Release Date: Re-released 2013
Acquired: Print ARC provided by publisher
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/Indigo/Book Depository
The new novel from the bestselling author. Journalist Kitty Logan's career is being destroyed by scandal - and now she faces losing the woman who guided and taught her everything she knew. At her terminally ill friend's bedside, Kitty asks - what is the one story she always wanted to write? The answer lies in a file buried in Constance's office: a list of one hundred names. There is no synopsis, nothing to explain what the story is or who these people are. The list is simply a mystery. But before Kitty can talk to her friend, it is too late. With everything to prove, Kitty is assigned the most important task of her life: to write the story her mentor never had the opportunity to. Kitty not only has to track down and meet the people on the list, but find out what connects them. And, in the process of hearing ordinary people's stories, she starts to understand her own.
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There are very few books I've read, that didn't have "finding yourself," as it's underlying theme. After reading said books, there was little I could do to stop their narratives from irrevocably changing ME, in the process. It was, and will always be, the reason my heart fused itself with the written word, why the sheer act of indulging in someone else's words will be a never-ending comfort, and joy, for me. One Hundred Names was the epitome of "finding yourself" narratives, it was the precise proof of how human growth is made easier through interactions with others, through witnessing their triumphs, and downfalls; their fear, happiness, and outrage. I was a stranger to Cecelia Ahern's writing before I read One Hundred Names, but rest assured, I will now be hungrily working my way through her other novels.Journalist Katherine "Kitty" Logan has made a life, and career-altering, mistake. She's wrongly accused a man of sexually abusing two of his students, and fathering a child from this act. Suspended from that job, and barely hanging by threads in another, Kitty is cornered so far into a hole of her own making, she will need a miracle to pull herself out. To add tragedy to scandal, Kitty's long-time friend, boss, and mentor, Constance Dubois, has succumbed to her cancer battle, and left Kitty with one subtle request: write the story she never got the chance to, and now, never will. With only a list of one hundred names as source material, Kitty embarks on a country-wide search for the stories behind the people. But first, she has to FIND the people, which turns out to a 110% harder than she thought. With very few people in her corner, including a boyfriend who's left her, a best friend who's hell-bent on honesty, and a family that's openly ashamed of their daughter, Kitty must find meaning in a sea of uncertainty, all on her own.
I had no predictions about how this plot-line would pan out, nor had I any idea about how one hundred people would neatly fit their life stories into a 469-page book. But the author quickly tackled my silent questions, by focusing on a select six, in addition to Kitty's endlessly eventful life. One Hundred Names felt like the 'chick-lit' version of The Five People You Meet in Heaven, minus the religious overtones, and main character being..well, dead. But, in the same vein, Kitty began her journey as one person, and allowed us to watch her transform into another. Along the way, we were given the pleasure of witnessing the growth of six other characters, all so beautifully, and refreshingly different from the other. Cecelia Ahern's writing is enticingly magical, and so wonderfully innocent in it's tone, and feel. There was no room for doubt, or disinterest-it was emotionally, and physically impossible to not viscerally connect to at least one character. I was rooting for Kitty in the beginning, but found myself making room in my heart for the others, as they were introduced.
You will find nothing BUT heart, in One Hundred Names. The narrative was honest, and so full of sincerity. I believed what the author was trying to sell me, and I can only hope that there is something in this book to move all of you. This is definitely a perfect summer read, but it may also have the power to get you through some darker times. One Hundred Names is not to be passed up.
Recommended for fans of: Women's Fiction, 'Chick-Lit', Cathy Kelly, Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella, Kate Fforde, Contemporary.
Challenges: Goodreads 100 Book Goal
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CLICK HERE to read all about Cecelia on her Goodreads author page!
Contact Links
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Thank-you to Trish from TLC Book Tours for hosting this tour, and to Harper Collins for sending me a print ARC to review!
"You will find nothing BUT heart, in One Hundred Names. The narrative was honest, and so full of sincerity." Wow, what a wonderful endorsement!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour.
I feel like you're my reading twin! All my favorite books have changed me for the better. And I have to admit that The Five People You Meet in Heaven is one of my all time favorite books. I just love the idea behind it and think a lot about how my actions impact other people, even people I wouldn't think about.
ReplyDeleteAhern's stories have swung from "loved it" to "meh" for me, so Im happy to see that there's another potential "love it" to add to my TBR :)
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