For this years booker prize roundabout, participants are:
sternschnuppe28
Captain Carrot
Juvi
Wasserfrau63
Mondstina
rumble-bee

from amazon:
Marina Thwaite, Danielle Minkoff and Julian Clarke were buddies at Brown, certain that they would soon do something important in the world. But as all near 30, Danielle is struggling as a TV documentary maker, and Julius is barely surviving financially as a freelance critic. Marina, the startlingly beautiful daughter of celebrated social activist, journalist and hob-nobber Murray Thwaite, is living with her parents on the Upper West Side, unable to finish her book"titled The Emperor's Children Have No Clothes (on how changing fashions in children's clothes mirror changes in society). Two arrivals upset the group stasis: Ludovic, a fiercely ambitious Aussie who woos Marina to gain entrée into society (meanwhile planning to destroy Murray's reputation), and Murray's nephew, Frederick "Bootie" Tubb, an immature, idealistic college dropout and autodidact who is determined to live the life of a New York intellectual. The group orbits around the post"September 11 city with disconcerting entitlement"and around Murray, who is, in a sense, the emperor. Messud, in her fourth novel, remains wickedly observant of pretensions"intellectual, sexual, class and gender. Her writing is so fluid, and her plot so cleverly constructed, that events seem inevitable, yet the narrative is ultimately surprising and masterful as a contemporary comedy of manners. 100,00 announced first printing; author tour.(Sept. 4)

this one's a funny one, it took me a while to get into, but then I really liked it. I did think large parts of it (the beginning especially) did read a bit like some sort of chick lit bestseller, all these glamourous people being miserable and lost, the whole thing just begging for a happy end. But it soon became clear that the happy end wasn't going to come and the second half of the book, getting closer to 9/11, really worked.

endlich an juvi weitergeschickt

Ist gestern eingetroffen, danke! Nun versuche ich mich umso mehr mit meinem Buch zu beeilen.
9.7.07: Da ich es immer noch nicht geschafft habe, dieses Buch anzufangen, reist es erst einmal zu Sternschnuppe28.

received just today - perfect for the upcoming weekend! thanks.

Jetzt ist es wieder bei mir und wird nun wirklich gelesen. Danke!

September 2008: I can understand now why other readers said they found it hard to relate to the characters. I managed to do this partly regarding Danielle but failed with all the others. Especially Frederick's decision at the end is hard to comprehend in spite of all that happened before. But that doesn't have to be a drawback because probably these people are not meant to be very likable as they are so self-absorbed most of the time. Although it took me long to read it, this does in no way mean the book was boring, I think the main reason were the many complicated and long sentences which I had to read three times to understand them. I really liked the build-up of suspense and the humour and will probably read another one of Messud's books.

Reist weiter zu CaptainCarrot.

Thanks - the book arrived today. Seems to me that I tend to collect the series this time... I'll do my very best (wich ist not much at the time).