Girl, Woman, Other: Winner Of The Booker Prize 2019

Love this book - the story telling, the characters, the backdrop of England.

Unreadable. Fails to engage . Basic style ofwriting akin to a four year old. So cross that I had to buy this – my book club chose it as our book of the month. Everyone hates it. Emperor’s new clothes, avoid at all costs!

Bernadine (for me) has painted in so many stories of UK citizens which are universal we’ve just lost touch with them or never really knew them. She’s shown humanity on such a broad scale that has left me feeling I’ve experienced something brutally beautiful in reading her book.

Although British literature is deemed to be historically London-centric, it's not often that I read MY London in print. This is only the second time I have seen Stockwell on the pages of a novel and it is so affirming. If PATSY reflected my Jamaican family and QUEENIE showed me my peers, GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER presents the Black British womxn who are and have been around me: the LaTishas & Morgans I went to school with, the Bummis in my childhood church, the Penelopes in the office. At first, I thought Amma, with her bangles and locs, was my mum but that was quickly dissolved. She revealed herself to be Araba, my mum's best friend in the primary school playground, mother of Kofi, absolute badgyal.Before reading GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER myself I saw friends try to pick a favourite tale. Dominique's story of manipulation and regeneration; Yazz's story, a nuanced reevaluation of "privilege"; Winsome's story - DRAMA (I will always back a Winsome but, whew)! The web of Carole, LaTisha and Shirley's stories were the narratives that initially intrigued me the most as a teacher, suggesting the extent to which education system serves and hinders Black children; the multiple roles of teachers and whether Black teachers have an additional responsibility in the classroom; the idealism of youth and the jadedness of age; why we teach and what we expect in return.This novel isn't "preachy" or didactic in tone, but there is a lot to learn. None of the characters, whether the radical feminists or the 'badass' humanist students, are exempt from critique but none are condemned, which encourages the reader to listen to the womxn and consider their perspectives fully, without prejudice. The intricate tapestry of stories Bernardine weaves here also forgregrounds the importance of perspective - how mothers and daughters view the same event differently, the power of telling your own story and, perhaps, the creative power others have when they translate what we choose not to share: Bummi's interpretation of 13 year old Carole's 'sulky period', Shirley's assessment of Dominique being taken 'down a peg or two' in America.In the most loving way, this novel is a reminder to respect your elders, to understand the legacy of Black British feminist activism and acknowldge our way pavers. However, the fusion fiction format that moves seamlessly from past to present, womxn to womxn uplifts the present and future of Black British womanhood, underscoring that 'this is about being / together.'

A book that brings to the fore the women least likely to be represented in fiction. Departing from a linear form of storytelling it presents us with a web which links twelve main characters all of whom Bernardine Evaristo treats with empathy and respect.I found unforgettable student Yazz, oblivious to her own defects, ruthlessly laying bare the faults of her parents, and the insidious attack on the self of Dominique by her then partner Nzinga in Spirit Moon. The detail in the lives of Shirley and LaTisha gave them a ring of truth. However, the fourth chapter centred on Megan/Morgan, Hattie and Grace was less convincing. It felt as if people from 'Who do you think you are?' were being used as a vehicle to convey the author's strong opinions.Still, this was a minor flaw in an engrossing read with its very moving epilogue.

This is a beautiful book that is poignant, full of heart and hope. It's a story about what makes us human, what makes us who we are and how we are all connected, one way or the other. A shining light in a book. Just perfect.