The longlist for the 2024 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been announced today! Thanks to this prize, I have discovered lots of great books and authors and always look out for the longlists and shortlists; in fact, trying to read all of the shortlisted titles since the prize began in 2010 is a personal project of mine (you can see my progress here).
There are twelve books on this year’s longlist and here they are:
The New Life by Tom Crewe (Chatto & Windus)
A Better Place by Stephen Daisley (Text Publishing)
Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein (Bloomsbury)
For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain by Victoria MacKenzie (Bloomsbury)
Music in the Dark by Sally Magnusson (John Murray)
Cuddy by Benjamin Myers (Bloomsbury)
My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor (Harvill Secker)
The Fraud by Zadie Smith (Hamish Hamilton)
Mister Timeless Blyth by Alan Spence (Tuttle)
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng (Canongate)
In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas (Penguin Canada)
Absolutely and Forever by Rose Tremain (Chatto & Windus)
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I’m delighted to see Cuddy on the longlist as I read it just a few weeks ago and predicted that it could be nominated. I’ve also read three others – Music in the Dark, For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain and My Father’s House – and I’m not surprised to see any of these on the list either. Of those three, I particularly enjoyed My Father’s House. The Zadie Smith, Tan Twan Eng and Rose Tremain were already on my radar, but I’m not familiar with any of the others. Lots to investigate!
Have you read any of these books? Which do you think should win the prize?
The shortlist will be announced in May and the winner will be revealed in June at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose.
She Reads Novels 
Note The House of Doors.
Maureen
I’m hoping to read that one soon!
I’ve read and enjoyed exactly the same ones as you, except I’ve only just started Cuddy, which looks as though it’s going to be an exhilarating read. If these have set the standard, I reckon it’s going to be a hard choice.
It looks like a particularly strong longlist this year. I would find it hard to pick a winner from the four I’ve read and I’m looking forward to exploring the rest of the list.
This looks quite a promising longlist. The only one I’ve read so far is The New Life which was extremely good and has been very well reviewed. I’ve read other novels by a few of the authors. Pleased to see Rose Tremain and Tan Twan Eng. Will try and work my way through as many as possible before the shortlist comes out!
I’m pleased to hear you enjoyed The New Life. I doubt I’ll have time to read all of these books before the shortlist is announced, but that’s one I would definitely like to read.
Prepare yourself for a quite explicit novel written about the treatment of homosexuality in the Victorian era. Extremely well written, thought provoking and moving.
Have only read House of Doors from that list but loved it.
That’s good to know! I’m looking forward to reading that one.
You’re doing pretty well already! You’ve read four! I haven’t read any, although The House of Doors is on my list. I’m not the biggest Tremain or Magnusson fan, and I don’t know much about the others, although I usually enjoy O’Connor. It’ll be interesting to see what they pick.
The O’Connor book is really good, maybe the best of the four I’ve read.
Something to look forward to! I’ll probably read it even if it doesn’t make the shortlist.
So happy to see My Father’s House on this list. Now to read The Fraud
I’m definitely planning to read The Fraud!
I read House of Doors and The Fraud. Both were 3* for me. I’ll check your reviews of the ones you’ve read to see if I add some to my reading list.
The O’Connor may be the one I’d like to read amongst the ones you reviewed.
The O’Connor was very good – I would definitely recommend it.
The only one I’ve read is The House of Doors, and I enjoyed it though it wasn’t a favourite. My Father’s House sounds interesting…
My Father’s House is probably my favourite of the four I’ve read.
I struggle with histfic so surprisingly I’ve actually read two of these – the Smith and the MacKenzie – both very good IMO. I can’t say I’m massively tempted by any of the others.
I’m hoping to read the Zadie Smith soon so I’m pleased you liked it despite not being a histfic fan!
I’m keen to read My Father’s House and Great Pain
They are both really good, particularly My Father’s House.
I’m glad for Penguin Canada to have one – I am sure no one there is still the same from my long ago days at Penguin USA but the publishing industry in Toronto has suffered as much as any in recent years.
I can just imagine some of my former colleagues struggling with For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain, complaining that the title is too long and British and trying to come up with another one. They never understood what catches a reader’s eye or interest.
It’s unusual for the Walter Scott Prize to include Canadian books, although there are often Australian ones on the list. I don’t have a copy of it yet, but will try to read it.
I have read three of these books: The New Life, The Fraud and The House of Doors. Probably three of my favorites in recent memory! Of these three The House of Doors was a bit better than the other two. I would be thrilled if this book won the prize! But I’ll be checking out some of the other titles on this long list for sure.
That’s good to know, as I still have all three of those to look forward to! I loved Tan Twan Eng’s The Garden of Evening Mists, so I have high hopes for The House of Doors.