Congratulations to Tasmanian writer Heather Rose, whose book The Museum of Modern Love has been named winner of the 2017 Stella Prize.
The $50,000 prize is for Australian women writers and only books, both fiction and non-fiction, published in 2016 were eligible.
Apparently it took Rose 11 years to write this book. It’s a testament to her dedication and perseverance that it came to fruition, for this is a rather extraordinary novel, highly original and with a unique structure and with so much to say about art and its power to change our lives.
This is how the judges described it:
It is rare to encounter a novel with such powerful characterisation, such a deep understanding of the consequences of personal and national history, sch affection for a city and the people who are drawn to it, and such dazzling and subtle explorations of the importance of art in everyday life.
You can read the full judges’ report and more about the book on the Stella Prize website.
The Museum of Modern Love is currently only available in eBook format in the UK and North America.
Reading Matters 
Which novel would you have chosen Kim?
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This was my favourite on the list, but I had an inkling The Hate Race would win it because of the subject matter.
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I had a gut feeling The Museum of Modern Love would win, even though I didn’t really like it all that much. It was ok but I’m definitely in the minority with my opinion! I did think The Hate Race was favourite to win, but I had my heart set on Between a Wolf and a Dog – I absolutely adored it 🙂
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Oh, that’s interesting… I didn’t like Between a Wolf and a Dog very much at all… but it’s our differences that makes the world go round. I agree with you about The Hate Race though… I was sure it would win because it’s such a timely read about an important issue.
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