Costa Book Awards 2017

The winners of the category awards are:

1^st Novel

Gail Honeyman - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted - while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she's avoided all her life.

Judges’ comments – “Eleanor Oliphant is completely fantastic. The end!”

Novel

Jon McGregor – Reservoir 13

Midwinter in the early years of this century. A teenage girl on holiday has gone missing in the hills at the heart of England. The villagers are called up to join the search, fanning out across the moors as the police set up roadblocks and a crowd of news reporters descends on their usually quiet home. Meanwhile, there is work that must still be done: cows milked, fences repaired, stone cut, pints poured, beds made, sermons written, a pantomime rehearsed. The search for the missing girl goes on, but so does everyday life. As it must.

Judges’ comments – “Hypnotic, compelling and original – this stunning novel simply blew us away.”

Biography

Rebecca Stott – In the Days of Rain: a daughter, a father, a cult

An enthralling, at times shocking, and deeply personal family memoir of growing up in, and breaking away from, a fundamentalist Christian cult. At university when I made new friends and confidantes, I couldn't explain how I'd become a teenage mother or shoplifted books for years, or why I was afraid of the dark and had a compulsion to rescue people, without explaining about the Brethren or the God they made for us, and the Rapture they told us was coming.

Judges’ comments – “A stand out winner. We were all gripped and astonished by this unique life and the exquisite way she tells it.”

Poetry

Helen Dunmore – Inside the Wave

This title features poems about mortality, illness, being alive and the borderline between the living human world and the underworld. Sadly, Helen passed away in June 2017.

Judges’ comments – “An astonishing set of poems – a final, great achievement”

Children’s Book

Katherine Rundell – The Explorer

From his seat in the tiny aeroplane, Fred watches as the mysteries of the Amazon jungle pass by below him. He has always dreamed of becoming an explorer, of making history and of reading his name amongst the lists of great discoveries. If only he could land and look about him. As the plane crashes into the canopy, Fred is suddenly left without a choice. He and the three other children may be alive, but the jungle is a vast, untamed place. With no hope of rescue, the chance of getting home feels impossibly small. Except, it seems, someone has been there before them.

Judges’ comments – “A glorious read and a timeless voyage of wonder that will be enjoyed by readers aged 8 – 80.”

The Costa Book of the Year will be announced 30 January 2018.

All the winning titles are available from Torfaen Libraries. 
Reserve a copy

Gwobrau Llyfrau Costa 2017

Enillwyr y categorïau gwobrau yw:

Nofel 1af

Gail Honeyman - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Mae Eleanor Oliphant yn arwain bywyd syml. Mae’n gwisgo’r un dillad i’r gwaith bob dydd, yn bwyta’r un pryd bwyd i ginio bob dydd ac yn prynu’r un dwy botel o fodca i’w hyfed bob penwythnos. Mae Eleanor Oliphant yn hapus. Does dim byd ar goll yn ei bywyd, sydd wedi ei drefnu’n ofalus, Ac eithrio, weithiau, popeth. Mae un gweithred syml o garedigrwydd ar fin dryllio’r muriau y mae Eleanor wedi eu hadeiladu o’i chwmpas. Nawr, rhaid iddi ddysgu sut i fynd o gwmpas y byd y mae pawb arall i’w weld yn ei gymryd yn ganiataol – wrth chwilio am y dewrder i wynebu’r corneli tywyll y mae wedi eu hosgoi ar hyd ei hoes.

Sylwadau’r beirniaid – “Eleanor Oliphant is completely fantastic. The end!”

Nofel

Jon McGregor – Reservoir 13

Canol y gaeaf ym mlynyddoedd cynnar y ganrif hon. Mae merch yn ei harddegau wedi mynd ar goll yn y bryniau yng nghanol Lloegr. Gelwir ar y pentrefwyr i ymuno yn y chwilio, gan fynd allan ar y gweundiroedd wrth i’r heddlu gau’r ffyrdd ac wrth i dorf o ohebwyr darfu ar eu bywyd tawel. Yn y cyfamser, mae gwaith i’w wneud o hyd: gwartheg i’w godro, ffensys i’w trwsio, cerrig i’w hollti, peintiau o gwrw i’w tywallt, gwelyau i’w gwneud, pregethau i’w hysgrifennu, pantomeim i’w ymarfer. Mae’r chwilio am y ferch sydd ar goll yn mynd yn ei flaen, ond felly hefyd bywyd bob dydd. Fel y mae’n rhaid iddo.

Sylwadau’r beirniaid – “Hypnotic, compelling and original – this stunning novel simply blew us away.”

Bywgraffiad

Rebecca Stott – In the Days of Rain: a daughter, a father, a cult

Atgof teuluol hynod, personol iawn o dyfu i fyny, a dianc rhag cwlt Cristnogol ffwndamentalaidd. Yn y brifysgol, pan wnes i ffrindiau newydd, ni fedrwn esbonio sut roeddwn wedi dod yn fam yn fy arddegau neu pam roeddwn yn dwyn llyfrau o siopau am flynyddoedd, neu pam roedd gennyf ofn y tywyllwch a’r orfodaeth i achub pobl, heb esbonio am y Brodyr neu’r Duw a wnaethant i ni, a’r Perlesmair roeddynt yn dweud oedd yn dod.

Sylwadau’r beirniaid – “A stand out winner. We were all gripped and astonished by this unique life and the exquisite way she tells it.”

Barddoniaeth

Helen Dunmore – Inside the Wave

Mae’r teitl hwn yn cynnwys cerddi am farwoldeb, salwch, bod yn fyw a’r ffin rhwng y byd dynol byw a’r isfyd. Yn drist, bu farw Helen ym mis Mehefin 2017.

Sylwadau’r beirniaid – “An astonishing set of poems – a final, great achievement”

Llyfr Plant

Katherine Rundell – The Explorer

O’i sedd yn yr awyren fechan, mae Fred yn gwylio wrth i gyfrinachau jyngl yr Amazon fynd heibio oddi tano. Mae wastad wedi breuddwydio am gael bod yn fforiwr, a gwneud hanes a darllen ei enw ymhlith y rhestri o ddarganfyddiadau hynod. Pe gallai ond glanio ac edrych o’i gwmpas. Wrth i’r awyren syrthio i mewn i’r coed, yn sydyn nid oes gan Fred ddewis. Efallai ei fod ef a’r tri plentyn arall yn dal yn fyw, ond mae’r jyngl yn lle anferth, heb ei ddofi. Heb unrhyw obaith o gael eu hachub, mae’r siawns o fynd adref yn teimlo’n amhosibl o fach. Ac eithrio, mae’n debyg, y ffaith bod rhywun wedi bod yno cyn iddyn nhw lanio.

Sylwadau’r beirniaid – “A glorious read and a timeless voyage of wonder that will be enjoyed by readers aged 8 – 80.”

Cyhoeddir Llyfr y Flwyddyn Costa ar 30 Ionawr 2018.

Mae’r holl deitlau buddugol ar gael o Lyfrgelloedd Torfaen. 

Archebwch gopi