I think you are one of the best reviewers on UA-cam. You are articulate, thoughtful and always have the right words to illuminate your thoughts. Your channel is my favorite. Keep up the great work!
Aww thank you so much, that is so nice of you to say! I have been recognising that my reviews have been getting longer, and I sometimes hit a bit of a wall with trying to say something interesting about each book, so I really appreciate the lovely feedback ❤️
Interesting your comment about Richard Powers “earnestness” in his Playground prose. I had a short conversation with him during his Overstory book tour and I can certainly agree that the man is Earnest…and in a good, perhaps sublime way.
It definitely worked brilliantly for me in previous books I've read by him. And I still liked it here too - it was just a real shock to the system after reading The Safekeep which had a totally different style!
Thanks for this great review, Loved The Safe Keep when I read it in July and it's a book that has stayed in my thoughts since then. Claire Messud's book was also good if a little slow but really enjoyed all the characters and story lines. Read this on audio which really worked for this book.
Great review. Loved the Safe Keep and really liked This Strange Eventful History. Both were good stories that you could get your teeth into and masterfully written. Thanks for the review.
The Safe Keep is glorious isn’t it? I loved it so much. The most moving scene, for me, was when Isabel had “the” conversation with Louis about the house. How they didn’t even seem to have words for their reality. It nearly moved me to tears. I didn’t see the twist coming either. I always say it’s the best shock I’ve had while reading since Fingersmith. I actually think those two books would appeal to the same people.
I just finished reading The Safekeep and I was so impressed. Excellent! I liked This Strange Eventful History as well… I resonate with your reviews of both of those novels and I’d like to see The Safekeep on the shortlist. I’m looking forward to reading Playground when it’s released.
Love to see someone gushing over the Safekeep. I enjoyed it so much and it got some pretty meh comments from the Mooks and Gripes crowd. "It's a book your aunt Deloris will like" was a funny but tough review. I'm not able to read the long list because work has just ramped up so I'm skipping Messud novel. I'll pick up Playground if it's shortlisted. I loved the first half of The Overstory. It was so informative - 4 billion chestnut trees died here in the North East where I live!! Will read Playground with low expectations as far as plot and dialogue but high expectations for Powers to reveal a new sense of wonder at the underwater world in me. Great review Ben! Also kudos on the Guardian mention!
Glad you liked The Safekeep too! I can see how people might think it's not 'sophisticated' enough, but I think that's too narrow a lens to judge a book's worth. I had a great time with it. And thank you re: The Guardian. Still no idea how that even happened! 😅
The Safekeep is among my favorites from the longlistl. I dnf-ed This Strange Eventful History after 150 pages and I am yet to read Playground. I adored Bewilderment, but I wasn't as enthusiastic about The Overstory. I'm hoping Playground falls closer to the former :).
The Safekeep is great, isn't it! I think Playground is a bit more similar to The Overstory than it is Bewilderment, but the cast of (main) characters is a little narrower so perhaps that will help 😊
Thanks, Ben!🌷I’ve pre-ordered Playground and look very much forward to it. I’m a huge fan of The Overstory and have also recently read Bewilderment (heartbreaking!😢). Playground is going to be my third Booker novel, after Orbital and My Friends (loved both). I also want to read non-Booker books (currently reading Dickens😊), but I may read The Safekeep and/ or The Strange Eventful History if they get shortlisted.
Bewilderment absolutely broke me (and I kinda loved it). Hopefully Playground delivers more of what you're looking for! I am definitely looking forward to some non-Booker reading. Doing the whole longlist is a fun challenge, but I keep eyeing up the other books on my shelves 😅
Seems like Powers gets a place on the Booker list reserved for him with every book he releases. I enjoyed The Safekeep quite a lot, but that was largely due to the enormous payoff of part three. I was not fully invested until then.
He keeps slinging out these existentially-challenging books, so I can see why! And I agree that The Safekeep had a lot of power in its reveals - I'll be interested to know if that holds up for the judges on their re-read to decide the shortlist.
I'm currently on book number 11, did not love This Strange Eventful History and I did not love The Safekeep as I couldn't really get into it until the second half. James remains the standout, and I'm struggling to put together a shortlist of 6 which is unlike other years. It's disappointing that Playground wasn't released a month early, as I'm sure publishers could have arranged it if they wanted to.
Ahh that's a shame. I'm enjoying the list but reading is so personal that it's a real pain when your taste doesn't align with the judges. And I'm similarly surprised they didn't bring the release of Playground forward. If it doesn't make the shortlist, it's such a missed opportunity!
I had such a great time with The Safekeep so I wouldn't mind it being in contention, but you're right it's probably not as challenging a read as some others on the list.
Loved Orbital , think James might be assigned reading in American literature classes decades from now , am currently reading Wandering Stars, and WAS ( 😂) super hype for Playground . Awwww you said “your mileage may vary “ ( Greg shout out @supposedlyfun ) 🥰. 📖🪱💚
Don't be too put off by Playground! I still really enjoyed it in the end, and I think a lot of my trouble with it was the context and what I'd read just before.
I have to wait till 26th of September to get my copy of Playground. I get really cross when books on long lists aren’t even released yet. It’s even worse that the publisher doesn’t move the release date forward. Should a prize choose books that will not be released before the shortlist is announced?
It's definitely a bit frustrating for readers, but I think it would be the organisers' issue to solve via the eligibility dates, rather than something the judges should take any blame for. They're right to choose the best books from the ones submitted to them - it would be a shame to have an eligible book not get picked just because of its release date. But I really don't know why they wouldn't bring the Playground date forward! You'd think demand must be high.
I didn’t enjoy the writing style of The Safekeep, and I ended up not finishing it. I do think “spiky” is a great word for Isabel. I’ve read Wild Houses and have Wandering Stars and Held to try.
Ahhh that's a shame it didn't work for you, but I guess that happens sometimes. I've just read (and loved) Wandering Stars so hope you enjoy that when you get to it.
I can’t wait to read Safe keep. I’ve been so curious and could only hear the first few sentences of your review and I’m like stop, that’s enough, I need to read it! Dismissive dialogue at dinner? Sign me up. What on earth is a grand fulcrum?! 😂 Are you going to make me whip out the dictionary?
Dinner scenes are always iconic (actually, except that Herman Koch book which I haaaaaaated) and The Safekeep opens with a classic one! A fulcrum is the bit of something a lever attaches to, basically a big turning point. It's forever in my vocab because it's the name of an important building in the Broken Earth Trilogy 😂
@@benreadsgood Sounds great! And now I’m even more intrigued to read the Broken Earth trilogy! Fulcrum sounds kinda gross, and your explanation only added to the imagery, but at least I’m growing my vocabulary ^^
I didn’t think I’d necessarily want to read The Safekeep but you’ve fully convinced me. Messud is staying on the tbr, but I know what you mean about having the audio do a bit of the heavy lifting..! 😉 (even though I don’t usually enjoy fiction on audio to be fair). And as for Powers, I have the overstory on the shelves and hope I get to it soon. Really enjoy following your booker “journey”, very intrigued to hear your final thoughts 🙌
Great video Ben. I’ve read all three of these. I am in the “meh” camp on the Messud, which I thought was overlong and overwritten. But I also was not as enamored of Safekeep as you were. I felt more mixed about the writing style and the story overall. I agree that Playground is not my favorite of Powers’ books (that would be Bewilderment) and it did feel like we’ve seen many of these themes from him before. But I thought the writing was gorgeous and I was drawn into the story despite my misgivings. So it was a strong read for me. Looking forward to your thoughts on the remaining three.
All very fair reflections. I was just completely enamoured by the writing in The Safekeep. And it's interesting, because the process of reading TSEH wasn't the *best* for me, but it's really lingered, and when I came to write my review I found I had a lot to reflect on and a lot to say!
The three books I most want to read on the long list. I have all three on hold in one form or another. Thanks so much for your great reviews. Made me want to read them even more. I too love Powers. His first book--Three Farmers on Their to a Dance--is still my favorite. Bewilderment actually made me cry an unusual thing to me when reading a book.
Glad to hear the reviews were helpful! And thanks for trusting that I wouldn't spoil them - I forgot to put 'no spoilers' anywhere in the video title 😅 Same feelings about Bewilderment! I really need to get to more of his backlist.
Read 3 out of the 13 -- James, My Friends, and Headshots. Headshots was nearly a DNF for me, and the other 2 were just alright. Not going to attempt any more of the longlist, but will wait for the shortlist.
Hope you’re all having a good time with the list this year!
I think you are one of the best reviewers on UA-cam. You are articulate, thoughtful and always have the right words to illuminate your thoughts. Your channel is my favorite. Keep up the great work!
Oh wow, thank you so much - that is so kind of you to say! Thank you for your support ❤️
You have gotten better and better and better with your reviews! A remarkable evolution. No one does it better at this point. Cheers! 😊
Aww thank you so much, that is so nice of you to say! I have been recognising that my reviews have been getting longer, and I sometimes hit a bit of a wall with trying to say something interesting about each book, so I really appreciate the lovely feedback ❤️
Thank you for these great reviews. I am looking forward to all these books.
Thank you for watching 🙌
Interesting your comment about Richard Powers “earnestness” in his Playground prose. I had a short conversation with him during his Overstory book tour and I can certainly agree that the man is Earnest…and in a good, perhaps sublime way.
It definitely worked brilliantly for me in previous books I've read by him. And I still liked it here too - it was just a real shock to the system after reading The Safekeep which had a totally different style!
Thanks for this great review, Loved The Safe Keep when I read it in July and it's a book that has stayed in my thoughts since then. Claire Messud's book was also good if a little slow but really enjoyed all the characters and story lines. Read this on audio which really worked for this book.
I dipped into the audio for TSEH and found it was really nicely done! Glad to hear you enjoyed The Safekeep as well 😊
Great review. Loved the Safe Keep and really liked This Strange Eventful History. Both were good stories that you could get your teeth into and masterfully written. Thanks for the review.
I actually had quite a bit of fun while reading parts of TSEH thinking "and this is what's happening with Isa in the Netherlands right now" 😅
The Safe Keep is glorious isn’t it? I loved it so much. The most moving scene, for me, was when Isabel had “the” conversation with Louis about the house. How they didn’t even seem to have words for their reality. It nearly moved me to tears.
I didn’t see the twist coming either. I always say it’s the best shock I’ve had while reading since Fingersmith. I actually think those two books would appeal to the same people.
That was a great scene! I also really connected with the little backstory we got for Henrik. A really enjoyable read all round.
I just finished reading The Safekeep and I was so impressed. Excellent! I liked This Strange Eventful History as well… I resonate with your reviews of both of those novels and I’d like to see The Safekeep on the shortlist. I’m looking forward to reading Playground when it’s released.
Glad to hear we're on the same page with those ones! I've been so impressed with the list all-round this year.
Getting curious bout the Safe KEep after all the raving reviews.
It's been the surprise of the longlist for me so far!
Love to see someone gushing over the Safekeep. I enjoyed it so much and it got some pretty meh comments from the Mooks and Gripes crowd. "It's a book your aunt Deloris will like" was a funny but tough review.
I'm not able to read the long list because work has just ramped up so I'm skipping Messud novel. I'll pick up Playground if it's shortlisted. I loved the first half of The Overstory. It was so informative - 4 billion chestnut trees died here in the North East where I live!!
Will read Playground with low expectations as far as plot and dialogue but high expectations for Powers to reveal a new sense of wonder at the underwater world in me.
Great review Ben! Also kudos on the Guardian mention!
Glad you liked The Safekeep too! I can see how people might think it's not 'sophisticated' enough, but I think that's too narrow a lens to judge a book's worth. I had a great time with it.
And thank you re: The Guardian. Still no idea how that even happened! 😅
The Safekeep is among my favorites from the longlistl. I dnf-ed This Strange Eventful History after 150 pages and I am yet to read Playground. I adored Bewilderment, but I wasn't as enthusiastic about The Overstory. I'm hoping Playground falls closer to the former :).
The Safekeep is great, isn't it!
I think Playground is a bit more similar to The Overstory than it is Bewilderment, but the cast of (main) characters is a little narrower so perhaps that will help 😊
Thanks, Ben!🌷I’ve pre-ordered Playground and look very much forward to it. I’m a huge fan of The Overstory and have also recently read Bewilderment (heartbreaking!😢). Playground is going to be my third Booker novel, after Orbital and My Friends (loved both). I also want to read non-Booker books (currently reading Dickens😊), but I may read The Safekeep and/ or The Strange Eventful History if they get shortlisted.
Bewilderment absolutely broke me (and I kinda loved it). Hopefully Playground delivers more of what you're looking for!
I am definitely looking forward to some non-Booker reading. Doing the whole longlist is a fun challenge, but I keep eyeing up the other books on my shelves 😅
Love your reviews ❤
Thank you so much!
Seems like Powers gets a place on the Booker list reserved for him with every book he releases. I enjoyed The Safekeep quite a lot, but that was largely due to the enormous payoff of part three. I was not fully invested until then.
He keeps slinging out these existentially-challenging books, so I can see why!
And I agree that The Safekeep had a lot of power in its reveals - I'll be interested to know if that holds up for the judges on their re-read to decide the shortlist.
I just started Safekeep today! There are pears 🍐 🍐on the American cover. If you loved the book, I’m sure I will too! 😊
Hope you love it Cathy - look forward to the pears when you get to them! 😅
@@benreadsgood You have peaked my interest now Ben! ❤️
I'm currently on book number 11, did not love This Strange Eventful History and I did not love The Safekeep as I couldn't really get into it until the second half. James remains the standout, and I'm struggling to put together a shortlist of 6 which is unlike other years. It's disappointing that Playground wasn't released a month early, as I'm sure publishers could have arranged it if they wanted to.
Ahh that's a shame. I'm enjoying the list but reading is so personal that it's a real pain when your taste doesn't align with the judges.
And I'm similarly surprised they didn't bring the release of Playground forward. If it doesn't make the shortlist, it's such a missed opportunity!
I loved The Safe Keep! It is on my preferred short list. Unfortunately, I had to DNF the Messud. It just didn’t hold my attention at all.
I really enjoyed strange eventful history and thought it was very well written...I really didn like safekeep, far too an easy read to win the booker..
I had such a great time with The Safekeep so I wouldn't mind it being in contention, but you're right it's probably not as challenging a read as some others on the list.
Playground has the worst cover of all time!
Haha yeah I'm not bowled over by the UK cover, but much happier with the proof I have. The US cover is gorgeous though!
Loved Orbital , think James might be assigned reading in American literature classes decades from now , am currently reading Wandering Stars, and WAS ( 😂) super hype for Playground . Awwww you said “your mileage may vary “ ( Greg shout out @supposedlyfun ) 🥰. 📖🪱💚
Don't be too put off by Playground! I still really enjoyed it in the end, and I think a lot of my trouble with it was the context and what I'd read just before.
I have to wait till 26th of September to get my copy of Playground. I get really cross when books on long lists aren’t even released yet. It’s even worse that the publisher doesn’t move the release date forward. Should a prize choose books that will not be released before the shortlist is announced?
It's definitely a bit frustrating for readers, but I think it would be the organisers' issue to solve via the eligibility dates, rather than something the judges should take any blame for. They're right to choose the best books from the ones submitted to them - it would be a shame to have an eligible book not get picked just because of its release date.
But I really don't know why they wouldn't bring the Playground date forward! You'd think demand must be high.
I didn’t enjoy the writing style of The Safekeep, and I ended up not finishing it. I do think “spiky” is a great word for Isabel. I’ve read Wild Houses and have Wandering Stars and Held to try.
Ahhh that's a shame it didn't work for you, but I guess that happens sometimes. I've just read (and loved) Wandering Stars so hope you enjoy that when you get to it.
I can’t wait to read Safe keep. I’ve been so curious and could only hear the first few sentences of your review and I’m like stop, that’s enough, I need to read it! Dismissive dialogue at dinner? Sign me up.
What on earth is a grand fulcrum?! 😂 Are you going to make me whip out the dictionary?
Dinner scenes are always iconic (actually, except that Herman Koch book which I haaaaaaated) and The Safekeep opens with a classic one!
A fulcrum is the bit of something a lever attaches to, basically a big turning point. It's forever in my vocab because it's the name of an important building in the Broken Earth Trilogy 😂
@@benreadsgood Sounds great! And now I’m even more intrigued to read the Broken Earth trilogy! Fulcrum sounds kinda gross, and your explanation only added to the imagery, but at least I’m growing my vocabulary ^^
I didn’t think I’d necessarily want to read The Safekeep but you’ve fully convinced me. Messud is staying on the tbr, but I know what you mean about having the audio do a bit of the heavy lifting..! 😉 (even though I don’t usually enjoy fiction on audio to be fair). And as for Powers, I have the overstory on the shelves and hope I get to it soon. Really enjoy following your booker “journey”, very intrigued to hear your final thoughts 🙌
The Safekeep is such a treat from this list - definitely pick that one up!!!
Not long left on the Booker journey this year 👀
Great video Ben. I’ve read all three of these. I am in the “meh” camp on the Messud, which I thought was overlong and overwritten. But I also was not as enamored of Safekeep as you were. I felt more mixed about the writing style and the story overall. I agree that Playground is not my favorite of Powers’ books (that would be Bewilderment) and it did feel like we’ve seen many of these themes from him before. But I thought the writing was gorgeous and I was drawn into the story despite my misgivings. So it was a strong read for me. Looking forward to your thoughts on the remaining three.
All very fair reflections. I was just completely enamoured by the writing in The Safekeep.
And it's interesting, because the process of reading TSEH wasn't the *best* for me, but it's really lingered, and when I came to write my review I found I had a lot to reflect on and a lot to say!
The three books I most want to read on the long list. I have all three on hold in one form or another. Thanks so much for your great reviews. Made me want to read them even more. I too love Powers. His first book--Three Farmers on Their to a Dance--is still my favorite. Bewilderment actually made me cry an unusual thing to me when reading a book.
Glad to hear the reviews were helpful! And thanks for trusting that I wouldn't spoil them - I forgot to put 'no spoilers' anywhere in the video title 😅
Same feelings about Bewilderment! I really need to get to more of his backlist.
Read 3 out of the 13 -- James, My Friends, and Headshots. Headshots was nearly a DNF for me, and the other 2 were just alright. Not going to attempt any more of the longlist, but will wait for the shortlist.
Ahh that's a shame. I really enjoyed Headshot, but I did read it before the pressure of it being a 'Booker book'.
Fantastic review of The Safekeep! I loved it as well.
It was such a great surprise on the list!