Book Review and Giveaway: One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern

Pages: 496

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pub. Date: May 6, 2014

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Internationally bestselling author Cecelia Ahern delivers her biggest and most compelling book yet—a tale of secrets, second chances, and the hidden connections that unite our lives Scandal has derailed journalist Kitty Logan's career, a setback that is soon compounded by an even more devastating loss. Constance, the woman who taught Kitty everything she knew, is dying. At her mentor's bedside, Kitty asks her, "What is the one story you always wanted to write?" The answer lies in a single sheet of paper buried in Constance's office—a list of one hundred names—with no notes or explanation. But before Kitty can ask her friend, it is too late. Determined to unlock the mystery and rebuild her own shaky confidence, Kitty throws herself into the investigation, tracking down each of the names on the list and uncovering their connection. Meeting these ordinary people and learning their stories, Kitty begins to piece together an unexpected portrait of Constance's life . . . and starts to understand her own."

Kitty Logan, a reporter, makes a huge mistake. She publicly accuses Colin Maguire, a teacher, of having an affair with two of his students; however, Kitty comes to find out that he's actually innocent.  In turn, her credibility as a journalist and news reporter goes down the toilet; plus, it seems all of Ireland hates her for putting an innocent person through such turmoil.  The TV show she works for has fired her and all she has is her job at Etcetera, a magazine. The only reason why she hasn't lost that job is because her mentor and longtime friend, Constance, runs the magazine.  But things get worse. Constance is dying of cancer and isn't going to make it much longer.  Before she dies, she tells Kitty about a story that she has always wanted to write and to retrieve her notes on the story from her filing cabinet.  Once Kitty does, it's too late to get the scoop from Constance as she has sadly passed away.  All that Kitty has is this file folder from her and inside is a list of one hundred names.  Constance is a brilliant journalist, so Kitty knows that she must be onto something with her list of names and in order to honor her, she hopes to complete the story and figure out what these one hundred names have in common.  As Kitty completes Constance's final story, she also finds herself and her own happiness.  Cecelia Ahern's One Hundred Names is a delightful story and a feel-good read. Fans of Ahern will definitely want to pick up this heartwarming story this summer.

So, I will admit that at first I didn't like Kitty in One Hundred Names. In fact, I loathed her.  It wasn't because she made a colossal mistake at work and then consequently ruined a man's life, it was because I found her to be so annoying, egocentric and hard to empathize with.  Ahern is such a fantastic storyteller though, because she hooked me in anyway, despite my lackluster feelings towards Kitty.  As the story progressed, I learned to like Kitty more and more.  She became more human, more caring, and generally likable.  I honestly enjoyed her growth in One Hundred Names and by the novel's end, I was completely rooting for her.

The best part of One Hundred Names is following Kitty's story of figuring out who the people are on the mysterious list, why Constance wrote their names down, and how the people on the list are connected. On Kitty's journey for answers, readers meet a cast of colorful characters, all with different stories to tell…some good, some sad, and some full of life.  I especially enjoyed the secondary character of Bridget "Birdie" Murphy, an adorable older lady that I instantly loved.

Her editor at the magazine was breathing down her neck for updates on her story as she only had two weeks to write it.  The deadline was constantly looming in One Hundred Names, which made me flip the pages even faster. I was dying to see if Kitty would figure out what she was going to write and essentially, how the list of people would end up as a story to tell. 

In sum, One Hundred Names is one of those heartwarming stories that make you smile when you turn to the last page of the book. It highlights that we all make mistakes in life, but we can learn from them, forgive, and move on.  By the novel's end, Kitty was a character whom I felt myself really warming up to and I wanted her to have her own happy ending, too.  So, if you are looking for a charming read this summer, definitely check out One Hundred Names.  

Thanks to HarperCollins , I am giving away one copy of One Hundred Names to one lucky US reader.  The deadline is May 15th and please refer to my giveaway rules.  Good luck!

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