Sentimental Garbage

Warning: fans of Frances Mayes' 1996 travel memoir Under The Tuscan Sun won't find a lot of meaningful discussion of the book here, because neither Caroline nor our guest Rose McGowan liked it very much. Instead, we talk about Italy, Rose's childhood in a religious cult, her experience writing her book BRAVE, the relationship between women and gay men, her experiences speaking out against sexual abuse in Hollywood and being raised to think of herself without gender. We also do some fairly unkind impressions of Frances Mayes, so please don't send this podcast to Frances Mayes.Music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Recorded at Acast and produced by Hannah Varrall.Rose McGowan's book BRAVE is published in paperback on the 5th of March.Harvey Weinstein currently denies all allegations made against him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

*CONTENT WARNING*: FIRST UP, there's discussions of rape and child abuse throughout that some people might find off-putting. SECOND: this is a book where half the enjoyment comes from the many nutty twists and turns, so definitely read it before listening if you can. *END OF CONTENT WARNING* This week we're talking to author of Louis and Louise Julie Cohen about the 1979 gothic classic Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews. The book was seminal to both Julie and Caroline, and tells the story of the Dollanganger children, Cathy, Chris, Cory and Carrie, and the three years they spend locked in the attic of Foxworth Hall. We talk attics, literary influence, evil women, and why so many teenage girls found so much to fantasise about a book about incest. Music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Recorded at Acast and produced by Hannah Varrall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abigail Bergstrom, a literary agent and book editor, discusses Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir 'Eat, Pray, Love'. They delve into themes like soul mates, the complexities of helping friends, pressures on women regarding career and motherhood, and the concept of ideas and creativity.

This episode of Sentimental Garbage is pretty blue so maybe don’t listen with kids in the car. This week we’re talking sex, lies, class and Oxford University with Louise Mensch’s 1995 debut Career Girls. Film critic and Oxford graduate Helen O’Hara defends this x-rated read about the all-powerful Rowena Gordon and Topaz Rossi who engage in a lifelong rivalry across the entire media industry. Erections are bursting against jeans, curves are being poured into tiny dresses, and good God is it compelling.Music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Recorded at Acast and produced by Hannah Varrall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caroline chats to Jill Mansell, author of Millie’s Fling, about snacks, how it feels when people are “ashamed” to read your books in public, and her past as a clinical neuro-physiology technician.Music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Recorded at Acast and produced by Hannah Varrall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ready for chick-lit Middlemarch? Today we dive into Jill Mansell’s Millie’s Fling with author of the forthcoming Midnight Chicken & Other Recipes Worth Living For, Ella Risbridger. When 25 year old Millie witnesses the famous romance novelist Orla Hart about to throw herself off a cliff, she strikes up a friendship with Orla that changes her life. Orla has decided that she wants to write a realistic literary romance novel about “real people” and pays Millie to be her real-life subject. We talk grief, wine, shopping lists and snobbery, plus we have a sneak preview of our chat with the author ahead of the upcoming bonus episode. Music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Recorded at Acast and produced by Hannah Varrall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bridget Jones drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney and dresses like her mother - and somehow became a global multi-million dollar franchise in the process. This week, we talk to Bridget super-fan and writer of the Sofia Khan series Ayisha Malik. As well as discussing Bridget's indomitable spirit and how the character became feminist Marmite, we chat about how to write satire in a world that wants to paint women as flawless, what people expect when a Muslim woman writes a romcom and why characters who smoke are the most fun to write.Music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Recorded at Acast and produced by Hannah Varrall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After talking all things Watermelon with Lucy Vine, we grabbed Marian Keyes on Skype to tell us more about her debut novel. We discuss feminism in the 1990s, growing up in a big family, and how she became the indisputable queen of chick-lit.Music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Recorded at Acast and produced by Hannah Varrall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week is full of firsts: we're discussing Marian Keyes' first book, Watermelon, which also happens to be the first chick-lit that our guest Lucy Vine ever read. We get into the Walsh sisters, emotional abuse and why all debut novels are exactly two months long. We also grab Marian herself on the phone to talk about her memories of writing the book and the benefits of not having a clue what you're doing.Music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Recorded at Acast and produced by Hannah Varrall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After speaking to Lauren Bravo about The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, we tracked down the author of the book, Eva Rice, to talk Take That, Julian the Loaf and why the 1950s are such an intriguing time period to set a novel in.Music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Recorded at Acast and produced by Hannah Varrall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.