The next book to be featured on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club will be Roar, a powerful collection of short stories by bestselling author Cecelia Ahern. It was released on Thursday 1 November and Cecelia will be on the show on Wednesday 7 November.
We have an exclusive extract available for you to read. We also have a discussion guide for your group to use.
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Roar
Have you ever imagined a different life?
Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided?
Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar?
The women in these startlingly original stories are all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared to The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf and The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband, discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very different women. Each discovers her strength; each realizes she holds the power to make a change.
Witty, tender, surprising, these keenly observed tales speak to us all, and capture the moment when we all want to roar.
Selection panel review
The book was selected with the help of a panel of library staff from across the UK. Our readers loved Roar – here are some of their comments:
“I’ve not read Cecelia Ahern before, but I have to say I really loved this collection of short stories. There was a surprising amount to think about in them. All about women’s lives these were both weirdly fantastic in many cases but also very sharp and frequently made me sit up and think. Several made me laugh and the majority had very strong messages. All were easy and great to read and would give reading groups a lot to discuss.”
“I found this collection of short stories very intriguing. All about women and how women see themselves or are seen (or not) by others. I am actually quite excited by this collection; both excited and curious. I can see it working really well as a dip in and out book or as a reading group choice. It really stands up and out for women of all ages. Funny, engrossing and yes unfortunately true to reality.”
“Such a lovely collection of short stories, on a range of issues around women and their identities. Very short and easy to read – I could easily see myself buying this for a host of female friends and family members. The messages will spark conversation and Cecelia Ahern is great in interviews.”
About the author
Cecelia Ahern is one of the biggest selling authors to emerge in the past fifteen years. Her novels have been translated into thirty-five languages and have sold more that twenty-five million copies in over fifty countries. She has won the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction and two Platinum Awards at the 2018 Specsavers Bestsellers Awards.
Get involved
Tune in to Sara Cox’s show on Wednesday 7 November to hear a live interview with Cecelia.
Have you read Cecelia’s book yet? You can share your thoughts with us on Twitter using #HearUsRoar. You can also follow Cecelia Ahern.
You can also see what other readers thought or add the book to your group’s reading list.
Want to find out more? Take a look at the Radio 2 Book Club Facebook group.
