Welcome to Litsy!

My husband wanted to go to the library last weekend so I checked out 2 books I‘m sure to return unread due to being short on time and long on end of year goals. But they‘re going on the wishlist! 💙🧜🏻‍♀️

This feels like a Woman's Prize book. I would not be surprised to see this on their list next year.
I think putting it on the Booker list was a mistake, but I personally really enjoyed it. I thought it gave a great overview of T&T from the 70-90s Though it was an incredibly White view that the author could have addressed better.
As someone who was left at a hospital in 1980, and who was adopted, I found this incredibly interesting on that front.

I paused, mid-step, at the sound of a low hum. A hummingbird, not much bigger than a bumblebee, withdrawing itself carefully from one of the trumpet-shaped flowers. I watched the little glittering body, the blur of wings. It held itself steady for a moment, as if considering the options, and then it moved towards the next flower, the petals splayed open in welcome. It disappeared inside, became a shadow behind the bright yellow petals.

Houses don't have a back step here in England, which is a real shame. It's the ideal place for children to sit. You're out of the way of all the hot oil and sharp knives, but you hear all kinds of gossip not meant for children's ears: who's horning who; who's infertile, or impo-tent; who's been to visit obeah because of too many miscarriages; who's never gotten over a father's early death.

#Booker2025

A short book, no real plot but a period of time in The narrator's life as she contemplates a decision made 40 years ago and how her life is now.
I'm a bit ambivalent, no real opinion about either the plot, characters or writing.

My 5th from the #Booker longlist required some adjustment after Audition. No gimmicks here. This is direct and slower paced; honest and sincere by tone. It builds narrative tension It took me time to adapt. I both admired the honesty and worried about it. But I came to fully embrace it. A few books later I still think about this book and this narrator who gave her baby up for adoption in a foreign country when she was only 16. #Booker2025

I went into this book about a Trinidadian woman who gave up her daughter for adoption when she was 16 expecting to really like it, even with all the middling reviews. But instead, after a solid opening, I found the book tedious. Not sure how this made the #bookerlonglist

15-7 Aug 2025 (audiobook)
#Bookerlonglist2025 no 4
A 16 year old from a wealthy family in Trinidad is encouraged to put her baby up for adoption and then moves to the UK where she builds a seemingly successful life but is never able to stop searching for her first baby.
Whilst small parts of this were well-written, I found the overall structure and pacing a bit of a mess. Not sure why it made the longlist, but expect it won‘t be shortlisted.

Quite enjoyed this tale of Dawn, a Trinadadian woman who gave up a baby for adoption when she was 16. The book explores the impact of that decision on her life. Now at 58, divorced, with two grown sons, she is still searching for her daughter.
I especially enjoyed learning more about Trinidad and its relationship to Venezuela. Is this a "Booker" book? (It's on the long list.) I don't know. It is a well-wrought novel that I found compelling.

Morning all. I‘m in a bit of a book hangover, as I adored Audition by Katie Kitamura. So it‘s hard getting into another book. But this one has a lovely opening. And i‘ll spend part of my morning here.

#booker #Booker2025