Bailey's/Orange Women's Fiction Group discussion

which authors have you really loved from the Orange lists? I have so many - I really love Sadie Jones and have read all of hers.
any thoughts?

Loved Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel. I didn't nominate it from this year's list, though, as you really need to have read Wolf Hall.

I've loved several of them, but I haven't then bought all their others, so it is difficult to pick any one as a true favourite.

Exactly. I remember reading "This Book Will Save Your Life" by a.m. homes and I really enjoyed that. I'm looking forward to reading something else by her.

Well, my favorite authors would be Anne Patchett, Barbara Kingsolver and Hilary Mantel but to be fair, most of these authors I've never read - so look forward to picking up idea's.

Florence wrote: "Well, my favorite authors would be Anne Patchett, Barbara Kingsolver and Hilary Mantel but to be fair, most of these authors I've never read - so look forward to picking up idea's."

Ditto for me, everything Florence said applies here except that I've not read Hilary Mantel either.

I've somehow only ever read five books on the entire list and only really enjoyed two of them so no chance of a favourite! I'm hoping that the rest of them don't prove as disappointing as the limited few I've tried. fingers crossed for a light hearted entertaining read!

Hi everyone, my name is Michele. I have read Bring up the bodies, Gone Girl and in the middle of Life After Life, (not read that many I know). Have loved each one. So very interested in getting stuck into some of the others that are nominated.

I tried Wolf Hall when it came out and got a bit bogged down - but I really should try it again. I have enjoyed many, many of the authors and I particularly like discovering someone totally new either to me or a new author with their first book. I have enjoyed Kingsolver, Smith, Tremain, Jones, Shriver, Patchett,Farooki,Donaghue,Adichie,Locke, McCann, Tan,Shields,Levy - as you can see I read a lot of these books and find them consistently well chosen and thought provoking. Some I prefer personally to others but there are few duds!!!

My favorite Orange author is definitely Sarah Hall. The Electric Michelangelo, longlisted in 2004, was a 5 Star book for me, and I've read (and loved) all of her other works also.

Liz Jensen has been nominated three times. I've only read one of those, but have read and very much enjoyed several of her non-Orange books (The Rapture, The Uninvited, and The Ninth Life of Louis Drax).

I loved both of Karen Russell's short story collections (St Lucy's Home For Girls Raised By Wolves and Vampires in the Lemon Grove) but her Orange book (Swamplandia!, longlisted in 2011) was only a 3 Star for me.

The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey, shortlisted in 2010, was fantastic and I also very much enjoyed her novel Archipelago. Her debut, August Frost, was odd but good.

Hello Her Royal Orangeness.
I have usually read a few books from each year's list, but only The White Woman on the Green Bicycle of the ones you mentioned. I read it when it was released and liked it a lot, then read it again fairly recently and found it was just as good on second reading.

Her Royal Orangeness wrote: "My favorite Orange author is definitely Sarah Hall. The Electric Michelangelo, longlisted in 2004, was a 5 Star book for me, and I've read (and loved) all of her other works also.

L..."

hey isnt it funny - I've read loads of the books but none of the ones you have Her Royal Orangeness!

Have just discovered an ancestor was burned at the stake for heresy during Henry VIII's reign - there is a document that links her torture to Wolf Hall so I really should give it another try!