One Hundred Names

Cecelia Ahern has always been a bit of a hit or miss author in my view, never quite achieving the heady success of her stand out P.S I Love You. With ‘One Hundred Names' though she may have captured the joy of her earliest work.

Kitty is a journalist who after wrongly accusing a teacher of abuse finds herself jobless and a figure for hate and scorn. She has lost her way personally & professionally and to make it worse her mentor Constance has died of cancer. As a tribute to her friend she agrees to write the one story her friend always wished she'd published. All she has is a list of 100 random names with no apparent connection.

Kitty's journey is not just about the story but one of self discovery and it contains lots of lovely sub plots which intertwine beautifully and whilst seeming to have nothing in common lead us to a very satisfying conclusion. I found it uplifting, a real boost post-christmas and a joy to read. Ahern writes her main character so well the change in her throughout the novel is subtle moving her from being dissatisfied with herself to rediscovering the joy of journalism through the people she meets and the stories they tell. A journey I wouldn't have missed for he world