World Book Club Folgen

Kaarina Parker talks about her debut novel set in ancient Rome - Fulvia. The novel tells the tale of Fulvia, the daughter of a wealthy but inconsequential Roman family. Raised in the country, she yearns for excitement, for power. When her father dies and her inheritance is threatened, Fulvia makes her way to Rome to forge her own fate.There she marries a young aristocrat named Clodius, who is more interested in his hedonistic pleasures than politics. Fulvia is drawn into his world of debauchery, and learns that the balance of power in the Republic is precarious. Her ambition drives them both to political power that draws the attention of the senate, as well as shadowy underworld opponents. The heart of the Empire proves to be a dangerous place, and Fulvia soon learns that her ambitions may come at a terrible cost. Kaarina will be answering your questions about the place of women in ancient Rome, how to balance historical back with unique storytelling, and why historical fiction from a female perspective is so popular with contemporary readers.

American author Rachel Kusher talks about her award-winning novel, The Mars Room. The novel follows Romy Hall, as she begins two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, after killing her stalker.The story weaves between the two sides of Romy’s existence. First, the prison world where women struggle for the bare essentials of life. Second, the San Francisco of her youth, The Mars Room strip club where she once danced, and days spent with her angelic seven-year-old son, Jackson.Gritty, daring and sometimes darkly comedic, The Mars Room is both a searing, and deeply empathetic exploration of the American penal system.Rachel answers your questions about her years of research into prison life, how her protagonist came to be, and if wider societal structures mean some people are pre-determined to end up behind bars.Presenter: Harriet Gilbert

World Book Club welcomes Karin Slaughter to answer your questions about her brutal, heart-rending thriller, The Good Daughter.28 years after the murder of their mother, another horrific crime forces sisters Sam and Charlie Quinn to confront the truth about the night that shattered their family so long ago.Karin will be asking your questions about her attitude to violence in her novels, the dynamics of sisterhood, and why saving public libraries is more important than ever in the modern world.