Waverton Good Read Award
Encyclopedia
The Waverton Good Read Award was founded in 2003 by villagers in Waverton, Cheshire
, England
, and is based on Le Prix de la Cadière d'Azur, a literary prize awarded by a Provençal
village. Adult debut novel
s written by UK residents and published in the previous twelve months are eligible for consideration and are read by villagers. "The aim was not only to stimulate reading in the village but to provide encouragement to British writers". Two of the main founders were Gwen Goodhew (b 21 October 1942) an educational specialist who established Wirral Able Child Centre and has written and edited books on teaching the gifted child and Wendy Smedley.
It is the first British award to be judged by normal readers rather than literary figures.
In 2011, the inaugural Waverton Good Read Children's Award was awarded to Stephanie Burgis for A Most Improper Magick.
Waverton, Cheshire
Waverton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies about 5 km south east of Chester...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and is based on Le Prix de la Cadière d'Azur, a literary prize awarded by a Provençal
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
village. Adult debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
s written by UK residents and published in the previous twelve months are eligible for consideration and are read by villagers. "The aim was not only to stimulate reading in the village but to provide encouragement to British writers". Two of the main founders were Gwen Goodhew (b 21 October 1942) an educational specialist who established Wirral Able Child Centre and has written and edited books on teaching the gifted child and Wendy Smedley.
It is the first British award to be judged by normal readers rather than literary figures.
Winners and shortlists
| Year | Winner | Shortlisted |
|---|---|---|
| 2003/4 | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a 2003 novel by British writer Mark Haddon. It won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year and the 2004 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book... , by Mark Haddon Mark Haddon Mark Haddon is an English novelist and poet, best known for his 2003 novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.- Life and work :... |
|
| 2004/5 | Boy A Boy A Boy A is the title of a 2004 novel by British writer Jonathan Trigell.-Premise:The book is the story of a child criminal released into society as an adult, taking its title from the court practice of concealing the identity of child defendants.... , by Jonathan Trigell |
At Risk At Risk is a 1994 film about a woman name Lara, after spending a year in Mexico unsuccessfully trying to save her marriage to Steven, returns to the U.S. to find Max, her lover in this AIDS cautionary tale.-Starring:*Elana K. Pyle as Lara Wade... , by Stella Rimington Stella Rimington Dame Stella Rimington, DCB is a British author, who was the Director General of MI5 from 1992 to 1996. She was the first female DG of MI5, and the first DG whose name was publicised on appointment... The Two Pound Tram The Two Pound Tram is a novel written by Wiliam Newton . It was first published in 2003 to great acclaim and won the 2004 Society of Authors Sagittarius Prize... , by William Newton |
| 2005/6 | A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian is a novel by Marina Lewycka, first published in 2005 by Viking .The novel won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize at the Hay literary festival, the Waverton Good Read Award 2005/6, and was short-listed for the 2005 Orange Prize for Fiction, losing to... , by Marina Lewycka Marina Lewycka Marina Lewycka is a British novelist of Ukrainian origin, currently living in Sheffield, England.-Biography:Marina Lewycka was born in a refugee camp in Kiel, Germany after World War II. Her family subsequently moved to England where she now lives... |
The Family Tree The Family Tree - a short-lived television series made in 1983. It was preceded by The Six of Us, a 1982 television movie that served as a pilot episode.-Plot:... , by Carole Cadwalladr Carole Cadwalladr Carole Cadwalladr is a British author. Her first novel, The Family Tree, was shortlisted for the 2006 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the Author's Club First Novel Award, the Waverton Good Read Award, and the Wales Book of the Year. It was also a Daily Mail Book Club pick and was dramatised as a... Linda Gillard Linda Gillard is a British author. Her first book, Emotional Geology, was shortlisted for the Waverton Good Read award. Her second novel is A Lifetime Burning. She spent six years based on the Isle of Skye before relocating to the Isle of Arran.... Harry Thompson Harry William Thompson was an English radio and television producer, comedy writer, novelist and biographer.... |
| 2006/7 | The Killing Jar, by Nicola Monaghan Nicola Monaghan Nicola Monaghan is an English novelist and author of The Killing Jar, Starfishing and The Okinawa Dragon.Monaghan was listed in The Independent’s New Year 2006 list of rising talent, and won a Betty Trask Award, the Author's Club Best First Novel Prize and the Waverton Good Read Award for her debut... |
Liz Byrski Elizabeth Ann Byrski is an Australian writer and journalist.-Biography:After graduating from Notre Dame Convent in Lingfield, Surrey, in 1960, Byrski furthered her education at the Crawley College of Further Education and the Wall Hall College of Education . Her first job was as a secretary at a... Lucy Caldwell Lucy Caldwell is a Northern Irish playwright and novelist.Born in Belfast in 1981 in what she later described as into one of the darkest and most turbulent years of the Troubles: the year the hunger strikes began, when within a few months Bobby Sands and nine others died; when things seemed to be... Nick Stone (author) Nick Stone , is a British thriller writer.-Background:Born in Cambridge to historian Norman Stone and his Haitian wife,... |
| 2007/8 | Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is an upcoming British comedy film directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor and Kristin Scott Thomas. The screenplay is by Simon Beaufoy, based on a novel of the same name by Paul Torday. Principal photography began on August 6, 2010 and was... , by Paul Torday Paul Torday Paul Torday is a British writer and the author of the comic novel, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. The book was the winner of the 2007 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic writing and was serialised on BBC Radio 4... |
Gifted (novel) Gifted is the debut novel by author Nikita Lalwani longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award. It was first published in 2007 by Viking.-Plot introduction:... , by Nikita Lalwani Nikita Lalwani Nikita Lalwani is a novelist born in Kota, Rajasthan in 1975 and raised in Cardiff, Wales. She studied English at Bristol University and her first book, Gifted, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award. She was also nominated as Sunday Times Young... In the Woods In the Woods is a 2007 mystery novel by Tana French about a pair of Irish detectives and their investigation of the murder of a twelve year old girl... by Tana French Tana French Tana French is an Irish novelist and theatrical actress. Her debut novel In the Woods , a psychological mystery, won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards for best first novel... Roma Tearne Roma Tearne is a Sri Lankan born artist and writer. Her first novel, Mosquito, has been shortlisted for the 2007 Costa Book Awards first Novel prize.-Art:... Camilla Way Camilla Way is an English author and was previously an editor at men's style magazine Arena since 2005. Her first book, The Dead of Summer, was published in 2007.Camilla Way is the daughter of poet and author Peter Way... |
| 2008/9 | Child 44 Child 44 Child 44 is a thriller novel by British writer Tom Rob Smith, and features disgraced MGB Agent Leo Demidov, who investigates a series of gruesome child murders in Stalin's Soviet Union.... by Tom Rob Smith Tom Rob Smith Tom Rob Smith is an English writer. The son of a Swedish mother and an English father, Smith was born and raised in London.Smith studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, following his graduation in 2001 he received the Harper Wood Studentship for English Poetry and Literature and continued his... |
Sadie Jones Sadie Jones is an English writer and novelist.Jones was raised in London, the daughter of Evan Jones, a Jamaican-born poet and scriptwriter, who worked with director Joseph Losey on several projects and Joanna Jones, an actor... |
| 2009/10 | The Ghosts of Eden by Andrew Sharp Andrew Sharp Andrew Sharp is a Philippines-born ice hockey player. He is currently playing for the Guildford Flames in the English Premier Ice Hockey League .... |
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| 2010/11 | Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson |
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In 2011, the inaugural Waverton Good Read Children's Award was awarded to Stephanie Burgis for A Most Improper Magick.
External links
- Waverton Good Read website
- Saint, T. 'I'm not even the fifth best novelist in Waverton', Telegraph (30 June 2004)
- Keeper of the Snails: The Waverton Good Read Award (interview with one of the organisers)