Marilynne Robinson has been named as the winner of the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction for her novel Home. The American author pipped five other shortlisted writers to win the award and the £30,000 prize.

Home follows the story of Jack, prodigal son of the Boughton family, who after 20 years returns home looking for refuge and to try to make peace with a past littered with trouble and pain.

The prize is the UK's only award open exclusively to women writers and searches for the best full-length fiction novel written in English. Fi Glover, chair of judges said: "This year's Orange Prize winner has a luminous quality to it that has drawn all of the judges to a unanimous decision. The profound nature of the writing stood out, as has the ability of writer to draw the reader into a world of hope expectation, misunderstanding, love and kindness".

The Winner

		Home Marilynne Robinson £7.99 Add to basket

The Shortlist

To view the complete longlist, click here

History of the Prize

In January 1992, a group of publishers, journalists, booksellers, and librarians met to formulate ideas for a brand new book prize. Concerned that some of the larger, more established book prizes were overlooking the work of women writers, the group wanted to create a prize that was less traditional to help put these readers in the spotlight.

With the backing of the Orange mobile network who have sponsored the prize since its beginning in 1996, it has established itself as a highlight of the literary calendar attracting the work of highly-rated writers both established and lesser known.

Previous winners of the prize include Rose Tremain (The Road Home), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Half of a Yellow Sun), Zadie Smith (On Beauty) and Lionel Shriver (We Need to Talk About Kevin).