Donna Tartt heads women's fiction award shortlist

The Goldfinch, Tartt’s long-awaited third novel, is bookies’ favourite for Baileys prize, with no British authors in contention.

Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch – either an astonishing masterpiece or tedious, overlong turkey of a novel depending on which critic you read – is favourite to win Britain’s only annual book prize for fiction written by women.

There has been sharply divided opinion over The Goldfinch.