In a Thousand Different Ways: the gripping, unforgettable new novel from the Sunday Times number 1 bestselling author

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I was immediately drawn to Alice, and I would do anything to protect her. I felt empathy for her in dealing with the gift, and I can’t imagine what it must be like not only to know everyone's feelings, but you could be affected by those feelings too 🥺 Overall, I loved this book and would highly recommend it. For me, it is a colorful and sensational story. Divided chapters by colors, and you'll immediately feel sorry when you come across the last chapter because you know the thing associated with it.

Stellen Sie sich vor, Sie könnten jedem einzelnen Menschen eine bestimmte Farbe zuordnen. Stellen Sie sich vor, die Farben haben Bedeutungen. Stellen Sie sich vor, Sie könnten dadurch die Stimmung und die Absichten aller um Sie herum vorhersehen und fühlen. Stellen Sie sich vor, Sie haben Synästhesie. At 41, it’s quite young to be in perimenopause but, without going into the symptoms, Cecelia says she just knew something was wrong. ‘I definitely felt it, I didn’t feel balanced,’ she says. ‘I listen to my body a lot and always try to balance myself out in lots of different ways, whether it’s exercise, diet, looking at different alternative therapies and things to do just to feel good.’ Shoreline Hotel, Donabate, Co. Dublin, Irish novelist,Cecelia Ahern. Pic: Tom Honan

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Sniffy. My 40-year-old pillow case that is now a rag and still comes everywhere with me. What is the most beautiful book that you own? Sarah Gilmartin: ‘A lot more needs to be done to make the reporting of sexual crimes easier for victims’ ] I’ve read that you’re not comfortable speaking in public. What does writing mean to you? She does manage to live a life of her own, with the urging of her older brother, and moves away from the toxic environment that is her childhood home.

This was my first title by Cecilia Aherne and I was thoroughly engrossed in the story and am now keen to discover more of her writing. I didn’t find those aspects challenging to write. I feel very comfortable writing about people’s foibles – I love to go into the dense dark spaces of the mind and see the world from my character’s eyes. The more nuanced they are, the better. Why do you think you are drawn to writing about loss? It’s about a character named Alice who has the ability to see people’s emotions in the form of colours around their bodies; she sees auras. She can instantly know just by looking at someone exactly how they’re feeling, and if the colour travels to her, then she can also feel exactly as they are feeling. Alice feels that this skill is a burden, not a gift, and we follow her as she tries to navigate her own life, carve out her own path despite feeling overwhelmed by everyone around her. Alice liegt mir mit ihrem außergewöhnlichen Leben und ihrer liebenswürdigen Art sehr am Herzen. Aber es hat eine Weile gedauert, bis ich die raffinierte Geschichte von Cecelia Ahern verstanden habe. Zuerst dachte ich: "Wovon um alles in der Welt redet sie?" Erst als ich zu 50-60 % mit dem Roman durch war, traf es mich! Dann war ich von dieser spezifischen Fähigkeit besessen und wollte unbedingt herausfinden, wie Alice ihr LEBEN verantworten wird. Ich genoss jeden Satz, jeden Handlungsstrang bis zum Ende. Sehr empfehlenswert!I’m not interested in writing the same novel twice. I’m drawn to writing about challenging, transitional moments in people’s lives, and that theme never changes, but how I go about telling the story changes so very much I’m sure it sends my publishers’ heads in a spin. I’m often too quirky to be commercial and too commercial to be literary and while I’m comfortable with not fitting in, it’s never easy when it comes to knowing where to put me on a shelf. What projects are you working on? Cecelia Ahern at An Evening with Evoke in association with Her Money at the Herbert Park Hotel in Ballsbridge, Dublin. Pic: Brian McEvoy I haven't read anything by Cecila Ahern for quite some time, but when I saw this on Netgalley, I had to request a copy. Thank you to them and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the life of Alice Kelly who has the rare condition of Synesthesia (dubbed Aura Migraine) whereby she can see the colour of people's aura and lives in a dysfunctional family. It is not clear if she was born with it or developed it later, but she is suffering alimentation and feels cursed. Ollie her younger brother soaks in his mother's blue and red (Depression and Anger) while Hugh her older brother with his Pink (Love) manages to be the beacon of sanity for Alice. It's been a long time since I finished a book in one setting and quite liked it. What I didn't expect was for this to happen with a Cecelia Ahern book. A special edition Winnie the Pooh, the complete collection of stories and poems. The most beautiful words and the most beautiful stories. Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?

I know the adage it is not the destination but the journey that matters, but Alice's journey is more of the same. It felt a bit like a mega serial (soap opera) with an extraordinary person since the mini-events happened to be nothing life changing or from a novel form story line altering. I did admire the author's conviction to see the world in it's colors and some of it's passages around light and prism to demonstrate maturity. Some parts like wearing a shield or her sales roles through aura mirroring seemed a bit stretched. The last part of her family was in super fast forward mode like done around the publishing deadline. Beautiful, moving and unexpected, In a Thousand Different ways is an unforgettable story. This is Cecelia Ahern at her very best’ Louise O’Neill Did being the daughter of a former taoiseach help prepare you for being a public figure or encourage you to keep a low profile?

It was certainly overwhelming. The workload was immense from the beginning which was excellent training. However, being from Ireland and being surrounded by grounded Irish people, I knew, because I was told, that what was happening to me was not the norm. I knew that it was not going to be the case for every single book for the rest of my life and so I was embracing the moment and enjoying it as much as I possibly could. What makes your work so attractive to film-makers?

Indeed, the way Cecelia thinks is one of the things that inspired her new book, In A Thousand Different Ways. It tells the story of Alice, who I loved seeing how Alice learns to live with her gift. The book discusses everything from self-discovery to complicated family relationships, neglectful parents, and a love story. It looks like a challenging topic, but I enjoyed how it was executed within the story. The ending also was beautiful in that it speaks the summary of Alice’s life experiences through colors 🤌🏻 Ahern has unique and beautiful writing with a captivating storyline and characters' depth and development. I loved how she described the different moods and feelings related to the colors. Like a baby is associated with gold color, it’s fascinating when Alice knows that her teacher is pregnant before her teacher knows herself. I found all of the characters well rounded. We get to know them well through their impact on Alice. Her meeting with Naomi is a turning point, where she learns that her life can be different. Her relationship with Andy, after an idyllic start, becomes troubled at times, but they learn to deal with each other's idiosyncrasies. Her love of being out in nature and her growing understanding of plants through seeing their moods and colours was fascinating and and, for her, life-changing.