Daisy Jones and the Six wins the 2020 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award

Taylor Jenkins Reid has been awarded the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2020 for her sixth novel, the ‘immersive’ and ‘captivating’ Daisy Jones and the Six, which tells the story of the rise and fall of a fictional 70s rock band. Written as a series of fragmented interviews with the members of the band, and those around them, it is loosely based on the true story of Fleetwood Mac’s recording of their hit album Rumours.

Daisy Jones and the Six was announced as the winner, live on the afternoon on Thursday 2nd July, on Mariella Frostrup’s new show on Times Radio. It was part of an all-female shortlist, and was up against Bernardine Evaristo’s Booker-winning Girl, Woman, Other; Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, the Serial Killer, which was awarded the British Book Award Crime & Thriller Book of the Year earlier in the week; Blood & Sugar, Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s critically acclaimed historical thriller; Erin Morgenstern’s fantastical second novel The Starless Sea and debut novelist Anita Frank’s haunting ghost story The Lost Ones.

The sixth novel from Los Angeles-based Jenkins Reid, whose previous books include The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. It is being adapted into a 12-part Amazon series produced by Witherspoon, with Mad Max actor Riley Keough attached to play Daisy Jones.

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.”

Founded in 2017 by David Headley, Managing Director of Goldsboro Books, the Glass Bell Award was set up to reward compelling storytelling with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised’, and is the only award to reward storytelling in all genres, from romance and crime to historical and speculative. Previous winners are Chris Cleave, for his extraordinary Second World War novel Everyone Brave is Forgiven (Sceptre); John Boyne for his sweeping, poignant and comedic odyssey of post-war Ireland, The Heart’s Invisible Furies (Transworld) and Christina Dalcher for her thought-provoking dystopia Vox (HQ).

About Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Cornerstone)
For a while, Daisy Jones and the Six were everywhere. Their albums were on every turntable, they sold out arenas, their sound defined an era. And then, on July 12 1979, they split. Nobody ever knew why. Until now. From the early days to the drug-fuelled nights, this is an all-consuming retelling of ambition and passion that made Daisy Jones and the Six and the jealousies and rivalries that broke them. It was a time of sexual tension, tough decisions and missed opportunities. And while this aims to be a true story, everyone remembers the truth differently. The one thing everyone knows, is that from the moment Daisy Jones sauntered, barefoot, on to the stage at the Whisky, the band were irrevocably changed. Daisy had no interest in being somebody else’s muse. She was going to be the somebody and she lit a fire in everyone around her. But making music is never just about the music. And sometimes it can be hard to tell where the sound stops, and feelings begin…

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of six novels. She is a full-time film and television writer in addition to being a prolific novelist. Her novels include The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017), One True Loves (2016), Maybe in Another Life (2015) and After I Do (2014). She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Alex, and her dog, Rabbit. About

The Glass Bell Award

Launched in 2017, the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award is awarded annually to an outstanding work of contemporary fiction, rewarding quality storytelling in any genre. The winner of the Glass Bell will receive £2,000 in prize money, and a handmade, engraved glass bell. The jury of ten consists of team members from Goldsboro Books, DHH Literary Agency and The Dome Press. There is no fee, or limit to the number of books that a publisher may submit, allowing both established and debut authors a chance to win. Previous winners are Chris Cleave, for Everyone Brave is Forgiven (Sceptre), John Boyne for The Heart’s Invisible Furies (Transworld) and Christina Dalcher for VOX (HQ).

About Goldsboro Books

Goldsboro Books is an independent bookshop, based in central London, specialising in signed first edition books. Providing an expert, knowledgeable team and a carefully curated range is at the heart of the business, delivering the best book-buying experience for every customer. Goldsboro Books aims to interest and inspire book lovers, readers and collectors and provide the finest quality signed books in the world. Goldsboro Books was founded in 1999 by two friends and book collectors David Headley and Daniel Gedeon. Their reputation for spotting quality books early on, an expert eye on the future collectibles, along with enthusiasm and passion for bookselling excellence has grown with the business and Goldsboro Books has become a world-famous and much admired bookshop.

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