The Orange Prize Books Reading List
The 2010 Orange Prize for Fiction Short List
PAGE 2
The Orange Prize for Fiction is awarded to the woman who, in the opinion of the judges, has written the best full-length novel in English, provided that the novel is published for the first time in the United Kingdom between April 1 of the year before the prize is awarded and March 31 of the year in which the prize is awarded.

The Lacuna
By Barbara Kingsolver
The short list for the 2010 prize also included:

By Rosie Allison
As Hitler prepares to invade Poland, 8-year-old Anna Sands is torn from her mother and relocated to a large Yorkshire estate owned by an enigmatic, childless couple. As Anna gets drawn into their unraveling relationship, she becomes part-witness and part-accomplice to a love affair, with unforeseen consequences.

By Attica Locke
On a dark night in Houston, Jay Porter saves a distressed woman from drowning and is ensnared in a murder investigation that could cost him his practice, his family and even his life. But before he can untangle the mystery that stretches to the highest reaches of corporate power, he must confront the demons of his past.

By Hilary Mantel
In the 1540s, King Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of 20 years and marry Anne Boleyn. With the pope and most of Europe opposing him, the quest soon destroys his advisor, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey, and opens the door for Thomas Cromwell to pick his way deftly through a court where "man is wolf to man."

By Lorrie Moore
Twenty-year-old Tassie Keltjin, a ''half-Jewish" farmer's daughter from the plains of the Midwest, takes a job as a part-time nanny and is drawn more deeply into an increasingly complicated household. As the year unfolds, love leads her to new and formative experiences until the past and the future burst forth in dramatic and shocking ways.

By Monique Roffey
When the Harwoods arrive in Trinidad, George instantly takes to their new life, while his wife feels isolated, heat-fatigued and ill at ease. She finds solace in writing letters she will never send to a charismatic political leader. Years later, when George discovers her cache of letters, he decides to prove his love for her, with tragic consequences.
Interested in first-time authors? Check out the Orange Award for New Writers short list