Certainly lived up to all the hype for me. A sensational read and one that every woman should read. It follows the lives of 12 women in Britain finding their way through life, the ups and downs, joys and disappointments . Key issues such as race, identity and feminism are at the foremost which doesn't make it the easiest read at times but keeps you engaged all the same. This book will be talked about for years to come and is an education as well as a pleasurable read.
Thank you netgally for this e copy.

Beautifully written book that definitely lives up to its hype. Absolutely loved this tale of 12 women finding their way. Although I've read this book on my kindle I'm going to buy a copy of this book as it's one that I will revisit.

But safe on the shelf other things (books) seemed to get in the way. Finally I settled to it and what a read. I agree with the judges this surely is one of the finest novels this year, but it is so much more. It is a novel about women, women getting on with their lives, supporting their families and friends regardless of the difficulties, in a world where life is not fair and they do not make the rules. But the characters feel real, the story telling is assured and this is a compelling read – although occasionally it might take you close to uncomfortable places in your own past. But for Londoners there will an extra dimension – the city, evolving, with all its good things and gremlins is a major character too.
The simple basics are that Amma Bansu, Londoner, has finally “made it” as a writer and her feminist play on “The Last Amazon of Dahomey” will be produced in a major London theatre and ultimately, in spite of her insecurities and worries, to great acclaim. Her writing has finally reached “its time” and moved across from fringe to mainstream. Family, friends and acquaintances will gather for the first night. The reader will have previously been introduced to Amma, best friend Dominique who now lives in the US, daughter Yazz (plus her best friends at university) ex lovers, partners and associates. Through these collective tales we see Amma growing from an ambitious teenager into her fifties. A woman living her life “politically” through her creative works as both a person of colour and as a black feminist. But gradually, too, a picture will be built of the life stories of the women she has associated with or can be linked to indirectly. Life choices or opportunities are not the same for all as we rarely start from the same place.
The backdrop to the tales will be London life – the evolving place and diversity of people primarily the wide range of immigrants who will arrive, compromise, settle and build their families here. There will be the pressure (and expense) of big city life, financial restrictions if not poverty itself, often lacking deep community support and watching your children grow through a different experience. Amma and friend Dominique try to live their lives to their political beliefs and ultimately will grow physically apart due to life’s pragmatic choices. Amma will choose motherhood and her daughter will grow to reject her mother’s core beliefs and values (while expecting them to operate automatically for herself - yes realistically tiresome)
Evaristo’s skill lies in creating a series of vignettes of different women and making them all seem so real. So real that you recognise them, seeing the habits, conversations, tics and annoying behaviour of people you have known – tripping both memories and the instinctive need to talk back to the characters. She skewers the current time with its political, social and cultural tropes and anxieties. But also cleverly recreates dialogues or concerns of maybe thirty years ago as if they were current, so the routes to now are laid bare.
By showing the women across the generations – from young Yazz (whatever she might think) largely oblivious to what has gone before and with the impatience of her generation - to Amma and back through her to the women a generation older she shows not just how individuals develop, but also how the cultural “norms” continue to evolve and change; never forgetting how far people who might seem static or retrograde now have travelled already and at what personal cost.
The past is shown to very clearly be the foundations of her characters’ present – even if the younger ones do not recognise this – and that the future will be different so characters (as models of real people) will have to change. The tale is therefore not just a story, but it is a challenge to readers to think about where they are, how they got there and whether they will try and affect their future in greater or lesser ways, or just let it evolve and cope with it.

Just lovely- a stroll through the lives of 12 women and girls as they make their way through life .

A feminist handbook as it looks closely at the lives of very different characters who share a gender and a country

Interesting and complex and well worth reading

I loved the interconnectivity between the 12 women (girls and others)'s stories throughout the book, with voices fighting to be heard, understood or at the very least respected.
In many ways it is a gentle read, strolling through the lives of the characters, taking diversions from their original paths and becoming stronger as a result however with so many hard hitting experiences and moments of fear, anguish and despair it is deceiving in its gentleness!
A fascinating insight into many aspects of life for the women portrayed.
The one downside for me was the complete lack of punctuation- it disrupted the flow for me and I found parts had to be re-read to really understand whose voice you were reading.

Margaret Atwood’s book was never going to be short of attention but winning the Booker will bring thousands of new readers to this absolute gem. Girl, Women, Other is an achingly relevant and much-needed insight into contemporary Britain.

Bernardine’s book is collection of reflections on life – its trials and tribulations, its joys and disappointments – by a number of “girls, women, others” whose lives are interconnected by the opening of a new play about Black women in London’s National Theatre.

The writer of that play, Amma, is a black lesbian socialist playwright who is reflecting on what drove her to write her play, what she wanted to convey, and those experiences that shaped her outlook. From here, the connections trickle out across the, mostly, Black woman whose lives have impacted her and her daughter.

Race, gender, identity and the lived experience are all key themes, as is feminism, clearly. This is a book that grapples with big questions such as, what would a completely feminist life look like in a patriarchal society? What expectations does white society, and white feminism, place on Black women? What is privilege and how does it manifest and fluctuate? What does liberation look and feel like?

What’s interesting to me is how some criticisms of the work have focused on the lack of overarching storyline. In fact, it astounds me as this is exactly the point Bernardine is making. There is no single experience that can be defined as “the gay experience”, “the Black experience”, “the poor experience.” It’s all so much more complex than that; we are all full of complexities and contradictions. But it is empathy and understanding that will bring us together; that is the message of this book that radiates with life.

Flawless, just flawless.

It's hard to find words, that have not been used, praise that has not been uttered, for this incredible book. Original and compelling, it deserves all the awards and more. Absolutely exceptional.

Although British literature is deemed to be historically London-centric, it's not often that I read MY London in print. This is only the second time I have seen Stockwell on the pages of a novel and it is so affirming. If PATSY reflected my Jamaican family and QUEENIE showed me my peers, GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER presents the Black British womxn who are and have been around me: the LaTishas & Morgans I went to school with, the Bummis in my childhood church, the Penelopes in the office. At first, I thought Amma, with her bangles and locs, was my mum but that was quickly dissolved. She revealed herself to be Araba, my mum's best friend in the primary school playground, mother of Kofi, absolute badgyal.

Before reading GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER myself I saw friends try to pick a favourite tale. Dominique's story of manipulation and regeneration; Yazz's story, a nuanced reevaluation of "privilege"; Winsome's story - DRAMA (I will always back a Winsome but, whew)! The web of Carole, LaTisha and Shirley's stories were the narratives that initially intrigued me the most as a teacher, suggesting the extent to which education system serves and hinders Black children; the multiple roles of teachers and whether Black teachers have an additional responsibility in the classroom; the idealism of youth and the jadedness of age; why we teach and what we expect in return.

This novel isn't "preachy" or didactic in tone, but there is a lot to learn. None of the characters, whether the radical feminists or the 'badass' humanist students, are exempt from critique but none are condemned, which encourages the reader to listen to the womxn and consider their perspectives fully, without prejudice. The intricate tapestry of stories Bernardine weaves here also forgregrounds the importance of perspective - how mothers and daughters view the same event differently, the power of telling your own story and, perhaps, the creative power others have when they translate what we choose not to share: Bummi's interpretation of 13 year old Carole's 'sulky period', Shirley's assessment of Dominique being taken 'down a peg or two' in America.

In the most loving way, this novel is a reminder to respect your elders, to understand the legacy of Black British feminist activism and acknowldge our way pavers. However, the fusion fiction format that moves seamlessly from past to present, womxn to womxn uplifts the present and future of Black British womanhood, underscoring that 'this is about being / together.'

Where to begin? Sensational!, a revaluation, an education! By far the most unusual book I have ever read! However, not written for Kindle readers as I was forever having to try and remember who was who, who was related to who and what sex they were? I found the constant change of tense and person unnecessary and irritating but that apart, a compelling story with utterly believable twenty first century characters culminating in a gentle but convincing and rather lovely conclusion! A book I have already recommended to several female friends!

I felt I should perservere and finish this Booker Prize winner - but after 60 pages I gave up. The lack of punctuation just annoyed me and I lost track of who was who. Really wanted to love this but will stick with Margaret Atwood

Matches up to all the hype and more. Enchanting, absorbing. I loved every second of it and will be reading Evaristo’s previous books now. I can see this being one of the best books of the decade.

Totally draw in to the world of Evaristo's 12 characters. Initially I thought the story would unfold only around Amma and Yazz, how wrong I was... Mother, best friend, school teacher and more are all linked in, creating a wide reaching story of female power, human fragility, love and race. Its a book very much of our time, with gender neutrality and non-traditional relationships explored, but covers the history of how we reached this (still not ideal) point of understanding and acceptance

One of the best books I’ve read in the past year. Vivid characters, compelling stories, masterfully told.

I really struggled with this, as much as I wanted to love it. The lack of full stops and capital letters threw me at first, but I've gotten used to it in other books that experiment with form. With this book, I just couldn't connect with the characters at all. Each section brought new chapters, and I read on in the hope I would find some that would finally draw me in, but this didn't happen. I'm definitely missing something because many have been singing its praises. I'm sad to say it wasn't for me.

This book is a collection of portraits of women, all linked together around a play at the National Theatre. Each portrait is deep and interesting and real, it feels like falling deeper and deeper each time. I enjoyed it and I recommend it. It is written as an internal monologue, with minimal punctuation, which means it requires concentration, and it's quite long.

Hmm not a kind of book I’d normally read. Obviously intrigued by all the interest I decided to read it. Contemporary stories of immigrant families, friends, lovers and connections and their struggle to create and live an integrated life in modern day Britain.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for an ARC of this book.

I found this a challenging read full of characters I never really understood.
The lack of punctuation was at first quirky then just annoying. Not a book for me.

Thank you to Penguin Book U.K. Hamish Hamilton for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Bernardine Evaristo in exchange for an honest review. It was published in May 2019 and after it won The Booker Prize in October Penguin were kind enough to offer it for request to NetGalley members.

It is very much an ensemble piece exploring the interlinked lives of its twelve characters described as “mostly women, black and British”. Its setting in time spans the 20-21st Century and it explores a range of cultural and social issues. Its style is experimental, described by the author as ‘fusion fiction’ and is indeed very fluid. That could prove a barrier for some readers who are uncomfortable with non traditional novels. I found it accessible as I paired reading with its audiobook edition. Long sentences and minimal punctuation are less noticeable that way.

I not only enjoyed it but felt that it expanded my awareness. It was easy to feel a connection with a number of its characters.

I appreciated why this novel stood out among a strong field of shortlisted literary novels to co-win The Booker Prize. It is the kind of novel that I would expect to be selected by reading groups that are seeking somewhat more challenging reads. I feel that the scope of the issues explored allows for a number of possibilities for discussion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is extremely well written and engaging throughout. Dipping into the lives of the various characters meant that there were some characters I was more drawn to, my own personal favourite was Shirley, probably because she reminded me of a teacher I once had. The book is well deserving of the many accolades it has received, it is enjoyable, but is also unsettling at times, as we are forced to look at the racism I thought we had rid ourselves of, but seems once again to be on the rise. It is a relatively easy read, because of its style and the wonderful way it has been written, but it forces the reader to think about the world and the lives they are being shown. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book, there really is something for everyone in it.

Note: An ARC was given to me by Netgalley, and I also was able to obtain a copy from the library. Hence why I had two copies before. But thank you to Netgalley for approving me in exchange for an honest review.

"A masterpiece."

"A must read."

"One for all the bookworms."

Boy were they wrong..

Let me explain.

The cover -A patchwork, quilts made up. Stitched together are the girls of the story, each having their own part, their own voice about what's been happening in their life. Good enough to get me reading, therefore a point given.

The summary -It's almost the same story that is told about women, specially black women and their struggles in different eras. Not much interest, but like 5% maybe. Hence why a point is given.

But as usual, Fate runs up to me and snatches my story, tries to ruin it and......succeeds.

One point for Fate.

0 for J.

God.

The writing - Was so disjointed, and thrown all over the place like some goddamn game of legos. A chaos to behold.

And as a grammar nazi, I feel offended by the author's writing style. More like disoriented but same thing.

How can she call herself a writer, if she can't even write the way normal writers do, like I don't know...with punctuations maybe?

Therefore I had to DNF. I don't care how anyone else overlooks this author's mess of writing decently, but I certainly care enough to point this fact out.

People get offended at the slightest typo made by an author and make fun of the author and humiliate them.

But in this case, they simply choose to overlook the million grammar and writing mistakes she made, and call it a "masterpiece".

I ask you, how is it possible to wear a blindfold on almost every second paragraph wrought with mistakes and still call it a wonderful piece of work? I fail to understand.

Sorry but I disagree with everyone else about what is a masterpiece.

There are many ways that you can pose a message, but this is not one of them. Destroying the writing style won't earn any brownie points with me and certainly it will set me running from this as far as I can.

So, not recommended. AT ALL.

Until the next read,

TMR