We are delighted to reveal this year’s fantastic Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist, as chosen by our brilliant 2019 judging panel.

Chaired by Professor Kate Williams author, historian and Professor of History, our 2019 judging panel whittled down 163 entries to a brilliant longlist of sixteen.

The discussion amongst the judges was passionate and there were some really tough choices to make. I am thrilled to share this longlist – sixteen incredible books by a diverse group of women, from the UK and countries across the world, all brilliant stories that sweep you into another world. Each of them have been a privilege to read, and they have taken us into places a million miles from each other, exploring the lives of women and men in so many different but utterly compelling ways.

Professor Kate Williams, Chair of Judges

This year’s sixteen longlisted books span both new and well-established writers and a range of genres, including seven debut novels.

The 2019 longlist is:

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
Remembered by Yvonne Battle-Felton
My Sister, the Serial Killer Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Pisces Melissa Broder
Milkman Anna Burns
Freshwater Akwaeke Emezi
Ordinary People Diana Evans
Swan Song Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott
An American Marriage Tayari Jones
Number One Chinese Restaurant Lillian Li
Bottled Goods Sophie van Llewyn
Lost Children Archive Valeria Luiselli
Praise Song for the Butterflies Bernice L. McFadden
Circe Madeline Miller
Ghost Wall Sarah Moss
Normal People by Sally Rooney