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Wondering which of the 13 Booker Prize 2025 longlisted titles to read first? We asked our judges to summarise each novel – and say what they loved about it

From a vast range of global experiences to books brimming with long-held secrets, from fresh voices to Booker Prize alumni, here’s the lowdown on this year’s longlist 

Take a trip to the city that never sleeps with these NYC-set books, which combine the personal and the political, and encompass love, friendship, work and play

Sarah Jessica Parker, one of the Booker Prize 2025 judges, discusses why she’s started to read with a different kind of energy and which Booker Prize book is the most wildly painful to read

Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, one of the Booker Prize 2025 judges, shares how discussions expand her reading experience and her favourite Booker Prize novels

Kiley Reid, one of the Booker Prize 2025 judges, tells us about the stories that sparked her imagination as a child, and why she likes to make books compete against one another

Chris Power, one of the Booker Prize 2025 judges, discusses how Tolkien ignited his love of fiction and how reading as part of a group can be transformative

Roddy Doyle, Chair of the Booker Prize 2025 judges, shares his idea for a dream book club and reveals the fictional character he feels he has known his whole life