Booker Prize Nominees Include Novels by Kiran Desai, Katie Kitamura and Susan Choi
But she struggled to write a follow-up.
Now, almost two decades later, Desai has been nominated for the Booker again — for 'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,' the novel that she was grappling with during that time.
On Tuesday, the Booker Prize judges announced the 13 novels nominated for this year's edition of the prestigious British literary award, with Desai's novel arguably the highest profile.
Other nominees include Katie Kitamura's 'Audition,' about an actress who becomes embroiled with a man who claims to be her son; Susan Choi's 'Flashlight,' a Korean American family saga; and David Szalay's 'Flesh,' which tells the tale of a man who inveigles his way to a life of privilege.
In Desai's novel, which is scheduled for a Sept. 23 release, two immigrants to the United States return to their native India and meet on an overnight train. The 667-page book has yet to receive any major reviews, but the Booker Prize's judges — who this year include Roddy Doyle and Sarah Jessica Parker — described it in a news release as a 'vast and immersive' work that 'enfolds a magical realist fable within a social novel within a love story.'
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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
British rock icon Terry Reid, known as 'Superlungs,' dies at 75
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Terry Reid, a British powerhouse once courted by rock titans Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, has died. He was 75. Reid's death was confirmed to USA TODAY on Tuesday, Aug. 5, in a statement from his record label, Cleopatra Records, with the company sharing it was "deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and collaborator Terry Reid." The date of Reid's death, nor the singer's cause of death, was disclosed. "Terry wasn't just a legend — he was a true original," the statement read. "His voice had that rare magic that could shake a room or break your heart in a single note. But beyond the voice, Terry was warm, funny, and utterly himself— always. Working with him was never just business; it was a pleasure, a lesson, and often, a bit of beautiful chaos." In recent months, Reid had been "courageously battling cancer as well as numerous other serious health issues," according to a GoFundMe page set up on the singer's behalf in July. A fall tour was postponed due to his ailing health. Born in St Neots, England, in November 1949 to Walter and Grace Reid, Reid's vocal prowess was apparent from an early age. As a child, Reid would accompany his mother, who worked a seasonal job as a fruit picker, to the local orchards, where he would sing pop songs for the workers as he sat atop a fruit crate, according to a biography on Reid's official website. Reid entered the professional music world in his teens, joining rock band Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers at age 15. During this time, Reid was introduced to music producer Mickie Most, who'd worked with acts such as the Animals, Donovan and Herman's Hermits. As a member of the Jaywalkers, Reid embarked on a joint tour of the U.K. in 1966, featuring a who's who of rock 'n' roll royalty that included The Rolling Stones, Ike and Tina Turner, and The Yardbirds. When The Yardbirds disbanded, Reid was drafted by guitarist Jimmy Page for his next group, The New Yardbirds, which would later become hard rock outfit Led Zeppelin. Loni Anderson dies: 'WKRP in Cincinnati' star was 79 Terry Reid carves out rock 'n' roll legacy Reid, who was readying to record his debut album and go on tour with The Rolling Stones, turned down the lead vocalist gig with The New Yardbirds and instead suggested his singing peer Robert Plant, who would go on to become the iconic frontman of Led Zeppelin. "It was a perfect combination," Reid reflected in a 2007 interview with The Independent. "Who's to say what would have happened if Jim and I had got a band? It might have been a bloody failure." The sought-after rock vocalist also famously passed on an offer to replace Rod Evans, lead singer of the British heavy metal band Deep Purple. "It was very flattering. Ritchie (Blackmore) was one hell of a guitar player," Reid told The Independent. Rock icon Ozzy Osbourne: Singer's cause of death released Reid released his solo debut album, "Bang, Bang You're Terry Reid," in 1968 and quickly followed it up with his self-titled sophomore album in 1969. The pop-rock record featured the Donovan-penned track "Superlungs My Supergirl," which gave Reid his musical moniker "Superlungs." Reid's songs have been covered by a wide range of artists, including The Hollies; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Cheap Trick; Marianne Faithfull; and Jack White's band The Raconteurs. "Over the years, we had the honor of collaborating on several projects, each one touched by his soul and spirit," Cleopatra Records said in its statement. "Whether reimagining classic songs or lending his voice to new sounds, Terry brought something timeless and uniquely his own." The statement concluded: "We'll miss the stories, the laughter, and the late-night calls filled with passion and wild ideas. Terry lived music. He was music. And we're grateful for every moment we got to share with him." Reid is survived by his wife Annette.
Boston Globe
4 hours ago
- Boston Globe
'Freakier Friday' is double the body swapping, but not double the fun
Since it's the sequel to the 2003 remake of the 1976 adaptation of Mary Rodgers's book, 'Freakier Friday' ups the ante. By violating the genre's numeric rule, director Nisha Ganatra and writer Jordan Weiss prove that double the bodies does not equal double the fun. Everyone is so bland and one-dimensional, it's easy to forget who's who. Two of the people involved in the mysterious swap are therapist Tess Coleman ( Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Fast-forward 22 years, and Anna is now a single mother with her own rebellious teenage daughter, Harper (Julia Butters). After giving up her musical career to raise Harper, Anna is now the producer for Ella ( Advertisement (L-R) Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Ella and Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman in "Freakier Friday." Glen Wilson/Disney Advertisement Meanwhile, Tess has become a bestselling author of self-help books, and is still married to the easygoing Ryan (Mark Harmon, reprising his role). The elder couple are enjoying their golden years as silver-haired, spry grandparents. Harper's daily high school Hell includes run-ins with Mr. Bates (Stephen Tobolowsky), the same teacher who tormented her mother, and battles with her British chemistry lab partner, Lily (Sophia Hammons). Harper thinks Lily is an overconfident snob with an accent; Lily thinks Harper is an American idiot. After their latest argument destroys the chemistry lab, Anna and Lily's widowed dad, Eric (Manny Jacinto) are called to the principal's office. Anna takes one look at this hunky bad boy turned chef and her face turns into the heart-eyes emoji. The feeling is mutual. One movie montage later, Anna and Eric are planning a wedding. Everyone is happy except the feuding soon-to-be-stepsisters. With just three days until the wedding, will these two ever find any common ground? Cue the body swapping. Disney must have gotten the memo about the 2003 film's bad optics involving magical fortune cookies and Asian characters who spoke broken English. This film's magic comes from Vanessa Bayer's hilarious Madame Jen. She's a fortune teller who has about 17 other side hustles, including business card making and Starbucks barista. The quality of her other gigs aside, Madame Jen is very good at disrupting family drama by spiriting the squabble makers into other people's skin. First, she interacts with Tess and Anna, who are just innocent bystanders. Then, when Lily actively seeks her fortune, Madame Jen scares her and Harper with an otherworldly chant: 'Change the hearts you know are wrong to reach the place where you belong.' Advertisement The next day—a Friday, of course—Harper and Lily switch bodies. Not with each other, but with Anna and Tess. Anna is now Harper and vice versa, which makes sense. Lily and Tess are reversed, which does not make sense. Shouldn't Lily be Eric? No matter. Now that they can impersonate grown-ups, Lily and Harper hatch a plan to break up their parents' impending marriage and reunite Anna with her first love, motorcycle-riding himbo, Jake (once again played by Chad Michael Murray). Lindsay Lohan and Chad Michael Murray reprise their roles in the sequel "Freakier Friday." Glen Wilson/Disney 'They're ripping off 'The Parent Trap,'' I wrote in my notes. 'The Parent Trap' was a 1961 Disney movie whose 1998 remake starred, of all people, Lindsay Lohan. The plot is quite similar, which made me wonder if this film was playing some kind of meta-based 4-D chess. Perhaps it is. 'Freakier Friday' feels like it swapped with the 2003 movie. So many scenes, actors, and subplots are lifted from the earlier film that this one feels redundant. Curtis is also playing the same beats she did last time, except now it's a grandmother acting like a teen. I liked the 'Freaky Friday' remake. It had some real emotional heft to it, much of it due to the excellent performances by Curtis and Lohan. This time, all the characters are one-note, especially the teenagers. Despite the material, the performances aren't bad. Butters and Hammons overshadow their adult counterparts once they assume their new roles. Curtis is intermittently funny, and Lohan gets a few big laughs playing a kid in a grown-up's body. There are also several musical numbers that are well done yet stretch the movie to just under 2 hours. Advertisement The "Freakier Friday" cast includes Julia Butters as Harper Coleman, Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tess Coleman and Sophia Hammons as Lily Davies. Glen Wilson/Disney Like 'Hocus Pocus 2' and any number of recent Disney rehashes, 'Freakier Friday' exists so that the adults who grew up on their predecessors can take their kids to the sequels. Disney has folks convinced that this is the only way to share your love. Nostalgia chooses a different path nowadays, I guess. Because when my mother wanted to share her childhood love of Mary Poppins with me, she showed me 'Mary Poppins.' If I were a kid today, she would have dragged me to 'Mary Poppins Returns' instead. How times have changed. ★★ FREAKIER FRIDAY Directed by Nisha Ganatra. Written by Jordan Weiss. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Mark Harmon, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Vanessa Bayer, Chad Michael Murray, Stephen Tobolowsky. At AMC Boston Common, Landmark Kendall Square, Alamo Drafthouse Seaport, AMC Causeway, suburbs. 111 min. PG (nothing freaky or objectionable) Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
NBC News
6 hours ago
- NBC News
Ozzy Osbourne death certificate reveals rocker died of a heart attack: Reports
Ozzy Osbourne — the heavy metal rockstar turned reality television pioneer — died of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed, according to multiple reports. The certificate filed in London also reportedly said that the Black Sabbath frontman, who was 76, suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease, as previously known. British tabloid The Sun was the first to report on the rock star's cause of death, later reported by The New York Times. Osbourne died on July 22 of "(a) Out of hospital cardiac arrest (b) Acute myocardial infarction (c) Coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease with autonomic dysfunction (Joint Causes)," the certificate reportedly states. Osbourne had spoken publicly about his ailments in the last several years of his life, including his battle with Parkinson's disease. "I'm taking it one day at a time, and if I can perform again, I will," the then 74-year-old singer said in a November 2023 interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Osbourne told the magazine that he attributed some of his health issues to the vast amount of drugs and alcohol he took in his early career. "I do count my lucky stars," he said. "I don't know why I'm still here and I do sometimes think I'm on borrowed time. I said to Sharon the other day, 'What a great f---ing life we've had and what a great f---ing experience.'" In the end, his health issues did not deter him from performing. A little more than two weeks before his death, Osbourne reunited with Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for what would be his final show — in Birmingham, England, the rock star's hometown. The concert drew a crowd of more than 45,000 to Birmingham's Villa Park soccer stadium. An additional 5.8 million metalheads watched the concert online from around the world. Osbourne, dubbed "The Prince of Darkness," performed the show on a bat-themed, black leather throne. Osbourne's wife, Sharon Osbourne, revealed in February that Ozzy was unable to walk because of Parkinson's disease. His death prompted an outpouring of grief from a motley crew of prominent figures, including pop icon Elton John, rock star Jack White and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Osbourne is credited as a pioneer who helped introduce the world to heavy metal music. Throughout his legendary career, he received five Grammy awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, first with Black Sabbath and again as a solo artist. In the early 2000s, Osbourne re-introduced himself to the world, and particularly to a younger generation of fans, on MTV's "The Osbournes." The reality series centered on Osbourne, his wife and two of his four children, bringing the British rockstar into American pop culture in a brand new light. Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Birmingham last week for a funeral procession to honor the rock legend.
