Wow what a remarkable story. Such a poignant story full of hope. Extremely relevant to todays world and should be read by everyone.

I am not sure why it took me so long to read this book but I regret it. Told from multiple perspectives, from various people whose stories I realised intertwined, this book was just lovely. I often went back and re-read the perspectives of the other stories that a character featured in before I read their main chapter. To see how people see themselves and how a variety of different other people see them is eye opening and very interesting. While I liked some characters more than others I really liked how the revelations of the different perspectives felt like unwrapping a pass-the-parcel girl or watching a flower unfurl. Beautifully done and a worthwhile read.

This outstanding book features 12 interwoven stories that touch on race, gender, identity and sexual politics. I could have read a novel about each of the characters, they were all fascinating in different ways. In places the book was so intimate and raw, so intensely personal you almost felt as though you were peeking through the curtains at the characters' most private thoughts and experiences. Bernadine Evaristo has created a masterpiece with this book, I will be recommending it and returning to it again and again. Thanks NetGalley!

I’m a bit late to this one – have been meaning to read it for ages, and finally got round to it over Christmas. I really wish I’d read it sooner.
Unconventional, thought-provoking, pertinent, this is like a breath of fresh air.
Following twelve women in the UK, ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ explores the nature of relationships, with others and with ourselves. The twelve women are connected, their stories weaving around each other’s, each one warm, human, real.
There is no punctuation, but this is fundamental to the story-telling. The stories almost crash into one another, rolling like waves, giving the whole thing a rhythm that carries the narrative forward.
Impressive, important and well-deserving of the booker Prize, this is a novel I’ll remember for a long time.

A fascinating read about the lives, past and present, of a number of black women, linked by family and friendships. These are strong-willed women who have overcome racism and other hardships and have reached relative success in a number of spheres.

Men are mostly an absence but, as the women reflect (through 3rd person narration) on past life and their forebears, some are regarded as a deep loss.

There is a real sense of strength and identity and joy in these lives. These women face the future with confidence.

The book is beautifully written and well-paced throughout.

This book is a powerful look at feminism, racism and gender-identity.

On one hand it is a collection of short stories about women of different cultures, races and ages. And on the other it is an overarching tale of interconnected people and the struggles they have faced over generations.

I learnt so much from this book in terms of British and American race history. I loved the historical references which anchored the stories to their time.

The lack of full stops was a struggle and I nearly gave up at the start, however I am so glad I persevered and feel this was a literary ploy to show how it can be worth persevering with understanding others who may present as other.

The story that hit me the hardest was Dominique. I also loved the story of Megan/Morgan.

This book shows how feminism and racism mean different things to different people, experiences change due to location, time and personality. The book also shows how your identity can be upturned in an instant and how that can change your whole world view.

Brilliant.

I’m not surprised this won the Booker and it does seem seem a shame that the author had to share it. It takes a while to get used to a couple of points of style. It has a lack of punctuation and is split into several seemingly unrelated narratives, so just as you get used to one you’re already moving on. If you’re used to linear narratives and a plot that’s very clearly signalled, this isn’t the book for you. However, I think it’s there for a reason. The lives she’s depicting here are chaotic, interrupted, different - so the novel is written with a similar style, There are similarities to the sections though - each one features a black woman, someone whose story hasn’t been told in conventional fiction. I’m very interested in fiction that writes back and represents those edited from history such as people of colour, people with disabilities, or from the LGBTQA community. Together these seemingly disparate pieces create a patchwork quilt of Black British heritage.

There are two points where some of our characters meet: an after party following a play written by Anna from the first narrative and a second, really strong link as one character researches her heritage and discovers something some readers may already have suspected. This latter link is very successful. Each section is incredibly diverse with characters that are startlingly different to each other, so there’s no room to confuse each section or any of the characters as some reviewers complain. They differ in gender, sexuality, profession, location and actually dismiss many misconceptions about Black British history. We go back to a Britain before Windrush and meet black characters living in Britain earlier in history than some readers might expect, we meet young black men who have ambition and purpose. It covers the breadth of Black British experience and shows us how complex, diverse, and often unwritten these stories are. I really enjoyed it and have recommended it to friends too.

I will keep this short. I couldn't get into it and the lack of punctuation bothered me. Still, I see why it's so successful and popular, just not for me at this time.

Girl, Woman, Other is an outstanding read! The fusion of styles, and the daring structure result in an immersive piece which you feel compelled to complete.

Girl Woman Other is at its heart a wonderful story about women, women of colour, women who have overcome struggles, women who refuse to be defined by their gender or their colour. It's about shame and regret and determination. It is also about love and friendship and motherhood. The cast of women who feature in this book are all wonderful in their own right - they're inspiring and strong and complex. The way each woman's story relates to one another's is so clever, and the writing is exquisite. A thought-provoking and important political statement, Girl Woman Other is one of the most exceptional books I have read.

Ok, but doesn’t live up to the hype. I found it did not hold my attention. A shame, as I was looking forward to this book

This one is award winning for a reason. An exceptional story that absorbed me wholly, even though this isn't my usual kind of read. Everyone I know adores this so I'm so glad I got to pick it up. The structure of the book, and the seamless shift between characters made it a fascinating delight to read and I love Evaristo's narrative itself. She has a way with words that is impossible to look away from. Girl, Woman, Other is vibrant, diverse and enlightening and I highly recommend.

LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED THIS. Such a powerful read. Brilliantly written.

Completely worthy of all the accolades and the Booker Prize win. Beautifully written, tactfully approached. An outstanding novel that will stay with me forever. Bravo.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Advanced reader copy.

I still can’t decide whether I loved this book or not. I find it so difficult to review short stories collections - some of them I really loved, some of them I felt very indifferent towards. Since one of the best stories, in my opinion, was the 3rd one (Dominique’s), I was left feeling rather “meh” overall.

Dominique’s story is the one that stood out the most to me. It was one of the most tragic, in my opinion, and the one that really shook something within me.

«Girl, Woman, Other» is not like any other collection I’ve read. Each story focuses on one woman at a time, but all of them are connected - mothers, daughters, friends, lovers, etc. Every story was powerful, emotional, and brought to attention various matters - racism, feminism, immigration, women’s rights, sexuality, abuse, the list goes on and on.

Without question, the best book I've read this year. This cast of unique, fabulous and ultimately very real characters will stay with you for weeks after reading. There are deeply important social issues raised in a way that never feels contrived. It's moving, upsetting, genuinely funny in parts - a beautifully written story that manages to encompass so much of the reality of women in today's world.

This is every bit the masterpiece as everyone has been saying it is for the past year. Once again, I'm incredibly annoyed at myself for how long I left it unread amongst the sea of books on my Kindle 'to read' shelf. Things often get lost for several months in there. Thankfully, I had the upcoming Edinburgh International Book Festival to remind me to pick this one in order to fully enjoy and appreciate Bernadine Evaristo's event with Nicola Sturgeon.

This novel features incredible scope, honing in on the lives of twelve very distinctive characters. We learn about their families, their fashion sense, their life experiences, their sexual experiences, their political views, their hopes and dreams and their failures.

I was initially taken aback by the style of this novel on the page, with its lack of punctuation, proper sentencing, speech marks and capitalisation. I thought it would annoy me actually, when I read the first page. Somehow, I had managed to let that piece of information escape me all this time and must have forgotten about it, because surely I read it mentioned in a review at some point. However, I easily settled in, and far quicker than I expected. It becomes second nature by the time the first few pages pass, and then feels natural.

Reading this book is a full blown experience.

Incredibly beautiful and engaging modern story. Found this thoroughly addictive and was unable to put it down! Well-deserving of all of its praise!

What a great read. A series of linked stories, exploring race, sexuality and gender - many different aspects of blackness in Britain today. Evaristo creates real people, complex, questioning, sometimes sure of themselves, sometimes bewildered, and pulls it all together with intelligence and compassion.

Absolutely loved this book. Should have stood alone as the Booker winner (no Sade directed at Atwood, but this is such a powerful read and it should have stood in its own right.