Thrown: SARA COX'S GLORIOUS FEELGOOD NOVEL

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She's been hosting Drivetime since 2019, presents the weekly BBC Two book programme Between The Covers, and is currently hosting the new eight-part series Britain's Top Takeaways, in which the country's best independent takeaways go head to head. I don't think that reflects on me," she says, laughing. "But I've definitely had times when my career's been a little bit quieter and I've thought, 'What if...', and 'Should I have done this?', and 'Have I made the right decision?' She has a garden office where she writes, but says Cyzer would come in between his own meetings for little chats. "He'd come in for office banter, but when you're writing you can't dip in and out of it. You really have to lose yourself in it."

It’s a label Cox has always disliked and even now it makes her bristle. ‘I thought it was sexist, even at the time, and I’ve always hated it for that very reason. I’ve railed against it. It diminished us and said we were just trying to be like the boys. But we weren’t trying to be like anything – we were just young women having fun. 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. 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?Because of the nature of the beast at Radio 2, we are all there at different times. I won't bump into Claudia there but I will text her when she's on air on a Saturday morning." 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? 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? 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. This story has Sara's voice ringing true throughout. A fresh, cheeky, insightful take on how change can happen through female friendships.' DAWN FRENCH

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? 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. The story was getting increasingly ridiculous and was really resembling a soap opera more than a well-written novel, so that's why I've decided to finish off here. I won't leave a star review, because it doesn't seem right if I haven't even read to the end. Social media is like the Wild West. I just hope that younger women in the media have the tools to handle it.’ – Sara Cox Sara Cox on her husband and personal life The actual pottery kiln, the clay and the endless equipment needed is huge as the nervous potters-to-be begin their task. Their friendships begin to blossom as they learn, and draw upon the strengths of each other, and I did like the journey of the women as they followed the throwing, moulding and firing of their pots. It highlighted their joy and inspiration as they learned their new art. I have to say that the skill of potting was described really well (Cox hosted the TV programme The Great Pottery Throw Down) and, although I have never been a dab hand at it, I almost wanted to give it a go. “Sensitively done”

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Sheila: the nest is empty, there's a lonely little feeling in her tummy and her husband seems so distracted. 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 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. I think they are competitive with themselves, but we are all pretty supportive of each other," explains Cox. The above is basically the story. It is somewhat predictable and mildly scattered with jokey female sexual references that are slightly on the cringeworthy side. There is no suspense at all, but then again it is not a thriller, so I am not sure which genre it would fall into. Maybe we could say it is inoffensive and definitely well researched as far as the pottery is concerned, but otherwise quite bland.