General Discussion

Of all the titles which makes the top of your list?

Possession by AS Byatt, or The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis. They have to make the shortlist at any rate, surely?

My own shortlist would be: Posession, Sacred Hunger, Oscar and Lucinda - books with scope, which say something about the larger world, and say it well, and make me jealous and delighted.

Ishiguro's The Remains Of The Day would have to get the vote from me. It is perfectly written, with not a word wasted or out of place. Suppressed emotion all the way through until one killer phrase near the end, spoken by Stevens.

Possession or The Blind Assasin

Sacred Hunger for its richness, storytelling and range of perspectives, all totally convincing.

I would say its between The Remains of the Day and Sacred Hunger

Disgrace - JM Coetzee. The best novel I have ever read by a country mile. It won't win becuase the public will choose Life of Pi or something.

As a South African my loyalty lies with JM Coetzee's Disgrace, followed by Oscar & Lucinda, Ghost Road, and The God of Small Things.

For me it has to be 'Life Of Pi' for its originality and unforgetable ending.'Life of Pi' has that rare quality that makes you wish that you could read it again for the very first time. Saddly its populist appeal will probably go against it. My second choice would be 'God Of Small Things'. Quite simply a brilliant read.