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The Promise
The Promise | Damon Galgut
A modern saga that could only have come from South Africa, written in gorgeous prose by the Booker Prize-shortlisted author Damon Galgut. Haunted by an unmet promise, the Swart family loses touch after the death of their matriarch. Adrift, the lives of the three siblings move separately through the uncharted waters of South Africa; Anton, the golden boy who bitterly resents his life's unfulfilled promises; Astrid, whose beauty is her power; and the youngest, Amor, whose life is shaped by a nebulous feeling of guilt. Reunited by four funerals over three decades, the dwindling family reflects the atmosphere of its country -- an atmosphere of resentment, renewal, and--ultimately--hope. The Promise is an epic drama that unfurls against the unrelenting march of national history, sure to please current fans and attract many new ones. "Galgut will be seen as one of the great literary triumphs of South Africa's transition [ . . . ] in every way the equal of J. M. Coetzee."--Rian Malan, author of My Traitor's Heart
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MommyWantsToReadHerBook
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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I hope I can blame being in survival mode in 2021 for missing this Booker winner entirely. I got to see the play based on the book last night and it was absolutely amazing. A brilliant commentary on South Africa's complicated history.

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Tamra
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Mehso-so

The premise of The Promise😉 had me anticipating this read. But, it fell short of my expectations. It‘s primarily focused on the separate adult lives of the characters (but not the central figure I wanted) so it lacked that intense family drama I thought would play out. Still, I read it in an afternoon so it was entertaining enough. It will go back to the bookstore and not on my shelves.

jlhammar I felt the same. It was okay, but didn‘t live up to my expectations. 9mo
52 likes1 comment
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Tamra
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Driven out of the house and even off the deck by flooring work. 🔨🔨🔨 Periodically the breeze rains sawdust all over me from above. Other than that, a perfect summer afternoon for a bit of reading.

Gissy That looks like a beautiful reading spot 😍 9mo
Cathythoughts Apart from the sawdust, looks relaxing. Work on the house is such a necessary evil. Disrupting our lives 🙄😁 9mo
Tamra @Gissy it is usually quite peaceful. ☺️ 9mo
Tamra @Cathythoughts I had no idea just how disruptive the work would be! I am now sort of dreading the future day when we have the kitchen renovated, which won‘t be extensive but still….🥺 9mo
56 likes4 comments
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Tamra
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Another fruitful visit to my Indie.😊

currentlyreadinginCO Oh wow, I like them both 10mo
currentlyreadinginCO Trust is a favorite 10mo
Tamra @thereadingreference happy to know that because I know people have mixed feelings about it. 10mo
Cathythoughts Two books I LOVED 👍🏻👍🏻❤️❤️ 10mo
Tamra @Cathythoughts yay! I‘m looking forward to them. 10mo
50 likes5 comments
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Evita
The Promise | Damon Galgut
Mehso-so

3 out of 5

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rachaich
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

Gosh, what an unexpected narration and twisting tale.
Overall I couldn't put it down. There were parts which confused me, especially as to who was 'I' as most of it was third person.
But I liked these parts...
The descriptions of the earth and nature were wonderful. I kept re reading sentences and thinking about it.
A bloomin good read 😊😊☺

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rachaich
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Just pinged through my library app 🤗😊

Cathythoughts I really enjoyed this 👍🏻♥️ 1y
15 likes1 comment
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Hooked_on_books
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

I‘m hit or miss with Booker winners, but I found this story of a family in South Africa thought provoking. The story is both intimate and vast, encompassing major historical moments and revealing the depth of racism while focusing down on just a few characters that we get to know well. I feel like my reading time was well spent with this one.

Cinfhen Totally agree😊💕 1y
49 likes1 stack add1 comment
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LaraS
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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#audiodecorating outside for halloween and this 8 legged dude was lurking behind some of my outdoor wood decor. I'm not that close to the water so I don't normally get wharf spiders in my backyard, but clearly this one wanted to help decorate...

This books is good but it requires a bit of big brain energy to keep the characters straight (especially on audio book) and i'm not sure I'm in the mood for that right now.

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Cathythoughts
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

The story of a white South African family , and Salome, the black woman who works for them, who has been promised her own house.
.
A reread for me , the writing blew me away , powerful book. I‘m so grateful to the author.

‘ In this very room both birth and death have taken place. Long ago , maybe, but the blood is still visible on certain days , when time wears thin. ‘

andrew61 Great storytelling Cathy . I will give it a reread at some point as well. 2y
TrishB Wow 😯 looking forward to this one. 2y
Cathythoughts @andrew61 I reread it for our Bookclub… I‘m so glad I did. I must try another of his books 👍🏻 2y
See All 8 Comments
Cathythoughts @TrishB look forward to your thoughts Trish 👍🏻 2y
rockpools Sounds like a must-read… one day! 2y
Cathythoughts @rockpools I think so 👍🏻♥️ 2y
LeahBergen Lovely review, Cathy! 😘 2y
Cathythoughts @LeahBergen Thanks Leah 😘 a very worthwhile reread ♥️ 2y
64 likes1 stack add8 comments
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TrishB
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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#kindledailydeal
Got this one today.

squirrelbrain It‘s very good! 😁👍 2y
Freespirit I will look forward to your review Trish 2y
Brimful I loved it. Clever moving insightful 2y
85 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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BaBaBaBillyAndTheBooks
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

Amor has only felt the full love of her family when she was struck by lightning — her father held her in his arms, her mother, brother, and sister ran to her aid. Since that childhood moment, Amor has been left aside, called only for funerals. And the youngest sibling always dutifully returns. Because if you don‘t have family, what do you have? As Amor sits on the roof of an old home, watching from a distance, you can guess her answer: Freedom.

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AllDebooks
The Promise | Damon Galgut
Pickpick

Wow, this is masterful storytelling. Galgut follows a family on their South African farm, through several decades. Each decade is told from a different family members pov. The characters are so lifelike you can almost hear them breathing. Alongside the immediate family are a collection of friends, extended family, all adding to the story in their unique ways.

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andrew61
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this bk, last yrs booker winner which is for July rdg grp. Told in 10yr intervals from 86 to 2016 a family in South Africa has to live with a promise made on the mother's death bed to gift a farmhouse to the black housekeeper. The style shifts within paragraphs from different protaganists but I was completely absorbed by the changes over those 30 years in such a fractured country.Great writing combined with excellent storytelling

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AllDebooks
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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'The moment the metal box speaks her name, Amor knows it's happened.'

Ooooooh, curiosity sparked.
Book 1 for my #bigjunereadathon challenge @Clwojick

#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

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Jeg
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

Probably not a book I would normally read but it popped up at the op shop. Must say I enjoyed the read. Such wonderful use of language. A bit of a family saga based around a promise that spans the generations. Gave me a bit of an understanding of life in South Africa. Well deserved winner.

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Cinfhen
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

A beautifully written novel about three siblings set in South Africa. Begins in the mid 80‘s and covers several decades. Amor, the youngest sibling believes she heard a promise made between her dying mother and father, that will reverberate throughout her life. I‘m excited to discuss this one with my IRL bookclub next week.

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Cinfhen
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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While my IPad charges (it‘s been losing battery SO QUICKLY 😤) I‘m starting my IRL May bookclub pick. I believe it won the International Booker last year! So far it‘s good.

sarahbarnes Loved this one. ❤️ 2y
67 likes1 comment
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vlwelser
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

I loved this. I picked it for book club before it won the Booker. And I know most of you who are interested already read it, but for those of you who didn't, this gets my recommendation for sure. My book club probably officially hates me. Esp after I totally panned the last book (The Lincoln Highway).

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
36 likes1 comment
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WellReadCatLady
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

Loved this book, South African family drama that takes place during 4 funerals.

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LinesUponAPage
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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The Promise by Damon Galgut is a story about a woman, Rachel Swart who makes a promise to her Black maid, Salome. This promise will divide Rachel‘s family. This book is based in South Africa and spans 30 years. Will The Promise be kept or not? That‘s what I‘m about to find out…

Have you read this book yet? It won the 2021 Booker Prize.

#europaeditions #thepromise #damongalgut #newbooktoread #southafricantale #readtogrow #readingisfundamental

BittersweetBooks Great mug! 2y
LinesUponAPage @BittersweetBooks thanks! It inspires me, that‘s for sure! 2y
46 likes2 comments
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NovelNancyM
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

The premise of this book is so interesting - a young girl thinks she overhears her father make a promise to her dying mother. It may have been a promise or it may have been more an implication Amor believes. The writing and character development are excellent and I think they will stay with me for a long time.

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Rhondareads
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Europa book mail perfect day 😀

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ChaoticMissAdventures
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this. It took me a bit to get through it, so it is a soft pick. I enjoyed the premise of the promise that floats through the story. This is a character driven book and they are not all pleasant which gives complexity to the book.
I can see why it won the Booker, the writing is extraordinary, and it is rare to see a family shown in so many different lights.

29 likes1 stack add
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ChaoticMissAdventures
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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#weeklyforecast
Got to get these library books read and back. The tagged is short but a bit slow going. I am making real progress on 1619, feeling a bit overwhelmed so picked up Lincoln Highway on audio to get some pages in while I work this week.

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ChaoticMissAdventures
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Waiting to hear from the vet who is taking a look at my cat who has been not feeling well since Sunday. Traffic home is so bad I am hiding in a coffee shop reading instead of driving home to drive back to pick her up.
This was due back today, but I am just getting into the meat of the story, glad my library has done away with late fees!

ju.ca.no Hope you cat will feel better soon🤗 2y
ChaoticMissAdventures @ju.ca.no thanks! Day 2 at the vet and they think they have things sorted. Super lucky we have a fantastic clinic. 2y
ju.ca.no @ChaoticMissAdventures that‘s good!🙏🏼 2y
24 likes3 comments
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Readerann
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Mehso-so

Really good writing, but a little too much family misery for me. Didn‘t love it.

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bernadette
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Current read. Such an interesting writing style. Galgut is able to smoothly move from the mind of one narrator to another and it feels almost stream of consciousness but of a family rather than an individual.

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sophies_little_library
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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My weekend read! Finding it much slower than I expected. Should I stick with it?

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Jari-chan
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Panpan

Another book prize winner, another disappointment.

Even though it's written in a readable language, Galgut just couldn't make me care about anything in that book. The characters are nothing more than paper and ink, therefore I didn't care about what happened to them either. Neither could this book add something new to my knowledge about South Africa.

Why did I even finish this?

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Smrloomis Ugh sorry that didn‘t work out! 2y
jlhammar I didn't really get on with this one either. Good to know I'm not alone! 2y
TheAromaofBooks I hate it when I keep reading because I think there is going to finally be a payoff... and then there isn't 😕 2y
30 likes3 comments
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Addison_Reads
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Mehso-so

I can understand why others loved this book and also why it has won so many awards and accolades. Personally though, once I finished it instead of feeling like I had been absorbed into this multilayered family drama, I felt like a stranger on the outside looking in never quite getting the full effect.

The writing is exceptional and raw, the characters complex and interesting, and there's a subtle beauty to the story. I just felt disconnected.

Chelsea.Poole I hate feeling disconnected to the story 😣 2y
48 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Yoricke_SouthAfrica
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Mehso-so

Although I enjoyed this book, I, at times, battled to follow the narrative due the author jumping from one character to the next.
It was, nonetheless, a good story, well worth the read.

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Yoricke_SouthAfrica
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Another fantastic South African author, with a story set in my beautiful home country.
This novel won the 2021 Booker Prize.
I'm very excited to read it.

30 likes1 stack add
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Abailliekaras
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

An elegant, multi-layered, gently satirical novel set in South Africa. It follows three siblings, all believable characters shaped to a greater or lesser extent by their environment - apartheid & its end. Their racist attitudes make for uncomfortable reading but I think was Galgut‘s intent. The writing is superb with an assured sense of place & complex characters. It didn‘t move me but it‘s readable, thought-provoking & beautifully realised.

Simona That is my favourite read for this year and I think that is masterpiece. 2y
Suet624 Another outstanding review. 2y
Abailliekaras @Suet624 thanks! ☺️ 2y
42 likes1 stack add3 comments
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bookaholic1
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Mehso-so

#97
I found this book OKAY, and nothing more

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rmaclean4
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

Great read. This is a novel that I would love to study in a literature class. Layed and nuanced story telling. 4.5 🌟

Cathythoughts Nice review! I really enjoyed this too & just gave my son a copy for his birthday 🤞🏻😁 2y
Brimful Totally agree. I think instance the role of religion in the book hasn‘t been explored in discussions to date 2y
20 likes2 comments
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Graywacke
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

The Booker Prize winner is a satirical and dark look at white owners of a large South African farm. Galgut‘s writing comes across really confident on audio, but also seems to be searching for the right balance of serious themes, human characters, satirical and simple humor. I wouldn‘t call it perfect, but I enjoyed it.

Cathythoughts Great picture & review! I really enjoyed this one too 2y
53 likes1 comment
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BkClubCare
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

#BookerPrize For such a short book, this is dense and slow-going. The narrator was effective but also disorienting because Involved = All-knowing, and the reader is spoken to. We don‘t get enough of the hero, in my opinion and it is heart-breaking to pick favorite characters. The title promise is a diversion from the point of humans frittering away their potential. And I hate that phrase: “not living up to your potential” but there it is.

BkClubCare #tob2022longlist #tob2022 #tob Hope it makes the shortlist. 2y
TEArificbooks Love the dog‘s bandana. I went to school there. 2y
BkClubCare @mdm139 - 😎💜😼 Me, too. I am in Wichita now 2y
TEArificbooks @BkClubCare I lived in Wichita for two years after college. Still have a house there. I love Watermark Books! 2y
BkClubCare @mdm139 Watermark Books is awesome! (Haven‘t met many indie bookstores I haven‘t loved 😂) 2y
40 likes5 comments
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BkClubCare
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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“And that‘s Manie, her much-younger brother, who looks to her eyes like an owl, a baby owl she‘d picked up and kept once as a child.” #owlchild
#booklink #coinky-dink When a book reminds you of another! #Chouette #TOB202LongList #TOB #TOB2022 #BookerPrize2021

BkClubCare Lifluence 18092 (edited) 2y
BkClubCare Chouette is French for 🦉 owl 2y
BkClubCare 14% Milk Tart = 🥧 2y
readingonarainyday What do you think of this book so far? 2y
BkClubCare Good! Some of the phrasing is quite striking. I‘m highlighting a lot. 2y
35 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Suet624
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Pickpick

(The housesitting gig that comes with a cat) It‘s not so much the story…it‘s how the story is told. From the way we move from one character to the next, like we‘re watching a movie that pans slowly across the horizon. It‘s the sudden moments where you‘re wondering who the observer is. Is it a spirit? Is it Time itself, dispassionately narrating a life? While I was interested in the story, I will forever remember how I felt as I moved through it.

Leftcoastzen 😻free cat! 2y
batsy Nice review (and furry friend! 😆) 2y
See All 16 Comments
Suet624 @batsy Thank you! 2y
Suet624 @Leftcoastzen haha. He was missing for about 32 hours and I was wondering if agreeing to housesit had been a good idea. 😜 2y
Leftcoastzen Yikes ! Sometimes they hide so well! 2y
Suet624 @Leftcoastzen this guy is a roamer. He goes miles away and decides when he wants to come home. So I was the only one concerned. 😂 2y
nathandrake1997 Exquisite review Sue ❤️❤️❤️❤️ 2y
Suet624 @nathandrake1997 that‘s so kind of you. Your reviews are always so 🔥👏🏻💕. I so appreciate how much you offer in your posts. 2y
BarbaraBB Fabulous review. I am happy you liked it as much 🤍 2y
Suet624 @BarbaraBB thank you, Barbara. I think you liked it but felt removed from it, right? 2y
BarbaraBB Yes a bit. But I am still thinking about it. 2y
erzascarletbookgasm Lovely review. 👍 I can‘t wait for my library hold in about 6 weeks 😂 2y
Suet624 @erzascarletbookgasm Thank you. I hope you enjoy it. 2y
Reggie Wow, stacked, Sue. What a lovely review. 2y
Suet624 @Reggie it won the Booker Prize. The Committee who voted can‘t be wrong, right? 😄 2y
61 likes2 stack adds16 comments
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Cinfhen
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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TrishB Cool 👍🏻 2y
Cinfhen I LOVE bookclub and hubby NEVER says a word about my book buying for bookclub @TrishB 2y
TrishB It‘s a literary event 😁♥️ 2y
BarbaraBB Great choices! 2y
67 likes4 comments
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Suet624
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Because City Hall has so few people actually working in the building many of us are able to flee at lunchtime to quiet areas in the building to read. Reading the tagged book in one of my favorite spots in the building.

Bookwomble You have a beautiful view, there, Sue 💙💚 2y
BiblioLitten Beautiful! 2y
ValerieAndBooks I want to come back 😭 ! 2y
See All 11 Comments
Hooked_on_books Wow, that‘s gorgeous! 😍 2y
Cathythoughts Beautiful 2y
batsy You're lucky to have that view 🙂💙 2y
Lcsmcat Lovely! 2y
Suet624 @batsy I definitely feel blessed to live in Vermont. 2y
Suet624 @ValerieAndBooks this summer I see a trip in your future. 🙂 2y
kspenmoll What a view!!!!! 2y
Suet624 @kspenmoll it sure is. 💕 2y
59 likes11 comments
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Graywacke
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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My next audiobook, the Booker Prize winner.

JamieArc I really enjoyed this, but wonder how it would be on audio. He does this interesting meandering thing with the narration, where the person speaking changes without you realizing it at first. It took a bit to get used to, but I ended up really liking it. I wonder how that would go on audio. 2y
Graywacke @JamieArc interesting. I suspect it will loose the ambiguity as the narrator just changes voices. But I‘m curious now 2y
BarbaraBB Enjoy! 🤍 2y
See All 8 Comments
Cathythoughts Looking forward to your thoughts! I loved it 👍🏻❤️ 2y
Graywacke @BarbaraBB @Cathythoughts thanks, Cathy, good to know. I‘ve actually read enough about it, plus that award, that I think I need to be careful not to have unfair expectations. 🙂 (I will actually start when i drive into work today…shortly) 2y
Suet624 I‘m reading it right now too! 2y
Graywacke @Suet624 what do you think? Not sure how much is the reader, but the 1st hour has the feeling of a very assured author to me. (edited) 2y
Suet624 @Graywacke I‘m really really enjoying it. It feels like a movie that slides slowly from person to person so effortlessly, tell each person‘s view at the moment. 2y
45 likes8 comments
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BarbaraBB
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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And here‘s the winner of the #Booker prize. I am not really surprised, I can understand why it won. Congratulations to Galgut 🎈
I enjoyed reading this book but I rooted for either Bewilderment or No One is Talking About This!

Cathythoughts I really enjoyed this one 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 2y
squirrelbrain I was rooting for the Lockwood too, but this was my second favourite. 2y
Cinfhen I was also rooting for the Lockwood but I‘m looking forward to reading this one! 2y
See All 15 Comments
sarahbarnes I really loved this one, too. But agree with you on the other ones you thought were wonderful. 2y
EvieBee Yay! I haven‘t read this but I adore him. This is my favorite of his (edited) 2y
Librarybelle I just bought a copy of this through Book Depository! And, I noticed it also works for #ReadingAfrica2022 ! 😉 2y
BarbaraBB @EvieBee That one sounds intense, thanks for the recommendation! 2y
BarbaraBB @Librarybelle Absolutely! I felt sorry when I read it that I hadn‘t waited until 2022 😉 2y
Suet624 Awww, bummer for Lockwood but now I‘m running to put this book on hold from the library. 2y
AnneCecilie I was hoping for either Bewilderment or Great Circle (edited) 2y
Simona I‘m extremely pleased with the winning book 😘 2y
BarbaraBB @Simona You predicted it from the start! 👌🏽 2y
BarbaraBB @AnneCecilie I haven‘t read Great Circle. I should probably! 2y
Simona 🤓🤗 2y
Graywacke I think you were pulling against the CR grain. 🙂 I haven‘t read any of those three titles yet, but I‘m about to start this. Have my audio copy downloaded. 2y
75 likes3 stack adds15 comments
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JamieArc
The Promise | Damon Galgut
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Wow! The book I was rooting for wins the prize! I wasn‘t planning on reading the Booker nominees this year, but am so glad I did. I really enjoyed many of them, and this one in particular gave me a lot to think about. Congrats, Damon Galgut 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

vivastory The only nominee I read was Lockwood's. I do want to read several of them, including Galgut's, but haven't had the emotional energy for a lot of lit fic lately. 2y
Cathythoughts Such a great book!! I enjoyed it very much 👏🏻🎉 (edited) 2y
squirrelbrain I‘m glad I read them all too this year, and I‘m pleased this won. 2y
47 likes3 comments
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Tonton
The Promise | Damon Galgut

The odds are on The Promise. I love the bookmaking on literature prizes! https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/nov/02/damon-galgut-favourite-to-win-2021...

erzascarletbookgasm Makes me want to read it more! 👍 2y
23 likes1 comment
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charl08
The Promise | Damon Galgut
Mehso-so

Finally finished this one. (Mostly) grim reading.

DrexEdit Sounds terrifically grim. . . . and yet. . . it's blurbed by Rian Malan, whose autobiography I've always thought was a terrific book. I'm tempted! Despite the grimness! 2y
charl08 @DrexEdit a book framed around funerals was never going to be light, was it 🤔 Hope you have a good read if you get to it. 2y
35 likes1 stack add2 comments