Booker Prize Winner Reaction for 2024

It’s here! The winner of the 2024 Booker Prize! Come hear my thoughts on the winner (and what I think should have won). Expand for more information. 👇

Links 💻

Further Viewing 🎥

The Winner 🥇

The Shortlist 🥈

The Longlist 🥉

Other Titles Mentioned 📚

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But wait, there's more!

[ingridfitz]

I loved Orbital. I just read it today.
I thought it was beautiful and melancholy.
It felt like a big long epitaph for earth.
Maybe I’m just in the right mood for this at this time.

[jamesyouwere]

Always great to hear your thoughts! I’m not the biggest fan of Orbital, but I am pretty happy for Samantha Harvey. I was at an event with some of the shortlisted authors this week (minus the Americans) and she came across as sincerely grateful for the recognition and was a great speaker.

I am kicking myself because hers was the only book I didn’t bother to buy and get signed, even though I had a feeling it would win…

[cerealkiillar]

I only just found your channel, lucky me! I haven't read Orbital, but I wanted to chime in on Klara and the Sun, longlisted in 2021 and here goes. I couldn't put it down. The ending devastated me. Wrecked me. I adore this book. But I'm a grandmother to one extraordinary child (currently an actor/singer/dancer/composer who does Broadway, for God's sake), so this is my point: books can hit readers hard when they touch an emotionally loaded aspect of the reader's life to the core. Also, I'm a dedicated Ishiguro fan. If a book makes it to the top of these mountains, we pay attention, maybe love them, maybe not, but regardless, I love hearing from insightful readers who let me in on their experiences with extraordinary work. Glad to be here! Ps, Pynchon made me nuts. He increasingly speaks to our times, though, doesn't he...

[victoriacollis]

One of the shortlist picks I chose to read! I LOVED orbital. I thought every single sentence was perfectly curated, and by the end I wanted to write an essay about it.

[spexi]

Love Orbital ( was one of my top 2 from the shortlist - Stone Yard Devotional is the other ) and I’m geeking it won. I feel like the redundancy reiterated the cyclical nature of earth revolutions around the sun and history repeating itself. James is a masterpiece imo, but very American ( Pulitzer all day vibes imo ) relative to the global citizen vibe of Orbital. I’d been happy with any 3 of them winning, but also loved The Safekeep just not Booker winner loved. Blahdiggityblah, ramble over . Appreciate you as ever 📖🪱💚

[ALLinHerMovements]

I’m here on behalf of Cilantro. It unfairly gets a bad rap. Who could hate this delicious and fragrant herb?

[katie.is.dreaming]

I sort of had a feeling about Orbital as the announcement came closer. I really enjoyed it. The lists didn't bother me at all! I was more engrossed with the writing and the humanity of the characters. I loved the themes and it felt like a really timely book to me. It's as much about isolation as it is shared humanity. Looking at Earth through the characters' eyes was thrilling, and very connecting in a way. I loved the connections between the characters and the people they were thinking of on Earth. Loved all the space information also, the logistics of actually living in space. It's funny: it felt like the right book at the right time for me. I do want to get to James as well, though.

[tinas]

I do like Orbital, but I understand why some may not enjoy reading it . These book prizes are also subjective at the end of the day. For me Orbital is unique in that there is no plot per se and not much character development. To me it is a philosophical book about humanity, our place in the universe and our relationship with our world/Earth. The protagonist of the book are us (humanity) and also Space and Earth. The astronauts are not the main characters. If we view it this way, there is good character development in the book. The book is also timeless (no time in space) and it talks about universal subjects and contemplates human existence etc. I like the book and I’m happy it won.

[zedxx]

I did have a feeling that James wouldn't win because the subject matter is too American (as a non-American, I have yet to read Huckleberry Finn). And I had a feeling that Orbital would be a timely win because the book reflects upon Earth as a shared shelter for _all_ of us. My first choice was Stone Yard Devotional though.

[gabrielhendrix]

Percival Everett has won the Kirkus Prize which I believe is an accomplishment, it is an award that provides the author with both recognition and 50k which isn't bad tbh.

[annegibson]

I am probably going to get slammed for this but I am a huge fan of Orbital. I think the reason for people finding it repeative is that the space station made 16 orbits per day. I finished reading her book. The Shapeless Unease by her. I found her writing very poetic and beautiful.

[ht]

Tough break for Percival Everett. He should have swept, and the Booker should have been the easy one to win. But in hindsight, it's a blatantly political win for Orbital, very "sorry to this man." A woman hadn't won in five years (or a British woman for that matter), and five women were on the shortlist. Everett was sadly American window-dressing. Still, he won the Kirkus and NBA, with the Pulitzer looking like frontrunner status. We can only hope and wait. 🤞

[EileenSchmitt-rd]

I loved Orbital but didn't think it would win. I read the longlist, and it seemed to me the panel chose meditative books. I thought that SYD would win. James was in my top 3, but I just didn't think it was going to win. In the end, those short-listed writers will find new readers, and that has to be a good thing.

[booksaremysociallife]

I'm a huge geography and space nerd, so Orbital scratched an inch for me, which is why I think I liked it so much. That being said, I do feel like if the book was a bit longer and had more of a plot or mystery or character intrigue, then those moments of describing the earth might have stood out more.

[TiggerTellsTales]

Orbital was my pick for the win! I’ve never read anything like it. So happy 😀 I did not find this book repetitive or a book of lists. We are all so different and I respect your thoughts on it. I found The Safekeep a very well-written romance novel - nothing surprising and lots of repetitive sexual longing. James of course is amazing and I’m sorry for all who are disappointed. I can’t wait to get my hands on Stoneyard Devotional. The Booker was a lot of fun this year, happy reading all!

[Katie_Romxilda]

I managed to read the entire shortlist this year and almost the entire longlist too - Orbital was by far my least favourite so it’s hard not to feel a bit bummed, but it’s also not for me to say who did or didn’t “deserve” a prize so I’ll just carry my love for some of the other books forward!

[jordana]

I knew you would be on tonight! I watched the announcement. Have not read Orbital yet. The Safekeep was definitely redeemed by its second half!

[wheeledjustice]

I’m somewhere in the middle with Orbital. I think it’s more poetry than fiction, I wish it had an actual plot, I definitely do not think it deserved this award. But I still appreciate it for what it is. I read it in chunks, a cycle a day, and I think that made it easier

EDIT: Orbital gives a message of hope after the election. The world is beautiful and will continue to thrive no matter who runs what individual country

[cmleidi]

I can see where it would be a cilantro book, but it was my choice for the best book of the six. I just thought it was gorgeous and quite emotional. Except for Creation Lake, I would have been happy with any of the remaining five. Thought this list was much better than last year's.

[sarahwiltshire]

Hope Everett gets the Pulitzer - would be a worthy winner. I did like Orbital, though was rooting for James. The Safekeep was a powerful read and being in the Netherlands at the time gave it an extra resonance. For me this wasn't a vintage Booker year.