30-21…
30. The Power (2017) - Naomi Alderman (5)
(GoodReads ranking: 20, equivalent score 7.5)
I do get the appeal of this one. It's exciting, entertaining and (at least in theory) empowering. But overall I found it a bit reductive and ultimately unsatisfying in its resolution.
29. Fugitive Pieces (1997) - Anne Michaels (6.5)
(GoodReads ranking: 15, equivalent score 8)
A winner in only the second year of the Women's Prize, this complex linguistic puzzle of a book set a more highbrow tone than the Prize would come to more typically embody. Michaels (better known at this point as a poet) writes, appropriately enough, like a poet, and a single read-through wasn't enough for it to land with me.
28. Home (2009) - Marilynne Robinson (7)
(GoodReads ranking: 9, equivalent score 8)
A sequel of sorts to Robinson's Gilead, which I hadn't (and still haven't) read, I found this one a pleasant enough read but one in which I lacked the context that having read its predecessor would have given me, as well as lacking much interest in the book's theological elements.
27. The Song of Achilles (2012) - Madeline Miller (7)
(GoodReads ranking: 4, equivalent score 8.5)
A very popular book, and I can see why as it's an entertaining page-turner, representative of the Women's Prize's general tendency to reward slightly more accessible and fun reads than the Booker. Ultimately though, its retelling of well-known Greek myth didn't move me.
26. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2005) - Lionel Shriver (7.5)
(GoodReads ranking: 8, equivalent score 8)
Possibly the most famous and commercially successful book to win the Prize, it shocked in all the right places and was a more gripping read than I expected. Its contemporary relevance hasn't faded too much over the years, but it wasn't a standout favourite for me among a great list of winners.
25. The Glorious Heresies (2016) - Lisa McInerney (7.5)
(GoodReads ranking: 19, equivalent score 7.5)
More rather fun larks here, as the Prize brings in a bit of a crime/mystery thriller vibe and with it a winner that feels very far away from anything the Booker would consider. Not at all unenjoyable, but a weird winner in some regards - including that this is the book that beat A Little Life to the Prize. Hmm.
24. The Road Home (2008) - Rose Tremain (7.5)
(GoodReads ranking: 16, equivalent score 8)
A book set in London following an Eastern European immigrant, which very accurately conveys the mood of the times (somewhat cosy and optimistic) and has memorable and likeable characters. It largely left me wondering what a post-Brexit (and now post-Reform) sequel would look like in a modern Britain that's considerably less chilled out about immigration.
23. A Spell of Winter (1996) - Helen Dunmore (8)
(GoodReads ranking: 23, equivalent score 7.5)
The first winner of the Women's Prize is a good one, at least in terms of quality of writing. It's a somewhat gothic and moody affair, with a slightly impressionistic vibe that I rather enjoyed.
22. On Beauty (2006) - Zadie Smith (8)
(GoodReads ranking: 18, equivalent score 7.5)
I do love Zadie Smith, but for me this is patchier than her usual work, lighting up in its sections set her familiar ground of North West London, but occasionally flagging in its more dominant US-based parts.
21. Brotherless Night (2024) - V. V. Ganeshanathan (8)
(GoodReads ranking: 2, equivalent score 9)
This recent winner is rich, moving and educational in its sweep of the recent history of conflict in Sri Lanka. It was a popular and deserved winner, but it didn't quite produce the fireworks needed to elevate it any higher, for me.