On 4 March 2025, the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist was revealed! The annual literary award celebrating women writers has previously recognised the talents of so many gifted writers, including these past winners:
The 2025 longlist is as follows:
A disaffected civil servant takes on a job in a new ministry. The judges summarise the book as 'a genre-bending novel, which combines sci-fi, romance, a spy thriller, fantasy and historical fiction. It tells the story of a civil servant who falls in love with a man from 1847 who is brought into the present via a time machine.' This is British-Cambodian author Bradley's debut novel. I have had my eye on this book for some time and can't wait to read it.
Rosa Roshkin is five years old when her family is murdered in a pogrom. Fleeing Poland, she is adopted by a Scottish family. The judges describe this as 'an epic generational story about womanhood and living in a country when you feel home is 'somewhere else'. Spanning the main character's lifetime and witnessing the effect of momentous events such as both World Wars, the creation of Israel and the fall of the Berlin Wall, it shows the dramatic effect on the family for generations to come.' American author Daiches has lived in Scotland for the past fifty years and is the author of three previous novels and two collections of poetry.
In 1951, ten-year-old Josephina kills her abuser. Decades later her granddaughter sets out to discover what happened to her family and shy they left Sri Lanka. The judges describe this as 'a multi-generational story about a Sri Lankan woman, her daughter and granddaughter, spanning decades and countries from Sri Lanka to New Zealand.' de Silva is a Sri Lankan author living in New Zealand. This is her first novel.
Deidre sees herself as a victim and as such frees herself of all obligations. When she returns to her family home in Cape Town she is forced to accept the truth of her past. Jennings is an award-winning South African writer, known for her previous novels Finding Soutbek (2012) and An Island (2020).
An artist leaves her family in Los Angeles to drive across the country for a work trip. A short drive from home, she checks into a motel and stays for the duration of her time away, reflecting on her life and marriage. Consumed by her fear of life after menopause, she sets out to explore her sexual fantasies before it is too late. July is a filmmaker, performance artist and writer, best known for her previous novel The First Bad Man (2015). I absolutely loved All Fours, especially with the audiobook narrated by the author. My review is available on this blog.
Returning home from a trip, Sara is pulled aside at the airport by agents from the Risk Assessment Administration. Using data from her dreams, they predict she may be about to commit a crime. She is held for observation for 21 days in the dream hotel to ensure that she is no danger. Laila Lalami is an American author of five books. I love speculative fiction, so many need to check this out, although it does sound a bit like Minority Report.
In Iran the matriarch of the Valiat family, Elizabeth, remained in Tehran despite the revolution. Her daughters moved to America where they have established new lives for themselves. Decades later the family is fractured and one daughter seeks to restore her family's reputation after scandal. London based author Mahloudji was born in Tehran and fled during the Islamic Revolution. This is her debut novel.
The latest novel by acclaimed Nigerian author of Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), and Americanah (2013), Dream Count was widely anticipated to be on the longlist. It tells the story of four Nigerian/American women during the pandemic. Each woman has their own ambitions and desires, and life hasn't necessarily proceeded according to plan. After a ten year absence from publishing, it is great to have new work by this brilliant author.
Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change her life as she grabs her daughters and drives away from an unsafe home in Dublin. Facing life without a safety net, she has to navigate housing and social security, all the while facing pressure from her husband to return. Can she break free from a toxic relationship and start over? O'Donnell is an award-winning Irish author of short stories. Nesting is her first novel.
Rosanna Pike - A Little Trickerie
Rose Ruane - Birding
Lucy Steeds - The Artist
Tibb Ingleby has lived a vagabond life. Orphaned and alone, she travels across medieval England. The judges said this is a '...moving and funny historical novel, in which a rag-tag band of waifs and strays try to pull off the heist of the sixteenth century. Cheeky, charming and almost Chaucerian, A Little Trickerie is a joy to behold.' Pike is a former primary school teacher and English literature student. This is her debut novel.
In the 1990s Lydia was a teenage pop star. Now three decades later she is caught up in the #MeToo movement when a former lover asks forgiveness. Middle aged Joyce lives at home with her mother Betty. Joyce and Lydia having seemingly unconnected lives, but may end up colliding. The judges said Birding is 'the story of two very different women who live in a seaside town in Britain - it speaks to the reality of being a woman not only today, but also coming of age in the nineties and noughties.' Scottish artist and author Ruane is also the author of This is Yesterday (2019).
It is the summer of 1920 in Provence. Ettie resides in a remote farmhouse with her reclusive artist uncle, the great Edouard Tartuffe. An aspiring journalist, Joseph, arrives to interview the artist. The longer Josepg spends in the household, the more curious he is about what secrets like beneath. This is British author Steeds' debut novel.
In Crosby, Maine, lawyer Bob Burgess is defending a lowly man accursed of murdering his mother. He is also in a deep friendship with local writer Lucy Barton. Meanwhile Lucy befriends the elderly Olive Kitteridge , who tells her stories of peoople's lives. Strout is a Pulitzer Prize winning author best known for her Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton series of novels. I enjoyed reading Kitteridge a few months ago and would be keen to go back into Strout's world.
Fifteen years after the end of World War II, the Netherlands is quiet and has been reconstructed. In a rural Dutch province, Isabel lives a peaceful life in her late mother's country home. When her brother Louis and his girlfriend Eva show up for an extended stay, Isabel's life is disrupted. Dutch author van der Wouden is a lecturer in literature and creative writing. I read this novel last month and really loved it. My review is available on this blog.
Academic Nadia has been dumped by her lover Rosy and disowned by her mother. She decides to take on a job with the UN in Iraq, rehabilitating ISIS women. Here she meets a young East Londoner who joined ISIS at fifteen. Nadia recognises herself in this girl and finds herself bonded in friendship until a confession upends everything again. Author Dr Nussaibah Younis is a peacebuilding practitioner an expert on contemporary Iraq.
These are important, far-reaching novels where brilliantly realised characters navigate the complexities of families and modern relationships, whilst pushing the boundaries placed around them. It’s a list that readers will devour and shows the echoes of world events on everyday lives as well as the power and brilliance of women writing today.
My thoughts on the Longlist
This was an exciting list given there was so many surprises. Last week I blogged my predictions for which books would make the cut. I correctly guessed four titles - novels by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kaliane Bradley, Miranda July and Yael van der Wouden - would make the list. I had expected to see Sally Rooney, Ali Smith, Elif Shafak and Anne Tyler as well and am surprised that one or two of those didnt make it. I am also a bit disappointed that no Australian authors made the list as I was rooting for Emily Maguire or Evie Wyld to be longlisted.
Many of these authors I have not heard of, so I am delighted to be exposed to new writers. Last year's longlist gave me many hours of reading pleasure, so I am hopeful that this year's list will do the same. I have read and loved the novels by July and van der Wouden. I am also keen to track down the works by Bradley, Pike, Strout and Lailami.
If I had to pick a shortlist, I would choose All Fours, Dream Count, The Safekeep and Tell Me Everything to be among those listed.
The shortlist will be announced on 2 April 2025 and the winner will be revealed on 12 June 2025. Happy reading!
Want more Longlist fun? Here are the judges announcing the longlist.