Thrown: SARA COX'S GLORIOUS FEELGOOD NOVEL

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Jameela: All she's ever done is work hard, and try her best. Why won't life give her the one thing she really wants?

It does feel like I’m in a really golden era of my career. I’m blessed at the moment with a great balance. I actually have to be careful not to say yes to everything, which is a tendency I have from my upbringing, being working class and having that work ethic. But it’s been a really, really brilliant few years for me career-wise.’ Coping with career struggles I'd love this to be a thing, if I can," she says of writing. "It's so different to everything else I do." Oh my GOD, it's GORGEOUS. Funny, warm, all about people. Has the same generosity-of-spirit she does. You'll LOVE it!' MARIAN KEYES The bra wire was currently jabbing her left breast every time she breathed in and, today of all days, she’d need to take some deep breaths. There is yet so much potential, given the breadth of topics which can be explored, such as the empty nest syndrome, the emerging skeletons within a marriage and childlessness. Not to mention the theme of pottery, which actually can be a nice parallel of the four main protagonists shaping themselves further.At that point, my youngest child was 10 and I felt like I was making 1,000 sandwiches a day because they all just needed feeding and I had no head space. I was getting up early and trying to get in a 5am chunk of writing." The assorted neighbours come together to try out a new skill, under the watchful eye of their charismatic teacher, Sasha. And as the soft unremarkable lumps of clay are hesitantly, lovingly moulded into delicate vases and majestic pots, so too are the lives of four women. Concealed passions and heartaches are uncovered, relationships shattered and formed, and the possibility for transformation is revealed. My Review of Thrown My most honest answer is probably Victoria Hislop or Philippa Gregory. I met Philippa Gregory actually – she was very nice but I fangirled her a bit and I don’t think authors are really into that. I’ll tell you who I want to read more of – Maggie O’Farrell. This was followed by Love in the Countryside and regular turns fronting The One Show. Today, she’s more in demand than ever, but have those years of struggle shaped the person she is now?

She recently bought a horse, Nelly, and riding her several times a week has been a godsend. ‘She’s a perfect example of being forced to live in the moment,’ says Cox. ‘Obviously, I can’t be on my phone when there’s a broad expanse of sky ahead of me. I ride her in an area just a few junctions up the M1, when you’re suddenly in the middle of nowhere, and it’s fantastic.’ The story centres around four women who attend the local community centre for a pottery class. They all have problems. The characters are likeable, interesting and believable. A story of friendships, that are heartwarming and funny. This enjoyable read held my attention throughout. Funnily enough, I’ve just been recording a show with Jonathan Ross, and he was one of the people I turned to for advice. It wasn’t like he said: “Ring this number, they’ll give you a job!” but he gave me confidence. She’s very much a mashup of Bette Midler and Betty from Coronation Street but my mum is convinced that Sheila is basically her. She became the go-to stand-in for then-Breakfast Show presenter Chris Evans – big boots to fill, but the listeners adored her – and, within two years, had landed the role of host on BBC2’s The Great Pottery Throw Down, which would later inspire her novel.As an argument for the therapeutic powers of pot-throwing, it’s certainly effective. But as the opening salvo from Cox the novelist, it’s distinctly less convincing. Although she supposedly switches between four different points of view, her third-person narration remains in the same brisk voice – sometimes humorous, seldom distinctive. So why not reduce the cast list and add more depth to the characterisation? This story has Sara’s voice ringing true throughout. A fresh, cheeky, insightful take on how change can happen through female friendships.’ DAWN FRENCH Female friendship is a major feature in her debut novel, Thrown, about four women from the same estate who meet for a new pottery class at the local community centre - a setting inspired by her time as presenter on The Great Pottery Throwdown. It’s called Metronome. It’s quite different to what I go for but I really loved it. I thought it was by a woman because the female protagonist is so well written, but it’s by Tom Watson, an annoyingly young man. I loved Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry as well. The assorted neighbours come together to try out a new skill, under the watchful eye of their charismatic teacher, Sasha. And as the soft unremarkable lumps of clay are hesitantly, lovingly moulded into delicate vases and majestic pots, so, too, are the lives of four women.

With plans for a second novel already underway, Cox is excited about what lies ahead. This is her second wind and, in many ways, it feels like she’s only just getting started. It’s seen her metamorphose from the party girl with a penchant for goofing around, into something close to a national treasure – losing none of the irreverence and wit that made her stand out from the crowd in the first place.But then I get offered other work that I really enjoy, so I have to work hard to say no to keep that work-life balance going. I got a horse in 2020, which forces me to take time out because I have to go out and ride, can't look at my phone and have to be in the moment. After a 30-year break, to have my own horse again is like some sort of therapy." Sheila: the nest is empty, there's a lonely little feeling in her tummy and her husband seems so distracted. Thrown] is not a great literary piece. But I think it’s perfect for on the beach and just to have fun with…overall I wanted to make people laugh.’– Sara Cox Novel-writing dreams Cox eventually moved permanently to Radio 2 in 2013 to host Saturday night show Sounds of the 80s and it was from there that her patience began to pay off and her fortunes started to change.

I would have also liked to perhaps see more of each story, to flesh it out so that there was more of a connection to each. This is probably an unreasonable request for the book would become too long if too much time was spent on each and then I would have complained about the story going on no doubt! I really want to like the book, and hence the even greater disappointment as I progressed through it. It was during those wilderness years that fellow presenter Davina McCall put Cox in touch with life coach Michael Heppell, and his sessions proved a huge help. She also reached out for advice from other industry names, whose time and support she has never forgotten. Whilst there is romance, this is not a love story. It is more a story about connecting with others, realising what we want from life and trying something new. It’s a story of friendship and every day life, full of little dramas and periods of calm. There were years where you could not get me arrested,’ she says, frankly. ‘My agent was amazing because, unless you put yourself in front of them, people do forget that you’re there. So she’d take me for a coffee and a biscuit with some commissioner, like she was trying to auction me off.I think I’m just really bad at concentrating on one thing at a time, and I get quite baffled trying to live my life like that. But sleep is really important to me. And exercise – that keeps me on an even keel.’ Looking to the future Little Shuggie Bain, bless him. He’s so sweet and so heartbreaking trying to look after his mum - it absolutely broke my heart – and I’m really excited about Douglas Stuart’s new book.