Peter Carey - Oscar and Lucinda When I think of the Booker Prize, I think of Peter Carey. I loved his account of the Ned Kelly story, which in turn caused enormous disappointment when I saw the Heath Ledger biopic at the cinema. Oscar and Lucinda is the kind of story that has ‘Booker’ written right through it like a stick of rock. Firstly, the settings are beautifully imagined, from the Devon coastline of Oscar’s childhood through the the dark and smoldering glassworks that Lucinda buys in Sydney. It has funny bits without either sarcasm or exclamation marks. People get passionate about stuff, in this case God, glass and each other. There is a twist. Carey’s twist isn’t some big fantastical whatsit, like in Life Of Pi, but the final few pages do make you realise how much importance a book’s title has in forming our expectations. To be honest, this was a book that I read slowly, and not necessarily to savour it. Every time I read it I swooned with how brilliantly written it was, but then I’d come to the end of a chapter and not really fancy reading on. The story didn’t get under my skin and make me put other things aside like some books have, although I can’t put my finger on one single fault. It’s a flawless book, and maybe I just like a few flaws. Peter Carey - Oscar and LucindaPublication date: 1989Publisher: Faber & FaberPrice then: £7.99Price now: £3.00Bought from: Richard Booth’s Bookshop, Hay-On-Wye

Peter Carey - Oscar and Lucinda

When I think of the Booker Prize, I think of Peter Carey. I loved his account of the Ned Kelly story, which in turn caused enormous disappointment when I saw the Heath Ledger biopic at the cinema. Oscar and Lucinda is the kind of story that has ‘Booker’ written right through it like a stick of rock.

Firstly, the settings are beautifully imagined, from the Devon coastline of Oscar’s childhood through the the dark and smoldering glassworks that Lucinda buys in Sydney. It has funny bits without either sarcasm or exclamation marks. People get passionate about stuff, in this case God, glass and each other. There is a twist. Carey’s twist isn’t some big fantastical whatsit, like in Life Of Pi, but the final few pages do make you realise how much importance a book’s title has in forming our expectations.

To be honest, this was a book that I read slowly, and not necessarily to savour it. Every time I read it I swooned with how brilliantly written it was, but then I’d come to the end of a chapter and not really fancy reading on. The story didn’t get under my skin and make me put other things aside like some books have, although I can’t put my finger on one single fault. It’s a flawless book, and maybe I just like a few flaws.

Peter Carey - Oscar and Lucinda
Publication date: 1989
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Price then: £7.99
Price now: £3.00
Bought from: Richard Booth’s Bookshop, Hay-On-Wye