George Hardy is the man from whom the novel takes its title from. He is a photographer and surgeon and a very complex character that is attracted to both men and women. Well. The books that beat Bainbridge to the Booker Prize - including J.G. Farrell’s The Siege of Krishnapur and A.S. Byatt’s Possession - stand tall many years later, but it’s true that she was the most shortlisted author never to win, with five appearances on the Booker Prize shortlist. Even a special posthumous ‘ Best of Beryl’ prize couldn’t assuage that.

Only the judges in the other five years can say why Bainbridge’s books came close but not close enough. Perhaps her individuality worked against her: the books’ uncategorisable nature – mordant, unpredictable, melodramatic, funny, horrific, playful – may have divided the judging panels. Such decisions are often the result of a compromise, and compromise was something Bainbridge never did. When she was awarded the David Cohen Prize for Literature – a lifetime achievement award – in 2003, she was typically direct. ‘One hundred years ago, only 10% of the population ever devoured what is alluded to as serious literature. It is my belief that things haven’t changed, nor should we wish it otherwise. All the arts – music and painting and the written word – are by their very nature elitist, which is why they have such power to enrich our lives.’ For the first time, he also provides the jaw-dropping answer to how fast she would still be on modern cycling technology. Long ignored by sporting history, Burton's life story - recently told by Maxine Peake in a stage and radio play - is finally getting the recognition she deserves. A panel of judges from the world of sports and journalism, chaired by author and journalist, Alyson Rudd, concluded a four-month judging process, whittling a record 158 entries down to the winning book. On receiving the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, Jeremy Wilson said: “I followed this award in the 1980s and 90s and must have half the previous winners on my book shelves. It’s inspired me to read sports books and write one. I felt such a responsibility to tell this story, Beryl made history and delivered this incredible story and I was fortunate to tell it. I share this award with her.”Some of these included the single American urban planner, a German prisoner of war, the married American medical student, the married antique dealer, and the fat physics professor. The story is told from the perspective of three other characters. One of these is a foundling named Myrtle who had been found by George but was brought up by the Hardy’s.

Entry to the 35th William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award is now open. For more information about the Award and to enter, please visit: https://news.williamhill.com/sport/sports-book-of-the-year/ The gorgeously cheek-boned and doe-eyed Beryl Bainbridge had issues with self-esteem and believed herself unattractive. She perhaps developed her impossible romantic perspective of love from the very unhappy marriage of her parents.

Similarly, there is some explanation of life behind the Iron Curtain, and how 'an ingrained doping system inside Russia' is likely to have 'unfairly denied [Burton] further world titles'. It's not just about Burton, but also about the era in which she was operating. The author was born in 1932 in Liverpool and grew up in a small village near the city. According to the author, she had to endure the mutual incompatibility of sometimes hard-pressed but respectable parents. The two women could not be any more different in their personalities and have nothing in common with their Italian colleagues that they have to work with at the factory. Following a series of reconciliations and breakups, she finally got married to Austin Davies the painter. He never was a good choice for marriage as his biggest motivation in life was his art rather than human relationships. Ludicrously ahead of her time. Ruthless, relentless, brilliant, belligerent - and quite possibly the greatest Olympian Britain never had. What a story.' - Alistair Brownlee

Jeremy Wilson’s book, Beryl: In Search of Britain’s Greatest Athlete, Beryl Burton, has been crowned the 2022 winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award at an official ceremony today (1 December), at BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, in London. In her later life, she had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and soon after had cancer that resulted in her death aged 77. Bear in mind that this only covers those aspects that could be measured reliably: Burton didn't benefit from the advances in other areas that help today's riders, such as training and nutrition. In addition, 'course conditions, notably road surfaces and traffic, throw up further possible advantages that can never be precisely measured'. Expected Goals: The Story of how Data Conquered Football and Changed the Game Forever by Rory Smith Yet she carried on winning, beating men and - infamously - competing against her own daughter, while working on a farm and running a household. Her motivation, sparked by appalling childhood illness, is as fascinating as her achievements are stunning.The author had been exposed to films and drama from a very early age and this made her appreciate the written word more than the spoken one. This would perhaps explain why she would become so obsessed with rhythmic prose and how it needed to sound when spoken out loud. Beryl Bainbridge, the eternal Booker bridesmaid, ‘should have won it three or four times’, said her friend Paul Bailey following her death in 2010. ‘Hers were better than the junk that did win.’ Master Georgie, shortlisted in 1998, was perhaps the most striking of Bainbridge’s near-misses. In what the chair of the judges, Douglas Hurd, called ‘a quiet year’, Master Georgie finished behind Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam, a novel that few, 25 years on, would consider to be among his best work. And the last novel published in Bainbridge’s lifetime, According to Queeney (2001), was longlisted but not shortlisted. One of the judges, Philip Hensher, quite reasonably argued that ‘the media excitement over Beryl Bainbridge actually damaged her chances […] We realised that if we shortlisted her, she had to win. There was no point in blotting out the winner’s publicity with a storm of “Beryl Bridesmaid Again” headlines.’ On the other hand, is Dr. Potter a geologist who is the husband to Beatrice who is George’s sister. He is a little pompous and a verbose man who is very observant too.

A beacon is a guiding light, or a warning signal... a fire in a high place. Beryl Burton was, and is, all of those things. Her flame burns all the brighter thanks to Jeremy's fine book.' - Carlton Kirby Last time I wrote a review about a biography of Beryl Burton (which is not something you get to say very often), I questioned why it had taken so long for one to appear; now I am wondering why we have another one already! Beryl broke numerous records throughout her career. She was the first woman to go under the hour for 25 miles and subsequently broke the two and four-hour barriers for the 50 and 100’ mile durations. She studied at the very school where Julie Andrews had gone to study Arts. Beryl proved herself exceptional in drama and went on to have a haphazard career in London and Liverpool, with stints working for several repertory companies. By the 1960s, schools had grown more ethnically diverse, and Gilroy’s challenge was now to consider the different cultural expectations of teaching. Still, she was a sensitive and experimental educator who cared deeply for expanding young minds through child-centred learning. “The pace, the temperature and the pulse of the classroom had to suit each child,” she wrote. “I turned to art and drama to help them towards an awareness of alternatives and to set new boundaries of their thinking.”

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

By the time Beryl Bainbridge was 40 years old, she had managed to achieve financial and critical success with her fiction.