Roar: Thirty Women Thirty Stories

by Cecelia Ahern

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?

From much-loved, international bestseller Cecelia Ahern come stories for 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 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.

A Radio 2 Bookclub Choice.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Feminism, Contemporary, Book Club, Chick Lit, Audiobook

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2018

About the author

Cecelia Ahern was born and grew up in Dublin. She is now published in nearly fifty countries, and has sold over twenty-five million copies of her novels worldwide. Two of her books have been adapted as films and she has created several TV series.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cecelia Ahern has taken a different direction in her writing with this feminist collection of short stories that celebrate women in all their glorious diversity with every story title beginning with The Woman Who. The book begins with the following epigraph:

I am woman, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore (Helen Reddy and Ray Burton)

Set amidst our contemporary movement of #MeToo, we have an exploration of what it is to be a woman in today's world, whether it is being married, being a refugee, being a mother and the fundamental issues of equality and justice. It covers issues such as birth control, the burden of guilt, humiliation, the folly of comparing ourselves to others, ageing and so much more. It is about shifting perceptions and overcoming obstacles and challenges. The stories are modern offbeat, humorous and witty fables delivered in small bite size pieces that can be fit into busy lives. I particularly enjoyed reading The Woman Who Ate Photographs, The Woman Who Sowed Seeds of Doubt and The Woman Who Was a Featherbrain. Not all of the stories will hit their mark, but a number are bound to do so. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

[A.M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

A great idea let down by its execution. I read the first three stories and found them to be thinly veiled, obvious literal interpretations of gender roles/societal expectations. Rather than feeling empowered, I just cringed at the condescending tone.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook….read by Aisling Bea, Lara Sawalha, Adjoa Andoh
……7 hours and 51 minutes

Many thanks to *Yogamom* who inspired me to read (listen to the his book). It’s my first experience with Cecelia Ahern’s writing.

The stories (30)….were marvelous with social observations.
Sparkling compelling stories about the fragility of happiness, loneliness, and vulnerability.
These stories are about where women started from and where they were headed…… emotionally, financially, environmentally…. facing the cruelty of life —

“Why must women be so grateful for things they worked so hard for?”

Young women,
Beautiful women
emotional women,
safe-loved-idealized women,
savvy women,
strong women,
married women,
admired women,
aging women,
Discrimination of women
Dating women
TV women,
envious witches,
Feminist issues
Equality, gender politics,
Important women
lonely women,
empowering women

These heartfelt stories alternate between being delightfully hilarious and deeply affecting.

[Kayleigh | Welsh Book Fairy · Rating 2 out of 5]

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Roar
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Cecelia Ahern
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Contemporary
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 16th April 2019
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 2/5

I'm probably supposed to rate this a 5 star to show comradeship or sisterhood due to being a woman but I won't. These short stories did not make me feel inspired as a woman, or motivated, or rallied. To be honest, I cringed heavily at most of them. And a lot of the situations that are told in the stories aren't exactly exclusive to women, which made it difficult to un-generalise my already society conformed feelings, for example, 'The Woman Who Was Swallowed Up By The Floor And Who Met Lots Of Other People Down There Too'.

"Her anxiety is physical. It's all going on in her body. She feels trembling in her knees, her legs, her fingers. A heart that beats too fast, they must be able to see it vibrating through her blouse. A cramp in her stomach that tights. Nothing, nothing in her mind."

I had too many gripes with this to really settle into the story, so many that if I was written into the book my short story would be called, 'The Woman Who Complained Too Much', which actually sounds quite interesting to be honest.

These short stories take the typical social cues and norms that afflict any female and personifies it in such an excruciating way. Every societal compliance is twisted into a literal story line. Each story is told with a fairy tale-like quality to it; a third person point of view with a very far away perspective. I quite liked that, but it didn't make me relate even though these stories were written to put into printed language the struggles of modern day women.

The main character in each story is commonly referred to as 'the woman' they're not even deigned names yet the stories purpose is to lift women up. It's a nice idea, but it didn't quite hit the nail on the head for me. I wasn't nodding along going, "hey, yeah I am pretty awesome and pretty and powerful in my own right and my anxieties are irrelevant!" it was more of a slow shake of the head, disgruntled at the way women were portrayed.

"'Stop hiding here and making things worse. Deal with it head-on. Calmly. Stand up for yourself. Talk to people. Be an adult. Then come here and just enjoy feeding the ducks.'"

The idea of these short stories as a feminist masterpiece is really something I can get behind, but the actual execution made me squirm uncomfortably. Cecelia Ahern provokes insecurities and portrayals that befall women in general and well, to be blunt, dehumanises them. Feelings turned into literal representations take over the platform that the women in the stories should have had in general. It was very emotion based and the moral of the story always seemed to be, 'your feelings are valid' which, yes, of course they are but I would have liked them to be celebrated for what they are; sensitivity and empathy come from a deep, understanding place that not all mammals have, I am proud that I get emotional and once cried hysterically at a Harry Potter book, I am proud that I once cried when I found a dead seagull on the road (I don't even really like seagulls, particularly). Cecelia Ahern's take on our feelings was more of a 'yeah, they're our feelings, so what?' approach, whereas I think it should be more, 'yes, these are my feelings, aren't they great and wonderful and define us as human beings?'

Bottom line; this could have been so much better.

🧚🏻‍♀️

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[Rebecca Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

ROAR is the latest book from Cecelia Ahern and is compiled of short stories that focus on women; some are funny, some thought provoking or enlightening but they are all engaging. The release of this book is perfect in its timing of following the #me too and times up movements, in its premise being about the empowering of women - but not in a preachy way. I'm sure there's at least one story in the book that every woman can relate to.

This book is perfect for people with busy lifestyles, in approx just five minutes you can have finished one of the stories. For those of us with not completely hectic full on lives, the entire book can be devoured in a long and lazy afternoon - with plenty of time for a few tea or (and!) coffee breaks.

Although I did thoroughly enjoy ROAR, I have to admit to looking forward to Cecelia's next "normal" style of book/regular length/non short story book...That's not to say this is lacking any of Cecelia's distinctive quirky style, her short stories are spot on, I just personally prefer becoming fully immersed in regular length books that have a bit more substance.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the opportunity to read this arc in return for an honest and unbiased review.

[Genevieve Trono · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really had a hard time with this book. I get where she was going but it was just so over the top that it was hard to take seriously. I loved her idea of doing short stories about everyday challenges modern day women face. Unfortunately, the transformations were so whimsical that it was hard to really look at the issue she was trying to represent which were strong enough on their own.

I love Ahern's writing but this just didn't work for me. I appreciate what she was trying to do here but this just fell flat for me and seemed very superficial at best. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Julie Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this.

Reading this book the sun started shining again.

Short stories with actual stories. All these female characters are so vivid and un-boring which isn't usually the case with short stories. Nowadays most are simply about something BIG or TRUE but can be otherwise quite on the boring side, until the very end at least when you realize there's some grand metaphor in there and the world makes sense again.

Cecelia Ahern's writing is so poignant and yet lyrical enough to keep smiling even when she describes something tragic or sad because she does it with such grace and lightness simply making it feel a natural part of life. A very beautiful natural part of life that also teaches the reader that everything that's natural is also beautiful.

This book reminded me of Anthony Doerr's MEMORY WALL. These two writers in that way are comparable - they both can skillfully depict the oddest things as simply natural and beautiful.

The biggest thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review. Also, it was a pleasure to discover a new writer.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having loved Celia Ahern’s “PS I Love You” I was very intrigued to read her short stories.

These bite size stories are large enough to sink you’re teeth into and celebrate women in all their glory and faults. There is a story for everyone, that you will identify with.

Loved cringeville, everybody has a cringe moment but imagine going to a place called Cringeville. I have been there at some point and you think you won’t ever get over it and yes you will laugh about it 1 day!! It does make you feel better knowing we all go through it.

Very cleverly written in a witty and imaginative way that makes you want to read just 1 more story!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could give this zero stars. This book is marketed as empowering and inspiring. I found the opposite. It was repetitive, cliched and patronising. It trivializes important issues that are worth discussing. Do not recommend.

[Anupama C K(b0rn_2_read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

They felt so relatable. My favorite one was The woman who found bite marks on her skin, coz I've been that woman. Some stories were funny and I enjoyed all of them.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4

This is a collection of thirty short stories about women. They centre around an anonymous woman at different stages in their life. This woman could be any one of us.

We hear from women with body issues, women being mistreated, women who want children, women who don't, women struggling with their age etc. This is a book that all women can relate to. They will either be the women with the issues or know of women who do. It's an eye opening insight into the things most women think about. How women identity themselves. It's well written and a quick read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Cecelia Ahern for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Crazytourists_books · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like it at all. The author wanted to create allegories around overcoming gender related societal roles, but her stories where somewhat naive at best. This stories do not empower women, how can a story whose main character doesn't have a name empowers a anyone? Naive, obvious, condescending, frustrating. Not good.

[Stacey Chin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst book I’ve read in a very long time.

[Kaytee Cobb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh Lord.

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roar is a collection of fantastical stories, rooted in the real world, in which the unnamed women at the heart of the different tales experience life through a series of metaphors that have somehow become reality.

The titles of these 30 stories all begin with the words The Woman Who. Each focuses on a woman experiencing some sort of literal manifestation of the types of issues we all encounter more figuratively in our worlds.

The collection opens strong with The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared. The premise is very reminiscent of the season 1 Buffy episode Out of Mind, Out of Sight, about a high school girl whose peers never seem to notice her, and who ends up becoming invisible. In this story, the main character is a woman in her 50s who has gradually faded, becoming less seen over time as she ages, becoming unnoteworthy to the crowds of people around her:

On the worst days, she would go home feeling completely overwhelmed and desperate. She would look in the mirror just to make sure she was still there, to keep reminding herself of that fact; she even took to carrying a pocket mirror for those moments on the subway when she was sure she had vanished.

After fading away to just a glimmer, the woman finally finds hope in the care of a doctor who provides a diagnosis and treatment plan:

"Women need to see women, too," Professor Montgomery says. "If we don't see each other, if we don't see ourselves, how can we expect anybody else to?"

In The Woman Who Was Kept on a Shelf, a woman's husband builds her a shelf where he can display and admire her, but over the years of her marriage, she finds the shelf keeps her on the sidelines of the life around her.

She's spent so many years sitting up here representing an extension of  Ronald, of his achievements, that she no longer has any idea what she represents to herself.

Other favorites of mine are the stories The Woman Who Walked in Her Husband's Shoes, The Woman Who Was a Featherbrain, and the The Woman Who Was Pigeonholed. But really, they're all terrific. The tales are simple. You might at first glance find the premise a little obvious, but really, taken as a whole, these fables illustrated different aspects of what it means to be a woman, how we are defined by society, ourselves, and each other, and how perception and awareness can change everything. There's a lightness and humor in many stories, even as the situations, taken to their logical (or illogical) conclusion can be nightmarish.

In The Woman Who Wore Pink, there's an actual Gender Police that issues warnings and fines as people step outside their prescribed gender roles, with all of one's interactions -- even down to the daily Starbucks order, being identified as either "penis" or "vagina". It takes the woman's six-year-old daughter's angry argument, "If I"m not me, who else am I supposed to be?" for the woman to open her eyes and consider the pointlessness of separating all habits and options into either penis or vagina categories. There's a particularly funny episode after the daughter is denied the "penis" Happy Meal that comes with a dinosaur, as the woman starts to question why dinosaurs are considered boy-appropriate only:

"I'm just saying. I mean, there were female dinosaurs, too, you know, and I don't think any of them were pink."

I ended up loving this entire collection. The thirty stories are a mix of far-fetched, grounded in the familiar, comedic, and painful. All are told in a straight-forward manner, where we take the fantastical elements as reality and are faced with considering how our world's definitions of women's lives and women's roles might look if all the euphemisms and catchphrases for the assumptions and barriers facing women became literal parts of the everyday world.

Roar is a fun, thought-provoking set of stories with plenty to chew on. I think it would be a great choice for a book club to discuss. Reading this book made me wish for a group of friends with copies in their hands, so we could each pick a favorite story and compare notes -- and imagine ourselves literally falling through the floor, unraveling, melting down, or discovering our very own strong suit.

Check it out!

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Roar is a collection of thirty imaginative short stories about women. Each story centres around an anonymous woman at a different stage of her life copying with an every day issue or facing a challenge. I found some stories very relatable while others felt too bizarre. I think that every female reader will find one or two stories she will identify with, or at least recognise someone she knows who is similar to the woman in the story. The stories are a deliberately absurd exaggeration of a different situation, cleverly written and highlighting the strength and resilience of women.

Each story is unique, however, it did feel a bit repetitive after a while. I would recommend reading this over a longer time period rather than in just one sitting.

I really enjoyed the story of 'The Woman Who Forgot Her Name' and particularly liked the story 'The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared'.

"Women need to see women too. If we don't see each other, if we don't see ourselves, how can we expect anybody else to?"

"Society told you that you weren't important, that you didn't exist, and you listened. You let the message seep into your pores, eat you from the inside out. You told yourself you weren't important, and you believed yourself."

Many thanks to HarperCollins for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[McKenzie Rakes · Rating 1 out of 5]

What was supposed to be an inspiring, feminist read turned out to be patronizing, trite, and so so heavy-handed. The author hammered you over the head with each story's lesson, frequently using men to mansplain the lesson to the central female character. Really a head-scratching aspect there.

These could've had depth, but instead stayed on the surface level and offered no real solutions besides your average girl-boss, believe in yourself and everything is possible attitude.

I only finished because I read these stories with a group. On my own, it would've been a DNF after the first story.

[Yodamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women's rights, women's mental health, women in a world run by men. I loved this collection of short stories from women about all the issues affecting women. Many of these oppressions I've never seen they just felt natural. It's the obvious and the little pecking ways, packing at our right to be equal, they really add up.
Fantastic audiobook

[Ciea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I solemnly grieve the end of this beautiful, bold and crazy book. There are very few stories that touch you, and look at my good luck that all the thirty stories have been imprinted into my memory and heart.

“Roar” is a collection of stories about 30 anonymous women, expressed in the most commendable mixture of wit and power. This book is one of its kind, and I feel blessed to have gotten to read the tales that were an amalgamation of fearlessness and strength. I don’t have words to define how these stories have affected the woman in me, how they have nurtured and celebrated her.

The most iconic thing for me is that I read this book, unknowingly during the Women’s History Month. It was a gift for my soul, honestly. It is NOT just a boring guide that tells you, “Hey! Look at that super successful person! Be like them! Buzz off!”, but more like a friend who holds your hand and takes you through the darkness. It tells you that it is completely fine the way you are, but being better isn’t gonna hurt anyone, only if it is in your power or will to do so. It tells you how behind every star is a struggle no one really talks about. It tells you that there is a flicker of hope at the end of the everything doomed.

One of the reasons I LOVED it can be that I am a sensitive little fool when it comes to books about women, the ones who empower and get empowered in return. Another reason for loving this utterly stunning book is how all the stories hit home. In every story, you are reminded of a woman you know, or have talked to, or the one who lives under the same roof as you. Maybe a woman you see everyday on the road or the supermarket. Maybe your neighbour. All of them like the colours of a rainbow, distinctively different individually and brilliant together.

These stories are to be read by all the people, for them to understand that they aren’t alone. They aren’t alone in all the situations they are unwillingly crammed into.
The thing which fascinated me was that Ahern left no stone unturned. No topic unsaid. No situation unwritten. When you turn the last page, you do NOT feel like, “aww shucks, she did not represent THAT situation I faced”, or, “I hate that she wasn’t inclusive”, because Ahern has masterfully made each and every aspect of a woman’s life - whether it was internal or external, physical or mental, social or biological - relevant.

A sense of belongingness was ignited in such a way that I didn’t want to leave the book. There was something so blissful about the metaphorically sound stories that I wanted to have them every time, near me, comforting me. I felt like a part of me was being taken away when I finished the book. But in return it has given to me the things I’ll forever be grateful for.

[Gayatri Saikia | per_fictionist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review : Thirty awe-inspiring stories that every person needs to read to understand woman, not as a gender but woman as a HUMAN BEING. Cecelia Ahern never fails to impress with her storytelling and this is what you can expect from her newly released collection of short stories.

"Women" are termed as the WEAKER SECTION of the society by the opposite gender but what is more disheartening is that even women themselves often fall prey to this predetermined notion of them. They are often devalued by men and their opinions are looked down upon. And if this cycle continues, our sex would one day disappear literally. This is the message Ahern tries to communicate in her first story "THE WOMAN WHO

Instances like self care, putting oneself before others, holding fast to their opinion are very promptly and subtly talked about in this collection. The language is something that mesmerized me right from the very beginning. How Ahern sticked to using "THE WOMAN" rather than using names to amplify the plurality of the stories was another added positive. Her entertaining style of writing with a tinge of humor is also visible.

The titles of the stories are apt and give you an idea about how the story is going to proceed and once you finish reading a chapter/story you will feel overwhelmed at the accurate description and potrayal of women. You would rather be surprised at how she manages to hit the chord of your heart with most of the tales.

Women have often lost their worth once they become someone's wife, somebody's mother etc. They have been taken for granted which adds to losing their identity over the course of time. To be boxed in a pigeonhole is not what women are born to be.

Majority of the stories of these Women were absolutely on point. However, some of them didn't seem to work out for me which maybe due to the fact that I haven't seen or experienced such an environment or prejudiced behaviour towards women in my life. So that is simply my opinion and there is a high chance you might love them.

WOMEN, STAND UP FOR YOURSELF .CAUSE IF YOU DON'T YOU WILL END UP LOSING YOURSELVES.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are very mixed reviews on this book, but I really enjoyed it. There were stories that made me laugh, some that made me think, and some that made me cry. Being a woman can be hard and this just felt like a little dose
of understanding.

[Марина Качинська 📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Я не фанатка збірок, якщо чесно. Але книга була куплена дуже давно і чомусь сама натрапила мені на очі. І знаєте, це був саме той час, коли вона була мені потрібна. Коли був потрібен фантастичний стусан, мотивуюча промова, нагадування про те, як, бляха, круто бути жінкою. Які ми дивні, але які сильні. І ця книга надихнула піднятися, зібрати свої шмарклі та знову почати пишатися тим, ким я є. Не цуратися своїх тараканів та приділяти час своєму внутрішньому я. Є сильні оповідання, є не зрозумілі, але зрештою вони складаються у прекрасну картину. Найулюбленіші з них:

Жінка, яка повільно зникала
Жінка, яку тримали на полиці (здається навіть короткометражка є по ній)
Жінка, яка знаходила сліди укусів у себе на шкірі
Жінка, яка провалилася крізь підлогу та зустріла внизу багато інших жінок
Жінка, яка їла фотографії
Жінка, яка носила взуття чоловіка
Жінка, у якої був сильний костюм
Жінка, яка говорила по-жіночому.
Жінка, яка сіла у візок із музикантами.
Жінка, яка ревіла

І дуже прикро, що поки українською цієї збірки немає, проте, якщо ви знаєте англійську чи у вас завалилася, як у мене ця збірка, то дуже-дуж

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really had no idea what to expect from this book. I don't read short story collections often, and it had been a while since I last read a book by the author.

Yet from the first story - The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared, I could tell that this is a rather special collection.

Each story highlights an aspect of life that illuminates a specific quality about a person, often to the extreme. The main women in each story tends to nameless, she is the key person but at the same time she could be someone you know. The odds are you will recognise some of the traits if not in yourself than in your loved ones.

It is a book that will both make you think and others that will make you smile. A lot of the specifics aren't exactly realistic in how they are portrayed, but at the same time its a fabulous way of make the instance stick in your mind.

For there is a women and her sisters who literally unravel and fall to pieces, there is a woman who has been put on a shelf by her husband for her whole life and lives on a shelf. There is one who due to a birth defect has her heart on her sleeve the whole time - you will know people that have this quality, even if they clearly don't have their heart outside their body.

There are ticking clocks, overcoming speech impediments there is a woman who loves exchanging everything as she is never happy.

Some of the stories are quite eye opening and others rather amusing. Some of them take on a dystopian sort of world where there are new laws to make certain things now illegal, which really makes you think.

I was reading these perhaps 2 or 3 at a time, over a period of three days and I can quite happily say they are a very cleverly put together set of stories, by what is clearly a highly imaginative and intelligent author, who can see things in a rather unnusual way.

I'm very pleased to have been able to read this book and it really is all about the power of women.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Say I was meeting a friend out somewhere, and I was really looking forward to a long chat over dinner, only instead we ended up in the audience for a lecture, and the lecture lasted so long we didn’t have time for the dinner and the conversation. And the lecture was on female friendship, and it was given by a woman who stood up there and called us all Girlfriend, and PowerPointed a bunch of things we in the audience needed to do to have good female friendships, like going out to dinner together and having long chats. That’s what this book felt like.

It’s 30 very short stories of women facing crises of confidence and meaning, and figuring out how to go forward. They’re told as modern fables, they all have messages, and their messages are whack-you-upside-the-head obvious.

[Katie Sikkes · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you have this book on your shelf because you think it has worthwhile feminist content just put it in your recycling, the sooner the better.

There are so many worthwhile short story collections out there that make this one seem not at all researched, not at all empathetic, and not at all feminist. Instead it is repetitive and simplistic and insults the characters and the readers again and again.

I finished it because I wanted to be able to discuss it with smart women. And so I could leave this review.

[katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh this is cringey. I got through the first few and they are so heavy-handed and tell-y. I had to stop. Yikes.

Get Atwood’s the Invisible Woman or something instead.

[Aritri Chatterjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know when a book changes your opinion about a writer? Well I think it was this book for me.

Cecilia Ahern was one of the feel good writers for me, whose books I read and felt light and happy. However, reading Roar was a revelation to me and something I definitely did not expect.

Ahern tells the story of thirty women in thirty tales and these thirty women could be any of us. She talks of the woman who starts growing invisible simply because people stop acknowledging her or the woman who was put on the shelf by her partner because apparently that is what most women are suited as, showpieces. I loved how Cecilia Ahern doesn’t flinch in being ironical in her stories. I loved how #womensupportwomen in her stories and I admire how she portrayed sexism as well as racism in these power packed tales. While I did love most of the stories in the collection, a few didn’t really work out for me. Overall, this collection was a mixed bag but I would definitely recommend this book to you all.

Some of the titles in the book :
The woman who slowly disappeared
The woman who grew wings
The woman who forgot her name
The woman who had a ticking clock

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Astute, thought-provoking, and empowering!

Roar is a sharp, creative collection of short stories that highlight all the responsibilities, expectations, and discriminations that society places on women, as well as the self-reproach, pressure, and need for validation we as women place on ourselves.

The writing is witty and sharp. The stories are imaginative, well written and impactful. And the plots, although slightly different, all have a similar theme and character, “the woman”, who is always in need of a good roar.

Overall, Roar is a novel all women should read. It’s a humorous, relevant, contemplative, perceptive anthology that reminds us that as women we need to believe in ourselves and always remember that we are confident, powerful, intelligent, attractive human beings no matter our size, age, race, or occupation.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Mridula Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing take on Feminism in a language that everyone understands and speaks.

30 women with 30 unique stories about the burdens and pain each have to endure in a world that has always been unfair to the female sex. Women have always been told what to do, feel and behave since town immemorial. Women have also been programmed to believe that compassion, guilt, remorse etc. is what they have to feel at a greater magnitude when compared to their male counterparts. Women have been an object of show, a person who should grow and age gracefully for the society to accept them and cherish them.

These 30 stories give us a glimpse of these remarkable women who endure more than they show and who empower themselves rather than waiting for their knight in shining armor. What I loved most about this collection is how much positivity this book can bring. At the end of each story, I felt my heart uplift a little, my chin held high and a determination to conquer everything life throws at my way.

While I agree that the writing was simple and a few stories felt off, the message was loud and clear. Women need to stand up for themselves and for other women, and that is the only way to empowerment.

[Mairead Hearne (swirlandthread.com) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am woman. Hear me 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?

Cecelia Ahern has written an incredibly original piece of work with her latest book, ROAR. Due for release with Harper Collins on 25th October, ROAR is described as ‘witty, tender, surprising…keenly observed tales that speak to us all, and capture the moment when we all want to roar.’

I have approached my review slightly differently this time, as this is a very unusual short-story collection. There are thirty stories in full, so I have listed all of them, with a few thoughts of my own, as I feel it is important, in order to really give you a proper flavour of what this book is about.

The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared

The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf

The Woman Who Grew Wings

The Woman Who Was Fed by a Duck

The Woman Who Found Bite Marks on Her Skin

The Woman Who Thought Her Mirror Was Broken

The Woman Who Was Swallowed Up by the Floor and Who Met Lots of Other Women Down There Too

The Woman Who Ordered the Seabass Special

The Woman Who Ate Photographs

The Woman Who Forgot Her Name

Each story in this collection has an underlying theme with a very strong message.

As a woman I found myself nodding my head and agreeing with so many of them and in some cases quite shocked by them. The Woman Who Found Bite Marks On Her Skin is one that particularly resonated with me. Many of us are subsumed with guilt on a daily basis, as we try to juggle our busy lives.

We find it difficult to say ‘No’ and are always wanting to please others, leaving us with a constant feeling that we are not doing enough.

Cecelia Ahern takes this guilt and literally describes, through one woman’s story, what this guilt does to us. It’s quite a graphic image, providing a shocking reality check about how we should deal with this guilt going forward.

The Woman Who Had a Ticking Clock

The Woman Who Sowed Seeds of Doubt

The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged Her Husband

The Woman Who Lost Her Common Sense

The Woman Who Walked in Her Husband’s Shoes

The Woman Who Was a Featherbrain

The Woman Who Wore Her Heart on Her Sleeve

The Woman Who Wore Pink

The Woman Who Blew Away

The Woman Who Had a Strong Suit

As I read through these stories I was struck by the simplicity of the approach Cecelia Ahern has taken in presenting this compilation of stories to the world. Cecelia has interpreted everyday phrases in a very witty fashion yet also with a very meaningful message attached.

The Woman Who Walked in Her Husband’s Shoes is an example of this. The woman in the story literally walks in her husband’s shoes and she is immediately treated very differently. She could see life from her husband’s perspective and was quite surprised by what she discovered.

The Woman Who Has a Strong Suit is also a very quirky look at how we identify our strongest attributes and how we use these talents in life, sometimes without even realising it.

The Woman Who Spoke Woman

The Woman Who Found Her World in Her Oyster

The Woman Who Guarded Gonads

The Woman Who Was Pigeonholed

The Woman Who Jumped on The Bandwagon

The Woman Who Smiled

The Woman Who Thought the Grass Was Greener on the Other Side

The Woman Who Unravelled

The Woman Who Cherry-Picked

The Woman Who Roared

This collection of stories is a mixed bag of tales. I think each person who picks up the book will walk away with a very personal and unique experience. Clearly we all must ROAR a little louder but we also need to be aware of our surroundings, of other people in our lives and of how we view ourselves and each other as women, but also as human beings.

The Woman Who Thought The Grass Was Greener on the Other Side is an example of this that applies to us all. How many of us look on longingly at what others have? How many of us drool over Instagram and Facebook posts, imagining the fabulous lives of other people? But the reality of this is that we have no idea what sufferings are behind those filtered smiles or the struggles people face just to put one foot on the floor every morning.

I always approach a short story compilation a little differently than other books. I leave it on a table in my living room and tend to read a couple of stories over a day. In the case of ROAR, I think that this is a necessary approach. The message can easily be lost if read all at once, as a repetitiveness can creep in. The stories are exaggerated truths, of that there is no doubt, but they are an eye-opener into our lives as women. There are plenty of moments in our lives when we want to just lock ourselves away and roar. As frustrations build up and the guilt kicks in, we need to be kinder to ourselves, to step back and take a moment to breathe.

ROAR is a book that challenges, a book that raises possibilities. It’s very very unconventional. There are stories in there that will resonate strongly and stories that will just not appeal. ROAR is like a ‘pick-and-mix’ bag of sweets, as you can dip in and out choosing a random story or selecting by the chapter titles that appeals. It is an inspirational book, a book that is quite stimulating, but also filled with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, as you start to recognise how flippantly we use many of these phrases.

The magic of ROAR is that every woman will discover at least one story they can relate to. There is a moral attached to each tale, making it a parable of sorts. It is up to each reader how we interpret this message and how we chose to use it’s power.

Original. Thought-provoking. Pertinent.