Six Books Shortlisted for Orange Prize

Six books have been shortlisted for the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction, the annual prize award to the best novel of the year by a woman. The finalists include three American authors: Marilynne Robinson, for her book, Home, Ellen Feldman, author of Scottsboro, and Samantha Hunt, author of The Invention of Everything Else. Toni Morrison was on the initial list of contenders for the prize for her book A Mercy—about the 17th century slave trade—but didn’t make the final cut. The prize, which is about $43,000, will be awarded in June.