Fiction

The Authenticity Project

The Authenticity Project

  • Downloads：7237
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-17 08:55:24
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Clare Pooley
  • ISBN：1784164690
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

The Radio 2 Book Club pick， perfect for fans of The Flatshare

'This is the feel-good story， full of hope， that we all need to read right now。' Woman & Home， Book of the Month

‘A joyous， funny read that leaves you all warm inside’ Beth Morrey， author of Saving Missy
--------------------
Six strangers with one universal thing in common: their lives aren’t always what they make them out to be。

What would happen if they told the truth instead？

Julian Jessop is tired of hiding the deep loneliness he feels。 So he begins The Authenticity Project – a small green notebook containing the truth about his life。

Leaving the notebook on a table in his friendly neighbourhood café， Julian never expects Monica， the owner， to track him down after finding it。 Or that she’ll be inspired to write down her own story。

Little do they realize that such small acts of honesty hold the power to impact all those who discover the notebook and change their lives completely。

Praise for The Authenticity Project :

'A clever， uplifting book that entertains and makes you think。’ Sophie Kinsella

'If you're a fan of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine， read this！' Fabulous

'A warm and endearing tale about truth， friendship and the power of connection。' Mike Gayle

‘One of the best books I’ve read in a long time。 Original， engaging and unforgettable。’ Sunday Times bestselling author， Sarah Morgan

‘Full of life’s truths， funny， poignant and ultimately uplifting。 I thoroughly enjoyed it。’ Fanny Blake

Download

Reviews

Megan Pannone ，

Interesting premise， but the characters fall flat， and almost every plot point is just a little too cute and improbable。

Nat ，

I really enjoyed this book。 It's full of the people we all already know， brought together by a notebook。 I saw myself and so many friends and family here。 The story of Julian and his friendships， which grow across borders， shows how true friendships and relationships are born and how complicated and tangled these become。 Ultimately， it's a feel-good story but I stopped short of 5 stars as I would have liked to seen a bit more of the relationships between the characters。 I really enjoyed this book。 It's full of the people we all already know， brought together by a notebook。 I saw myself and so many friends and family here。 The story of Julian and his friendships， which grow across borders， shows how true friendships and relationships are born and how complicated and tangled these become。 Ultimately， it's a feel-good story but I stopped short of 5 stars as I would have liked to seen a bit more of the relationships between the characters。 。。。more

Paige Farmer ，

The perfect pick me up！ Yes， it was chick lit， but I really enjoyed it。

Mona Schorow ，

Heartwarming & SweetThe Authenticity Project sweetly persuades you to suspend your disbelief。 Simultaneously every-day and extraordinary， the story twists and turns in surprising ways。

Anita J。 ，

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley。 This is a sweet novel that is easy to read。 An old and lonely artist， Julian， writes his “truth” in a notebook entitled The Authenticity Project and leaves it in a local coffee shop where the owner， Monica， finds it and pens her own unvarnished story。 The notebook lands in the hands of six people， who each continue the chain of authenticity。 Ultimately， these six characters come together and their truths about loneliness， addiction， romance， grief， self- The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley。 This is a sweet novel that is easy to read。 An old and lonely artist， Julian， writes his “truth” in a notebook entitled The Authenticity Project and leaves it in a local coffee shop where the owner， Monica， finds it and pens her own unvarnished story。 The notebook lands in the hands of six people， who each continue the chain of authenticity。 Ultimately， these six characters come together and their truths about loneliness， addiction， romance， grief， self-doubt and imagined inadequacies are revealed in surprising ways as they discover and relate to each other。 Pooley’s novel explores the complexities of life in a world where relationships and our opinions of others are dominated and distorted by social media。 The charm of this story is how a real community develops between these characters when they open their eyes and hearts to the people around them。 The Authenticity Project offers hope that we can build a loving and supportive community if we reach out to others in a meaningful and selfless way。 。。。more

Maria Caplin ，

Read it for book club。 So many aspects I loved！！ Character development， setting and the cafe。 Few too many surprises。

Mary Vermillion ，

In her acknowledgments， Clare Pooley writes that "telling the truth about your life。。。can work magic and change the lives of many other people for the better。" Her novel portrays that magic。 In her acknowledgments， Clare Pooley writes that "telling the truth about your life。。。can work magic and change the lives of many other people for the better。" Her novel portrays that magic。 。。。more

Claire ，

Unique story with lovable characters！ The message felt meaningful without being too heavy。 I was given this book and told to pass it on to a friend… who wants to read it next？ :）

Jackie Richards ，

Loved this book and its characters。It gave me that warm cosy feeling that you get whilst sitting in front of a real coal fire with a mug of tea by your side，the book drew me in straight away and I'm so happy that Monica finally got her happy ever after ending。。 Loved this book and its characters。It gave me that warm cosy feeling that you get whilst sitting in front of a real coal fire with a mug of tea by your side，the book drew me in straight away and I'm so happy that Monica finally got her happy ever after ending。。 。。。more

Marjolein ，

I really enjoyed reading 'The Authenticity Project' and it was very hard to put it down。 I loved the premise of the story and I liked all of the main characters - even though all of them were a bit annoying at times。 It's a story about being authentic， new and unexpected friendships， second chances and accepting yourself。 It's a fast read; short chapters， an easy and attractive writing style and an intersting storyline。 Nevertheless there were some aspects that didn't sit quite right with me， wh I really enjoyed reading 'The Authenticity Project' and it was very hard to put it down。 I loved the premise of the story and I liked all of the main characters - even though all of them were a bit annoying at times。 It's a story about being authentic， new and unexpected friendships， second chances and accepting yourself。 It's a fast read; short chapters， an easy and attractive writing style and an intersting storyline。 Nevertheless there were some aspects that didn't sit quite right with me， which is why I can't give this a four star rating。 The eventual love interest for Monica was not really a big surprise - but I do wish the author had gone about it a different way。 By the time both of them realize their feelings for each other， there's only 30-40 pages of the book left。 Which made it feel like it was just thrown in last minute and it kind of ruined it for me。 Also。。。 Monica was pissed at people for judging her， while she kept judging other people the entire book。 Didn't really like that either。 Nevertheless， I did really enjoy it and if you're looking for a fast and light read， I can definitely recommend it！ 。。。more

Jody E。 ，

Really enjoyed this book。 Fresh perspectives and intriguing story lines。 Great character development。

Poppy Georgia ，

Enjoyable but not overwhelming - would more give it 3。5 for me personally！

Catsalive ，

I liked the outrageous， flamboyant， self-absorbed Julian Jessop， artist extraordinaire， who set up the Project， somewhat dubiously。 All the characters were certainly flawed human beings & most of them prone to making snap， superficial judgements about others on the flimsiest of evidence; so， not a particularly likeable bunch。 The most relaxed & likeable being dismissed by the author & other characters as a happy， antipodean dimwit。 It dragged a bit at times: I kept finding myself thinking "just I liked the outrageous， flamboyant， self-absorbed Julian Jessop， artist extraordinaire， who set up the Project， somewhat dubiously。 All the characters were certainly flawed human beings & most of them prone to making snap， superficial judgements about others on the flimsiest of evidence; so， not a particularly likeable bunch。 The most relaxed & likeable being dismissed by the author & other characters as a happy， antipodean dimwit。 It dragged a bit at times: I kept finding myself thinking "just get on with it， will you"， I'm still not sure what the point of the Paris trip was， & the ending seemed completely unnecessary， but it was a generally enjoyable & easy-reading tale。 。。。more

Shirley ，

I loved this book。 Clare Pooley created realistic characters with colorful stories。 Their varied lives included youth， singles， new parents， addicts， ad elders。。。 The different aspects of their lives - lonliness， unrealistic expectations， putting on fronts， fear of change， and allowing addictions to control （drugs and social media）。 It is amazing how these characters come together through the Authenticity notebook。 It sheds light on how seldom we project our true image to those around us。 How w I loved this book。 Clare Pooley created realistic characters with colorful stories。 Their varied lives included youth， singles， new parents， addicts， ad elders。。。 The different aspects of their lives - lonliness， unrealistic expectations， putting on fronts， fear of change， and allowing addictions to control （drugs and social media）。 It is amazing how these characters come together through the Authenticity notebook。 It sheds light on how seldom we project our true image to those around us。 How would life really be if we allowed others to see our real thoughts， beliefs， and dreams？ I love how the first journal begins a ripple effect that in turn begins to change lives。 I was intrigued with how the characters formed a bond and began to purpose to do things to bring joy to others。 It is an uplifting read that brings to light the superficial relationships that most often exists。 Authenticity brings about change， can create deep friendships， can give renewed purpose to life， but it takes great courage and vulnerability。 。。。more

Sharon ，

A light read with some quite profound insights into human behavior and relationships。 An unlikely plot and setting that brought together characters with the traits that invited self reflection。 It was an easy but not a simple book。 Authenticity is one of my favorite topics， so I found this thought-provoking as well as humorous and entertaining。

Gitti ，

Monica führt ein Café， das mehr schlecht als recht läuft。 Eines Tages findet sie ein Notizbuch mit der Aufschrift Projekt Aufrichtigkeit。 Darin der Bericht von Julian， in dem er zugibt sehr einsam zu sein und die Frage stellt， wie gut man seine Mitmenschen denn so kennt。 Berührt von seiner Geschichte， beschließt sie ihm zu helfen， schreibt ihre eigene Geschichte auf und schickt das Buch weiter auf Reisen。 Nach und nach treffen so verbunden， die unterschiedlichsten Menschen aufeinander und manchm Monica führt ein Café， das mehr schlecht als recht läuft。 Eines Tages findet sie ein Notizbuch mit der Aufschrift Projekt Aufrichtigkeit。 Darin der Bericht von Julian， in dem er zugibt sehr einsam zu sein und die Frage stellt， wie gut man seine Mitmenschen denn so kennt。 Berührt von seiner Geschichte， beschließt sie ihm zu helfen， schreibt ihre eigene Geschichte auf und schickt das Buch weiter auf Reisen。 Nach und nach treffen so verbunden， die unterschiedlichsten Menschen aufeinander und manchmal stellt sich die Frage wie aufrichtig man in seinem Leben wirklich sein sollte。Erzählt wird hier eine sehr schöne Geschichte， die Menschen zusammenführt， die sich ohne Julians Buch wohl niemals miteinander beschäftigt hätten。 Für eigentlich jeden bietet das Aufschreiben der eigenen Geschichte die Möglichkeit， dem eigenen Leben eine Wende zu geben。 So lernen wir neben Monica und Julian noch Hazard， Riley， Alice und zu guter Letzt noch Lissie kennen。 All ihre Leben treten miteinander in Verbindung und gerade Alice und Hazard tut es gut mal aus ihrer eigenen Blase herauszukommen。Das Buch lässt sich ganz wunderbar lesen und man hat immer das Gefühl mittendrin zu sein。 Die Protagonisten sind nicht unbedingt reine Sympathieträger， gerade Hazard und Alice sind manchmal sehr gewöhnungsbedürftig。 Und hinter Julian versteckt sich mehr als nur ein einsamer alter Mann。 Gerade er ist für einige Überraschungen gut。Wer gerne typisch englische Geschichten liest， ist hier definitiv richtig， das Lebensgefühl ist immer gut spürbar und lebendig。 Ich kann das Buch auf jeden Fall nur empfehlen， es bietet entspannte und heimelige Lesestunden。 。。。more

Sue Kozlowski ，

Although classified as a 'light read'， I found that I had to push myself to finish this 350 pg novel。 Many reviewers praise it as 'uplifting' and 'inspiring'。 I disagree。The story revolves around an elderly English gentleman who lives alone after the passing of his wife。 He is sad and lonely。 He writes in a green notebook that he entitles， "The Authenticity Project"。 In it， he pours out his feelings of loneliness and desire for friends。 He leaves this notebook in Monica's cafe。 She discovers the Although classified as a 'light read'， I found that I had to push myself to finish this 350 pg novel。 Many reviewers praise it as 'uplifting' and 'inspiring'。 I disagree。The story revolves around an elderly English gentleman who lives alone after the passing of his wife。 He is sad and lonely。 He writes in a green notebook that he entitles， "The Authenticity Project"。 In it， he pours out his feelings of loneliness and desire for friends。 He leaves this notebook in Monica's cafe。 She discovers the notebook， reads it， and then writes her own unhappy story of wanting to be married and have children。 The story continues， with a cast of characters finding the notebook and then writing their own stories。The characters end up finding their way together。 They are all rather shallow characters and are very stereotypical。 The book does have its funny moments， but overall it was too unrealistic to be 'uplifting'。 。。。more

Tash ，

Perfect read to switch off with everything's that going on。 Loved all the individual stories and how they came together。 Nice undertones and reminders that people have their own story and to not judge a book by its cover。 Perfect read to switch off with everything's that going on。 Loved all the individual stories and how they came together。 Nice undertones and reminders that people have their own story and to not judge a book by its cover。 。。。more

Angela Yeh ，

A great read - easy pacing and immersive。 Loved the UK setting and the one scene where the two women are looking at each other through the coffee shop window…perfection。

Hannah ，

Cute book！

Angeliki ，

3。5 αστέρια"Πόσο καλά ξέρεις τους ανθρώπους που ζουν δίπλα σου; Πόσο καλά σε ξέρουν εκείνοι; Ξέρεις έστω τα ονόματα των γειτόνων σου; Θα το καταλάβαινες αν είχαν κάποιο πρόβλημα， ή αν είχαν μέρες να βγουν από το σπίτι τους;"Στο χαοτικό Λονδίνο， μία ετερόκλητη παρέα ατόμων ξεκινά να διαμορφώνει δεσμούς μέσω ενός απλού φαινομενικά αντικειμένου: ενός πράσινου σημειωματάριου γεμάτου εκμυστηρεύσεις。 Ενώ η μοναξιά που νιώθει καθένας από τους ήρωες αρχίζει να υποχωρεί， οι νέες φιλίες και σχέσεις δοκιμά 3。5 αστέρια"Πόσο καλά ξέρεις τους ανθρώπους που ζουν δίπλα σου; Πόσο καλά σε ξέρουν εκείνοι; Ξέρεις έστω τα ονόματα των γειτόνων σου; Θα το καταλάβαινες αν είχαν κάποιο πρόβλημα， ή αν είχαν μέρες να βγουν από το σπίτι τους;"Στο χαοτικό Λονδίνο， μία ετερόκλητη παρέα ατόμων ξεκινά να διαμορφώνει δεσμούς μέσω ενός απλού φαινομενικά αντικειμένου: ενός πράσινου σημειωματάριου γεμάτου εκμυστηρεύσεις。 Ενώ η μοναξιά που νιώθει καθένας από τους ήρωες αρχίζει να υποχωρεί， οι νέες φιλίες και σχέσεις δοκιμάζονται μέσα από σειρά περιστατικών， καθώς και από το γεγονός ότι δεν είναι πάντα έτοιμοι να αντιμετωπίσουν τις δικές τους αλήθειες。Το Πράσινο Σημειωματάριο είναι ένα τρυφερό βιβλίο που διαβάζεται εύκολα και πιθανότατα θα σου φτιάξει τη διάθεση。 Έχει πρωτότυπη πλοκή， απλό τρόπο γραφής και ορισμένες ανατροπές που θα σου κρατήσουν το ενδιαφέρον μέχρι το τέλος。 Προσωπικά， παρότι βρήκα κοινά σημεία με κάποιους από τους χαρακτήρες στους προβληματισμούς και τις παραξενιές τους， δεν ένιωσα να δένομαι με κανέναν τους。 Ίσως φταίει γι' αυτό το γεγονός ότι η εξιστόρηση γίνεται σε εναλλασσόμενα κεφάλαια από την οπτική άλλου ήρωα κάθε φορά， όπως και ότι ορισμένοι από αυτούς παρουσιάζονται μερικές φορές σαν καρικατούρες， με μια υπερβολή στα στοιχεία του χαρακτήρα τους， καταλήγοντας να φαίνονται μονοδιάστατες οι προσωπικότητές τους。 ！！ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΕΙ ΣΠΟΙΛΕΡ ΣΤΙΣ ΕΠΟΜΕΝΕΣ ΔΥΟ ΠΑΡΑΓΡΑΦΟΥΣ （όσοι δεν το έχετε διαβάσει προσπεράστε）！！Δύο πράγματα που δεν με ενθουσίασαν στο βιβλίο είναι τα εξής:1） ο χαρακτήρας της ΆλιςΜπορεί να είναι που ο χαρακτήρας της Άλις έκανε την εμφάνισή του αργότερα στην πλοκή αλλά δεν μου φάνηκε το ίδιο δουλεμένος με τους υπόλοιπους。 Από τη μία η Άλις έχει γίνει μητέρα στα 26 της χρόνια， ενώ είναι παράλληλα fashion blogger， και από την άλλη εξιστορώντας το παρελθόν της προτού γίνει μαμά， μαθαίνουμε πως ήταν διευθύντρια μάρκετιγνκ σε μια μεγάλη εταιρεία δημόσιων σχέσεων。 Πόσο ρεαλιστικό είναι το σενάριο μια φτωχή σχετικά κοπέλα να έχει προλάβει να γίνει διευθύντρια και ταυτόχρονα infuencer με χιλιάδες followers μέχρι τα 26 της; Νομίζω καθόλου。2） το ρομάντζο Μόνικα - ΧάζαρντΣίγουρα υπήρχε η προοπτική στην αρχή。 Δεν θα με ενοχλούσε η συγκεκριμένη εξέλιξη αν είχε χτιστεί με τον ανάλογο τρόπο: Ο Χάζαρντ βρίσκει το σημειωματάριο και ψάχνει ιδανικό σύντροφο για τη Μόνικα - τη γνωρίζει και αρχίζει να την ερωτεύεται - τα ετερώνυμα έλκονται - ο Χάζαρντ συνειδητοποιεί ότι ο ίδιος είναι ο κατάλληλος σύντροφος για τη Μόνικα。 Κάτι τέτοιο θα ήταν κλισέ αλλά σίγουρα περισσότερο αποδεκτό。 Το γεγονός ότι η συγγραφέας επέλεξε να επενδύσει το μισό βιβλίο στο χτίσιμο της σχέσης Μόνικα - Ράιλι， απλά για να το γκρεμίσει ανεξήγητα και να δημιουργήσει plot twist δεν με ικανοποίησε。 Ένιωσα σα να ήταν ανώφελα όλα τα προηγούμενα κεφάλαια του Ράιλι。！！ΤΕΛΟΣ ΣΠΟΙΛΕΡ！！Για να κλείσω， είναι ένα βιβλίο που ενώ πραγματεύεται σύγχρονα προβλήματα της κοινωνίας μας， τα οποία βασανίζουν πολλούς από εμάς， καταφέρνει να είναι ευχάριστο και να σε κάνει να νιώσεις καλά。 Σίγουρα δεν ανήκει στα βιβλία που αγάπησα， όμως θα το πρότεινα ανεπιφύλακτα σε όποιον θέλει να διαβάσει κάτι πιο "ανάλαφρο" αυτή τη χρονική περίοδο。 。。。more

Kathy ，

Nothing earth shattering， but a nice read。

Frances Krumholtz ，

🥴

Kim Sasso ，

Had I qued up this audio book while still in darkmode， I'd have abandoned it with a cynical dismissal， using words like "treacle" and "obvious。" But in my current mental state， and especially having listened to it all the way to the end， I think I might love it。 #BookTwitterAudio Book Libby NashvilleDrive TimeOctober 3/4 2021 Had I qued up this audio book while still in darkmode， I'd have abandoned it with a cynical dismissal， using words like "treacle" and "obvious。" But in my current mental state， and especially having listened to it all the way to the end， I think I might love it。 #BookTwitterAudio Book Libby NashvilleDrive TimeOctober 3/4 2021 。。。more

Samantha Grant ，

Simple and cleverly written。 Nice enough storyline that gives you much to think about。 Nice twist at the end 。This is the perfect book for a nice light read。 With a tidbit of English Charm and humor and romance。Perfectly titled yet not as predictable as one would have thought 😉。

Tricia Wade ，

4 Stars。 Cute book。 Quick and easy beach read。 Somewhat predictable。 It's the story of a green notebook that brings six strangers together and intertwines their lives。 Monica finds the notebook that only has a few paragraphs written in it。 It asks questions like "how well do you know the people who live near you？" and "do you know the names of your neighbors？" This book quickly connects people who may be showing a facade of a life to others。 It was a simple， feel good story that has some deep th 4 Stars。 Cute book。 Quick and easy beach read。 Somewhat predictable。 It's the story of a green notebook that brings six strangers together and intertwines their lives。 Monica finds the notebook that only has a few paragraphs written in it。 It asks questions like "how well do you know the people who live near you？" and "do you know the names of your neighbors？" This book quickly connects people who may be showing a facade of a life to others。 It was a simple， feel good story that has some deep thoughts built into it about being authentic and finding real relationships。 。。。more

Deb Urbano ，

A notebook is strategically left with one person's "truth" as an attempt to reach out for connection in a quiet， British neighborhood。 Connections begin to ripple outward as the book changes hands。 I needed a nice story with people who were helping each other this week。 This fit the bill！ Great character development， told from different individual's perspective by chapter。 I didn't love all the aspects of every character all the time， but I was always rooting for them to do well as a group。 If y A notebook is strategically left with one person's "truth" as an attempt to reach out for connection in a quiet， British neighborhood。 Connections begin to ripple outward as the book changes hands。 I needed a nice story with people who were helping each other this week。 This fit the bill！ Great character development， told from different individual's perspective by chapter。 I didn't love all the aspects of every character all the time， but I was always rooting for them to do well as a group。 If you like Backman， you will probably enjoy this book。 。。。more

Susan ，

WOW！This is why I continue to nibble at contemporary fiction。 Because for all of the mediocre or annoying books， there are then books like this。I may have read this in a very， very short period of time。 Because I could not put it down。I laughed at people who commented about "improbable story line"。 Um， hello， FICTION！！！Wonderful premise， story， and characters。 WOW！This is why I continue to nibble at contemporary fiction。 Because for all of the mediocre or annoying books， there are then books like this。I may have read this in a very， very short period of time。 Because I could not put it down。I laughed at people who commented about "improbable story line"。 Um， hello， FICTION！！！Wonderful premise， story， and characters。 。。。more

Melissa ，

Excellent， fun， fast read。 Very uplifting。

Julie ，

A lot like the up lit I read so much of in 2020。 I liked how the characters’ stories entwined and their development。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Authenticity Project

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Authenticity Project&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Authenticity Project&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0