Costa book award 2016 shortlists dominated by female writers

Rose Tremain, Maggie O’Farrell and Sarah Perry lead contenders for the £30,000 top prizeWomen dominate this year’s Costa book award shortlists, with Rose Tremain, Sarah Perry and Kate Tempest among 14 female writers of the 20 nominated across the awards’ five categories.Three previous Costa winners are in the running for the best novel award: Maggie O’Farrell for This Must Be the Place, Rose Tremain for The Gustav Sonata and Sebastian Barry for Days Without End. Bar