Girl, Woman, Other
Book description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE
“A must-read about modern Britain and womanhood . . . An impressive, fierce novel about the lives of black British families, their struggles, pains, laughter, longings and loves . . . Her style is passionate, razor-sharp, brimming with energy and humor. There is…
Why read it?
5 authors picked Girl, Woman, Other as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Girl, Woman, Other was the book I recommended to all my friends and family this year in our Christmas newsletter (yes, we are one of those families).
It follows twelve characters across two generations in the United Kingdom. Massive cultural shifts occur, socio-economic status changes, and children grow up.
At first glance, this might not appear to be a book about cross-cultural interactions but the relationship between the mother and daughter at the centre of the story highlight the monumental shifts that can occur in a lifetime.
From Alice's list on cross-cultural interactions.
Winner of the Booker Prize, Girl, Woman, Other was probably the most ubiquitous book seen around London in 2019.
Evaristo will introduce you to a range of compelling female characters in this novel; she inhabits each one’s mind and voice so supremely that the women you meet on the page will stay with you for years.
From Katie's list on women’s voices.
There’s so much to adore about Girl, Women, Other. I’m absolutely obsessed with the razor-sharp prose. I love the polylith-take of modern-day Britain. And I became heavily invested in the interconnected lives of the narrators: twelve very different and predominantly women of colour. Evaristo proves that it’s possible to write about complex, sensitive issues with both zing and wit, and love and care. Peckham and Elephant and Castle also get a mention too! Girl, Women, Other is such a special book. It’s one that I return to time and time again. A timeless, contemporary classic.
From Lizzie's list on that pay homage to south London.
This book was surprising in both its humor and expansive narrative. Despite being somewhat experimental in its form, I loved this book as it told the stories of 12 British women of color who ranged in ages between 19 and 93 in London. Each life told separately, builds on the others. Spanning issues of class, gender identity, and family, the novel focuses on intersections of experience as generations of women are woven together.
From Carol's list on the humor and angst of family relationships.
I've just started reading this book and already I love it. Like my own, it shows what it's like to be female ... the insults, the exclusions, the limitations ... with a badass attitude, an acute awareness of and an unapologetic exposure of the sexism we have to deal with every frickin' day ... "perfect slave girl material one director told her when she walked into an audition for a play about Emancipation / whereupon she walked right back out again."
From Chris' list on what it's like being female in a sexist society.
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