I quite liked James but I didn't love it. I found it fascinating to read that James was only able to win because the top four choices were all too polarizing to be able to unite the judges and win.
I continue to believe that prestigious awards of any stripe - but especially literary and "culture" awards - tend to go to things that make the purveyors of the prize look good in the eyes of educationally credentialed middle-to-upper-class cognoscenti. It's about status signaling. Whether the recipient is of actual quality is somewhat immaterial, as these preferences and markers of "good taste" are both fickle and ephemeral. (This is no comment on the actual quality of James, which I have yet to read.)
I quite liked James but I didn't love it. I found it fascinating to read that James was only able to win because the top four choices were all too polarizing to be able to unite the judges and win.
Is "James" on the radar for The Big Read? It would be a good addition to our reading, especially since we are reading "Huckleberry Finn" now.
Probably not, just because I prefer to stick with classics. But I am highly recommending it as complimentary reading!
Agree Jeremy! I especially enjoyed the audio version.
It is on my TBR list
Great overview Jeremy!
I continue to believe that prestigious awards of any stripe - but especially literary and "culture" awards - tend to go to things that make the purveyors of the prize look good in the eyes of educationally credentialed middle-to-upper-class cognoscenti. It's about status signaling. Whether the recipient is of actual quality is somewhat immaterial, as these preferences and markers of "good taste" are both fickle and ephemeral. (This is no comment on the actual quality of James, which I have yet to read.)