logo
episode-header-image
Jun 6
30m 55s

Book Club Meets: Ambitious women and gen...

Fearne Cotton
About this episode

Two writers are competing for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a famous reclusive heiress. One of them is going to uncover the truth behind one of the most scandalous families of the 20th century. The thing is, heiress Margaret is giving each writer different tantalising little pieces of her story...


Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry was May’s Happy Place Book Club read. In this chat with Fearne, Emily explains why she’s intrigued by the idea of generational trauma affecting our day to day, and why it’s important to interrogate where your sense of ambition comes from. Is your drive coming from within, or are you trying to prove something to someone?


Plus, Fearne and Emily explore why reading fiction is such a brilliant way to examine your own opinions, values, and moral tendencies through how you react to the characters.


Thank you to Penguin Audio for the use of Great Big Beautiful Life audiobook, narrated by Julia Whelan.


If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:

 

Listen to Book Club Meets: Lorna Tucker

 

Listen to Book Club Meets: Clare Leslie Hall

 

Listen to Book Club Meets: Holly Bourne


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Aug 21
Sara Cox: I need to be left alone! How to take your holiday reading seriously
Are you obsessed with finding the best books – yes, multiple – to read on holiday? Broadcaster Sara Cox is!Welcome to The Happy Place Guide To Holidays! In this chat – brought to you by British Airways Holidays – Fearne and Sara share their thoughts on how to take your holiday re ... Show More
40m 30s
Aug 18
Why don’t you like yourself? Gabby Bernstein: How to stop numbing difficult emotions
Getting lost in anxiety, shame, or self-loathing? Spiritual leader Gabby Bernstein wants you to acknowledge all the messy parts of your true character. Spoiler: you’re not going suddenly to like yourself overnight, but acknowledging the uncomfortable bits will get you there soone ... Show More
57m 38s
Aug 11
Book Club Meets: I’m obsessed with romance scams! Gaslighting and misogyny, with Lisa Jewell
Do you love a true crime scam documentary? Our latest Happy Place Book Club read is for you! Iconic author Lisa Jewell has written Don’t Let Him In, a thriller about a perfect man... who’s a fraudulent liar.In this chat with Fearne, live from The Happy Place Festival, Lisa explai ... Show More
40m 49s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 29
TED Talks Daily Book Club: A Little Daylight Left | Sarah Kay
Sarah Kay is a spoken word poet and the author of the new poetry collection "A Little Daylight Left." In this TED Talks Daily Book Club interview with host Elise Hu, Kay reflects on her relationship with poetry — from reading the poems her parents left in her lunchbox to frequent ... Show More
47m 20s
Jan 2025
BIG Summer Book Club : Uplifting reads for Mental Wellbeing + a deep dive with Julie Goodwin
Summer is here, and if you're looking for your next read, Jess has you covered! In this episode of the Big Summer Book Club, Jess shares the books that have been a source of strength, inspiration, and hope during challenging times, offering her invaluable support for her mental w ... Show More
50m 10s
Feb 2025
The science (and art) of creating lasting sexual connections | Emily Nagoski on TED Talks Daily Summer Book Club
This is an episode of TED Talks Daily, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective. It's a special episode of the TED Talks Daily Summer Book Club series. Join host Elise Hu as she interviews TED speakers about their books and their ideas beyond the page. As a sex educator and ... Show More
32m 21s
Apr 2025
Emily Henry's latest novel 'Great Big Beautiful Life' explores love beyond romance
Known for books like Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, Emily Henry is the patron saint of millennial romance. But for her latest novel, the author says she wanted to challenge herself in a new way. Great Big Beautiful Life is a story within a story about two journalists ... Show More
9m 18s
Jan 2025
Ep 463: Remarkable stories that demand to be told
Readers, today we're thrilled to share a delightful conversation with Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, authors of The Personal Librarian. This conversation originally took place over in our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club community, where Marie and Victoria joined Anne, ... Show More
1h 3m
Feb 2025
Eric Puchner: “Dream State” | Oprah’s Book Club
BUY THE BOOK!https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/744560/dream-state-by-eric-puchner Buy at Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/dream-state/id6504841280Listen to the Audiobook on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4x3YoAvjZDfv7zEFg4CB8N?si=547a878fa812404f In thi ... Show More
45m 29s
Jun 27
Book Club: Let's Talk About 'Mrs. Dalloway" at 100
“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself”: So reads one of the great opening lines in British literature, the first sentence of Virginia Woolf’s classic 1925 novel, “Mrs. Dalloway.”The book tracks one day in the life of an English woman, Clarissa Dalloway, living in ... Show More
42m 38s
Jun 24
Allison Williams on Botox, Privilege, and Gen Z’s Love of Marnie From ‘Girls’
On June 11th, actress Allison Williams joined Anna live onstage at the Tribeca Festival in New York City for a conversation that was equal parts introspective and hilarious. Allison talked about everything from botox and how it impacts her work (and the faces she’s able to make t ... Show More
1h 13m