I told you, I’m on a streak of writing boring book reviews. Apologies for another long and boring post :) 

After so many months, I’m finally done with Cecelia Ahern’s latest book, One Hundred Names. For reasons I can’t understand, it took me months to finish this book. The demands of teaching and all the exhaustion from commuting prevented me to read. I lost the interest in reading because my body is demanding that much needed sleep and rest. My defunct iPod nano became my reliable and favorite companion over the past months.

Cecelia Ahern is one of my favorite authors. She impressed me well with PS I Love you. I purchased most of her books and recommended her to most of my friends. This reminds me of my dear friends who have forgotten to return my cheap yet precious book collections. Heehee

The constant element in Cecelia Ahern’s book is the magical experience. It never failed to exist in all of her works. Ahern wants us to believe that everyone is bound to have a magical encounter in their lifetime. True enough, One Hundred Names is another book that made me believe that even ordinary persons will have their own magical experience to relate. 


Kitty Logan used to have a promising career. She’s a successful TV host, writer and had the privilege of being coached by Constance, another famous and great writer and editor in her lifetime. Everything seems to be perfect for Kitty not until she committed a mistake that rattled her entire career. Kitty’s TV show tainted the reputation of an innocent teacher. It was too late to retract the accusations. The damage and trauma were already done.  More than the legal charges and financial damages, Kitty’s career was shaken. She lost her job and was treated as a national antagonist.
                                                        
 Kitty sought refuge from Constance, her friend and mentor who owns and operates a popular and trusted magazine. While Kitty is trying to pick up herself, Constance left her with a mission. Kitty was tasked to look for the book the compiles 100 names of different people. Unfortunately, Constance passed away and Kitty was left with nothing but a list of names to deal with.

The entire story related Kitty’s journey of meeting the 100 people in Constance’s list. Kitty was pressured by Constance’s husband to produce that one great article about the mysterious list. They agreed that this would serve as the greatest way to honor Constance. Unfortunately, Kitty was constrained by the limits of time.  Kitty has 100 people to search, meet, interview and weave to a great story in two weeks.

Kitty whole-heartedly embraced the impossible task. The journey of meeting the 100 people fueled the entire story. This gave Kitty the opportunity to witness that magical moment that every person is bound to experience. Kitty’s efforts to connect the 100 different people shaped the heartwarming message and conclusion of the story.

There are so many characters and events that prevailed in the novel. At some point, I even felt confused with the names and characters. But when I reached the concluding part of the novel, everything simply fell into place. I was mesmerized.

This is the part of the book that moved me.



I suddenly felt connected with the story and characters. I had that feeling that Cecelia Ahern was also writing my story. It was like someone telling me that this world will never be complete without my existence.

A little confession to make, I was attacked by my self-diagnosed quarter life crisis while reading this book. I was battling that recurring unexplained sadness. I don’t confide this struggle with my friends. In my mind, I know this too shall pass. In between those times, I sought for signs of hope from almost everywhere and anywhere. A butterfly, picture or anything that would uplift my drowning spirits would suffice. I never expected that a current read will emerge as my little refuge.       

Ahern did not fail me in this book. It has the right amount of substance that propelled a very inspiring story. It transitioned with a realistic wheel of character development. It conveyed a message powerful enough to move and uplift readers. More importantly, it has an unpredictable ending that will leave readers wondering of what could have been the exact conclusion of the story.

One Hundred Names is an excellent read. I don’t have second thoughts of giving this book 5 out of 5 stars.