Skip to content

Radio 2 Book Club - One Moment

The next book to be featured on the Jo Whiley Radio 2 Book Club will be One Moment, the powerful new novel by Linda Green. Linda will be on the show on Monday 10 February and the book will be released on 5 March.

We have the chance for you to win 10 copies of this fantastic novel for your reading group! Please enter by Friday 14 February.

Not yet a member of Reading Groups for Everyone? Sign up now.

We have an exclusive extract available for you to read. We also have some discussion questions for your group to use.

One Moment

Finn and Kaz are about to meet for the first time.

Ten-year-old Finn, a quirky, sensitive boy who talks a lot and only eats at cafes with a 5-star hygiene rating, is having a tough time at school and home.

Outspoken Kaz, 59, who has an acerbic sense of humour and a heart of gold, is working at the café when Finn and his mum come in.

They don’t know it yet, but the second time they meet will be a moment which changes both of their lives forever…

Selection panel review

The book was selected with the help of a panel of library staff from across the UK. Our readers loved One Moment – here are some of their comments:

“A chance meeting in a café sparks a heart-warming friendship between 59- year-old Kaz and 10-year-old Finn. Finn is a sensitive character who finds it hard to fit in at school. He has a passion for gardening and his hero is Alan Titchmarsh. Kaz is working to support herself and her brother Terry, who has schizophrenia and finds everyday life a challenge. When something happens to Finn’s mother, the two are drawn together and each finds their life enriched. I really enjoyed the premise of this book and the main characters are so likeable; sensitive and thoughtful Finn, his mum who wants the world to appreciate his individuality, his dad who can see the pitfalls of not having a ‘normal’ son, Kaz who has a heart of gold and ‘our’ Terry with his fascination for ‘Stars in their Eyes’ and an ongoing ‘conversation’ with Matthew Kelly. Overall, this is a feelgood book, but alongside the comedy, there is heartbreak and the stark reality of the benefit system which lets so many people like Kaz and Terry down.”

“I fell for Finn straightaway and I wanted to know what his mystery was, and I’m pleased to say that I didn’t spot the ending coming and found it totally believable. Kaz’s story is, if possible, more heart-breaking than Finn’s and again (sadly) completely credible.”

“I fell in love with these characters, and their lives at times broke my heart, but there is a real element of hope in what a bit of human kindness can do. I think everyone should read this, and get a powerful insight into the lives of others. If you fail to fall for Kaz then I question your humanity!”

About the author

Linda Green is the bestselling author of nine novels. Her books have sold in excess of a million copies. Her latest novel, The Last Thing She Told Me, was a Top 20 Sunday Times bestseller and a top five Amazon Kindle bestseller. Her previous novel, While My Eyes Were Closed, was the fourth bestselling novel on Amazon Kindle in 2016. She lives in West Yorkshire with her husband and son.

A word from Linda

“I’m delighted and honoured that One Moment has been chosen for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club, and particularly so because of the role of librarians, readers and The Reading Agency in selecting it.

I come from a working-class home where neither of my parents owned a novel. They did, however, take me to the local library where I had the pick of shelves of books and where my passion for fiction developed. I am still a proud library user and some of One Moment was written at Halifax Library. What’s more, the novel features a working-class woman called Kaz who, when she hits hard times, finds all sorts of help available at her local library, so it feels very apt that it has been selected. I’m grateful to all who read enjoyed One Moment and am looking forward to sharing it with Radio 2 listeners across the UK.”

Get involved

Tune in to Jo Whiley’s show on Monday 10 February to hear a live interview with Linda.

Have you read One Moment? You can share your thoughts with us on Twitter using #OneMoment, and you can also follow Linda.

You can also see what other readers thought or add the book to your group’s reading list.

Planning to buy One Moment for your group? Buy books from Hive and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you.

Want to make sure you get the latest news? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

You can join the Radio 2 Book Club Facebook group, and also follow Jo Whiley on Twitter.

Comments

Log in or Sign up to add a comment

News

Radio 2 Book Club - Winter titles

The Winter season of the Radio 2 Book Club is out now, with brilliant brand-new fiction titles to discover. The BBC Radio 2 Book Club is on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. It features a wide range of titles and authors, recommending great reads from both new and much-loved writers, encouraging listeners to perhaps try out a genre they might not have read before, and share their opinions and insights on the titles and great reads they’re enjoying right now.

Resources

How to start a reading group

Interested in joining a reading group or starting one of your own? Download our quick guide to getting started. You can also download icebreaker questions to help get your discussion started, and a social media guide to show how you can share your reading with others online.

News

Discussion guides

We know how useful a discussion guide is for your book club meeting, so here you’ll find some recent guides provided by publishers. Free to download, you can use them to help choose your next book and guide your discussion.

View our other programmes