Open Book: Maggie O'Farrell, obesity in fiction & WH Smith

Books and Authors

BBC

Society & Culture, Books

4.2 • 824 Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2013

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Mariella Frostrup talks to Maggie O'Farrell about her new novel Instructions For A Heatwave, set during the drought of 1976 when it didn't rain in the UK for 16 weeks. With over a quarter of adults in the UK officially classed as obese, writers Jami Attenberg and Michael Kimball discuss the way in which fiction is responding to a world of fast food, compulsive eating and morbid obesity. And journalist and ex-editor of The Bookseller Neill Denny looks at how one of the UK's most iconic retailers, WH Smiths - over a quarter of whose sales are books - is surviving the the recession.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Nicola Cochlin. Young people have been making history for years, but we don't often hear about them. My brand new series on BBC Sounds sets out to put this right. In history's youngest heroes, I'll be revealing the fascinating stories of 12 young people who've played a major role in history and who've helped shape our world. Like Audrey Hepburn, Nelson Mandela,
0:22.4	Louis Braille and Lady Jane Grey,
0:24.7	History's youngest heroes with me, Nicola Cochlin.
0:27.8	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:31.6	Choosing what to watch.
0:33.4	Night after night.
0:34.9	They're flicking through.
0:36.6	The endless searching is a nightmare.
0:39.2	We want to help you.
0:40.5	On our brand new podcast, Off the Telly,
0:42.6	we share what we've been watching.
0:44.4	Sludiators.
0:46.3	Loads of games, loads of fun, loads of screaming.
0:48.9	Lovely.
0:49.6	Off the telly with me, Joanna Page.
0:51.8	And me, Natalie Cassidy,
0:53.4	so your evenings can be a little less searching and a lot more watching.
0:57.6	Listen on BBC Sounds.
1:00.4	This is a download from the BBC.
1:02.9	To find out more, visit BBC.co.uk slash radio four.
1:08.5	Hello, on today's program, Maggie O'Farrell with instructions for a heat wave.
1:13.0	W.H. Smith's beats the High Street Blues, booksellers across the board, take note,
	...

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