Orange Prize Finalists

Finalists for the for £30,000 (US$49,164) Orange Prize for Fiction, which "celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world," were named yesterday. The winner will be honored June 8 in London. This year's shortlist:

"Our judging meeting fizzed for many hours with conversations about the originality, excellence and readability of the books in front of us--credit to the calibre of submissions this year," said Bettany Hughes, chair of judges. "The clarity and human-understanding on the page is simply breathtaking. The number of first-time novelists is an indicator of the rude health of women's writing. The verve and scope of storylines pays compliment to the female imagination. There are no subjects these authors don't dare to tackle."