Taylor Jenkins Reid wins Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award

Taylor Jenkins Reid has been awarded the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award for her sixth novel, Daisy Jones and the Six (Arrow). The author receives £2,000 and an engraved glass bell. 

The book tells the story of the rise and fall of a fictional '70s rock band, and is written as a series of fragmented interviews with the members of the band. It is loosely based on the true story of Fleetwood Mac’s recording of their hit album "Rumours".

Reid's novel was announced as the winner by Mariella Frostrup on Times Radio today (2nd July). It was part of an all-female shortlist, and was up against Bernardine Evaristo’s Booker-winning Girl, Woman, Other, (Hamish Hamilton), Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, the Serial Killer, (Atlantic Books), Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s historical thriller Blood & Sugar (Mantle), Erin Morgenstern’s fantastical second novel, The Starless Sea (Harvill Secker), and debut novelist Anita Frank’s ghost story The Lost Ones (HQ). 

Launched in 2017, the annual award recognises contemporary fiction and "quality storytelling" in any genre. 

David Headley, co-founder of Goldsboro Books and founder of the Glass Bell Award, said: "My team and I hugely enjoyed judging this prize. Amidst everything, it gave us all the opportunity to completely lose ourselves in six incredibly compelling and completely different stories—all of which fulfilled the prize’s brief. It was a tough decision—there was so much to say and enjoy about each book. But we kept coming back to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s captivating, clever and often very funny tale of a fictional '70s rock band. Each character comes to life through the immersive interview style, and all of us agreed that the pages practically turned themselves. It’s a brilliant achievement."

The novel is being adapted into a 12-part Amazon series produced by Reese Witherspoon, with actor Riley Keough attached to play the title character.