Roar (short story collection) explained
Roar is a 2018 short story collection written by Cecelia Ahern. Each story is a fable wherein Ahern pulls from contemporary gender dynamics to introduce a struggling woman and literalizes common clichés with magical realism, and by the end of the tale, the protagonist is empowered by a lesson or realization that allows them to overcome her oppression.[1] [2] The collection received positive reviews.
Contents
- "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"
- "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"
- "The Woman Who Spoke Woman"
- "The Woman Who Found the 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 Unraveled"
- "The Woman Who Cherry-Picked"
- "The Woman Who Roared"
Reception
Roar received "Positive" reviews according to the book review aggregator Book Marks based on nine independent reviews.[3] Kirkus Reviews called it "a sharp, breathtaking collection of fables."[4] Ariel Balter at the New York Journal of Books found the collection to be a "great idea not very well executed" due to its lack of subtlety and nuance.[5] Reviewing for The Irish Times, Martina Evans enjoyed the collection, but felt that the lessons could be more profound if each woman struggled a bit more before the happy ending resolution.[6] Bethanne Patrick praised the collection for The Washington Post with a recommendation to read only one or two of the fables in a sitting in order to best appreciate them.[7]
Adaptation
See main article: Roar (2022 TV series). In August 2018, before the collection was published, the stories were set to be adapted for TV.[8] Apple TV+ picked up the series, and the series was released on April 15, 2022.[9]
Notes and References
- Web site: Fiction Book Review: Roar by Cecelia Ahern . . 16 April 2019.
- News: Billen . Andrew . Review: Roar by Cecelia Ahern — satirical short stories for feminists . . 10 November 2018 . en.
- Web site: Book Marks reviews of Roar by Cecelia Ahern . . September 9, 2021.
- ROAR Kirkus Reviews . . en . February 4, 2019.
- Web site: Balter . Ariel . A book review by Ariel Balter: Roar: Thirty Stories, One Roar . New York Journal of Books . 17 May 2022.
- News: Evans . Martina . Roar review: Cecelia Ahern's fairy tales get real . . 3 November 2018 . en.
- News: Patrick . Bethanne . Review In Roar, Cecelia Ahern uses fables to delve into what it means to be a woman . . April 22, 2019.
- Web site: Hipes . Patrick . 'Roar' TV Series In Works Based On Cecelia Ahern Short Stories; 'GLOW' Duo To Showrun, Nicole Kidman Among EPs . . . August 21, 2018.
- Framke . Caroline . Roar Throws Nicole Kidman, Issa Rae, Alison Brie and More Into a Mixed Bag of Feminist Fables: TV Review . . . https://web.archive.org/web/20220428160125/https://variety.com/2022/tv/reviews/roar-review-apple-nicole-kidman-1235228844/ . 2022-04-28 . April 11, 2022 . live.