Amid the odd denunciation for being “divisive”, “sexist” or even “racist”, the Orange Prize — the high-profile award for female writers of fiction — continues to flourish, and there are few complaints from the nominees on the 2008 longlist. Among the notable women included, to whom congratulations are due, the JC is pleased to see the name of Charlotte Mendelson, for When We Were Bad, her breezy tale of a North-London female rabbi’s colourful family, along with those of Linda Grant, who explained in last month’s JC literary supplement how her nominated novel The Clothes On Their Backs was inspired by memories of racketeer landlord Peter Rachman; Dalia Sofer, author of the dramatic tale The Septembers of Shiraz, set in Iran; and Nancy Huston, whose powerful story of one family’s history, Fault Lines, was a hit at JBW 2008.