dating back to the early days of the Olympics in London 1908 and bringing us almost up to date, although, sadly, not including the 2012 Games. This is a book for readers who like statistics combined with photographs of real people and anecdotes about their lives and their triumphs.
This is a novel about three very different people and their different experiences of modern London. Martha has a successful, responsible job on a national newspaper and her husband Grant is a business analyst. Jon comes from a different world, where success and affluence have no impact. His parents are dull, undemonstrative, and he has difficulty in finding and keeping a job. He longs for a girlfriends but lacks the skill to find one, resorting to the imagination rather than reality. When Martha takes an unexpected interest in him, they come together in an unlikely friendship and everything dramatically changes. The underlying theme of the novel is infertility and the way lives can be damaged and destroyed when normal processes don’t work properly. Events are skilfully unfolded through the convincing exploration of the characters.
See winners
This is a thoughtful examination of the difficulties faced by Sasha, a girl in care, who has been moved around by the system between foster parents, children’s homes and a failed adoption, until she arrives at a farm with reasonable, caring owners. The overlying structure draws a convincing parallel between her situation and that of Meteor, a nervous horse who has come to the farm to be trained. He is over-sensitive and easily panicked, and it takes considerable effort from Sasha to gain his confidence. Sasha has been told she cannot stay on the farm, even though the foster parents are understanding, recognise her dyslexia and help with her schoolwork, and most importantly, teach her to ride. The story is skilfully told, with much empathy and compassion, and ends with a powerful emotional punch.
This is told from the point of view of Juliette, a middle-aged woman who had once been a prostitute and a model for Degas, but now filthy and destitute. The story starts when she sees the statue of herself in a window and sinks into the doorway of the block of flats where she has seen it. The novel is told from her point of view as she is taken in by the concierge, and sleeps in the stairwell, and that of Didier, an unlikeable man who is working with Degas’ sculptures . He lives with his daughter-in-law and grandson, who has become deaf as a result of an illness. The book develops these characters with great skill and convincing historical detail, as we see Juliette become accepted by the family through her gentle relationship with the child, which benefits both of them, and the gradual undoing of Didier.
This science fiction thriller is set in an alternative world, where modern New York resembles our twenty-first century New York, but Europe has been redrawn. Roma Nova was set up sixteen centuries ago by Roman exiles and it operates under a matriarchal system. Karen has her life interrupted by an unfortunate set of circumstances, and as a result, finds that life in America is not as free as she had originally believed. She is forced to flee to Roma Nova, where her mother came from, and is pursued by a frightening government enforcer. The nail-biting action is handled with expertise, never losing pace as Karen takes on rigorous training and becomes a force in her own right. It convincingly combines the atmosphere of ancient Rome with modern reality and technology and is a promising beginning for a series.
See winners
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The longlist
The Man who wouldn't Stand Up
Jacob Appel
Fiction
A very funny novel, a satire on modern America which manages to avoid a judgemental attitude. Very well-written with larger than life characters who are both bizarre and likeable, all at the same time.
Great British Olympiums
Mike Blake
Non Fiction
A large attractive book, crammed with an abundance of photographs dating back to the early Olympics, ending just before the 2012 Games, lively and fascinating.
Live Eels and Grand pianos
Andrew Bradford
Memoir
A fascinating account of the author’s parents, both of whom were disabled by polio. It’s full of interesting photographs and shows how they coped with the practical difficulties of being severely disabled in a world that was less generous with state help than it is today.
Where Have My Savings Gone?
Kathy Byrne
Non Fiction
A timely book, written by an expert, which explains many of the terms and technical details of the financial world. Full of charts and figures and clear information about matters we really should all understand, but don’t.
Robin Hood
David Calcutt
Children's
A substantial, sumptuous book, beautifully produced with original and powerful illustrations. Each chapter starts with extracts from old ballads translated into modern English.
Super Sam and the Hunt for Treasure
Anne Dannerolle
Children's
A neat, original idea, packaged in a tin (with a padlock) with little booklets about pirates, stickers and real chocolate coins. Early reading made fun.
Cells
Harriet Grace
Fiction
A clever, well-written novel about three apparently unlikeable people to whom the reader gradually warms. It deals with the complexity of childlessness and infertility. A humane and moving book.
Redemption Blues
T. D. Griggs
Fiction
A beautifully written, lyrical novel about an aging rock star who is involved in a car crash and disappears. Much of the story is about his wife, his surviving child and the detective who helps them learn to cope with their grief.
Grubson Pug's Christmas Voyage
Jane-Anne Hodgson
Children's
A charming children’s book, with a simple moral about valuing more than material possessions. It tells the tale of a family of dogs and is illustrated with lovely black and white drawings.
London Tales
Terrence Jenkins
Non Fiction
A neat, pleasing book, the third part of a trilogy, packed with fascinating stories and insights into parts of London we may have seen but not known about in any detail. Well illustrated and easy to read.
The Witcher Keys
I. R. Johnson
Children's
A Young Adult novel, extremely well-written, it’s a story of elves and hobgoblins, many of which are suitably disgusting for young people, a thrilling tale of good and evil.
There Must be Horses
Diane Kimpton
YA
A very moving novel, suitable for Young Adults, about Sasha, a girl who has been passed between foster parents and care homes. When she reaches a farm where she is told she can’t stay, she becomes attached to the horses. The stories of Sasha and Meteor, a troubled horse, cleverly run parallel to each other.
Flesh and Bronze
Alison Leonard
Fiction
An e-book, an atmospheric novel set in early twentieth century, told from the viewpoint of one of the prostitutes used by Degas for his sculptures. Meticulously researched, utterly convincing
Court of Foxes
Brian Lux
Children's
A book for Young Adults, very well-written with an intriguing story of foxes and dark forces. Unfortunately, several editing issues in the second half reduced the impact of an otherwise impressive book.
Masquerade
Catherine Marshall
Fiction
An e-book, a clever novel about a group of people on a summer University course, and the connections between them, which are more complex than is immediately apparent. It’s full of surprises and has a good twist at the end.
White Lies
Lynn Michell
Fiction
A novel set in Kenya in 1950 during the bloody Mau Mau uprising. Told from the point of view of a young wife and mother who accompanies her uncommunicative husband to Nairobi. It moves between the fifties and present day, challenging family memories.
Inceptio
Alison Morton
Sci-fi/ thriller
An exciting thriller, set in an alternative world which took a different path to ours sixteen centuries ago, this tells the story of a woman who is forced to move to escape a vicious killer who is determined to exact his revenge on her.
Funnily Enough
Sophie Neville
Memoir
Based on the diary of a BBC producer who has suffered from ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, told with much charm and without sentimentality. It is full of humour and enhanced by little pencil sketches, giving us an insight into her extraordinary family and friends.
Thou Shalt not Kill
Tessa Lorant Warburg
Fiction
A novel set in Guernsey in the nineties. A middle-aged woman whose husband has recently died, who has memories of fleeing the Nazis during the Second World War, meets a family with hidden secrets and a shocking event in the past that is only gradually revealed.
Shieldmaiden
Marianne Whiting
Historical Fiction
A meticulously researched and well-told novel, set in 934 in Cumbria. The writer clearly knows a great deal about the period. Her warrior heroine would hold her own amongst today’s feminists.
Jacob Appel
Fiction
A very funny novel, a satire on modern America which manages to avoid a judgemental attitude. Very well-written with larger than life characters who are both bizarre and likeable, all at the same time.
Great British Olympiums
Mike Blake
Non Fiction
A large attractive book, crammed with an abundance of photographs dating back to the early Olympics, ending just before the 2012 Games, lively and fascinating.
Live Eels and Grand pianos
Andrew Bradford
Memoir
A fascinating account of the author’s parents, both of whom were disabled by polio. It’s full of interesting photographs and shows how they coped with the practical difficulties of being severely disabled in a world that was less generous with state help than it is today.
Where Have My Savings Gone?
Kathy Byrne
Non Fiction
A timely book, written by an expert, which explains many of the terms and technical details of the financial world. Full of charts and figures and clear information about matters we really should all understand, but don’t.
Robin Hood
David Calcutt
Children's
A substantial, sumptuous book, beautifully produced with original and powerful illustrations. Each chapter starts with extracts from old ballads translated into modern English.
Super Sam and the Hunt for Treasure
Anne Dannerolle
Children's
A neat, original idea, packaged in a tin (with a padlock) with little booklets about pirates, stickers and real chocolate coins. Early reading made fun.
Cells
Harriet Grace
Fiction
A clever, well-written novel about three apparently unlikeable people to whom the reader gradually warms. It deals with the complexity of childlessness and infertility. A humane and moving book.
Redemption Blues
T. D. Griggs
Fiction
A beautifully written, lyrical novel about an aging rock star who is involved in a car crash and disappears. Much of the story is about his wife, his surviving child and the detective who helps them learn to cope with their grief.
Grubson Pug's Christmas Voyage
Jane-Anne Hodgson
Children's
A charming children’s book, with a simple moral about valuing more than material possessions. It tells the tale of a family of dogs and is illustrated with lovely black and white drawings.
London Tales
Terrence Jenkins
Non Fiction
A neat, pleasing book, the third part of a trilogy, packed with fascinating stories and insights into parts of London we may have seen but not known about in any detail. Well illustrated and easy to read.
The Witcher Keys
I. R. Johnson
Children's
A Young Adult novel, extremely well-written, it’s a story of elves and hobgoblins, many of which are suitably disgusting for young people, a thrilling tale of good and evil.
There Must be Horses
Diane Kimpton
YA
A very moving novel, suitable for Young Adults, about Sasha, a girl who has been passed between foster parents and care homes. When she reaches a farm where she is told she can’t stay, she becomes attached to the horses. The stories of Sasha and Meteor, a troubled horse, cleverly run parallel to each other.
Flesh and Bronze
Alison Leonard
Fiction
An e-book, an atmospheric novel set in early twentieth century, told from the viewpoint of one of the prostitutes used by Degas for his sculptures. Meticulously researched, utterly convincing
Court of Foxes
Brian Lux
Children's
A book for Young Adults, very well-written with an intriguing story of foxes and dark forces. Unfortunately, several editing issues in the second half reduced the impact of an otherwise impressive book.
Masquerade
Catherine Marshall
Fiction
An e-book, a clever novel about a group of people on a summer University course, and the connections between them, which are more complex than is immediately apparent. It’s full of surprises and has a good twist at the end.
White Lies
Lynn Michell
Fiction
A novel set in Kenya in 1950 during the bloody Mau Mau uprising. Told from the point of view of a young wife and mother who accompanies her uncommunicative husband to Nairobi. It moves between the fifties and present day, challenging family memories.
Inceptio
Alison Morton
Sci-fi/ thriller
An exciting thriller, set in an alternative world which took a different path to ours sixteen centuries ago, this tells the story of a woman who is forced to move to escape a vicious killer who is determined to exact his revenge on her.
Funnily Enough
Sophie Neville
Memoir
Based on the diary of a BBC producer who has suffered from ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, told with much charm and without sentimentality. It is full of humour and enhanced by little pencil sketches, giving us an insight into her extraordinary family and friends.
Thou Shalt not Kill
Tessa Lorant Warburg
Fiction
A novel set in Guernsey in the nineties. A middle-aged woman whose husband has recently died, who has memories of fleeing the Nazis during the Second World War, meets a family with hidden secrets and a shocking event in the past that is only gradually revealed.
Shieldmaiden
Marianne Whiting
Historical Fiction
A meticulously researched and well-told novel, set in 934 in Cumbria. The writer clearly knows a great deal about the period. Her warrior heroine would hold her own amongst today’s feminists.