World Book Club

BBC World Service

4.6 (356)
SOCIETY & CULTURE

The world's great authors discuss their best-known novel.

JAN 1

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - The Palace of Illusions

Harriett Gilbert welcomes bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni into the World Book Club studio to discuss her internationally acclaimed novel, The Palace of Illusions. A luminous reimagining of the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharat, The Palace of Illusions traces the life of Princess Panchaali—better known as Draupadi—from her miraculous birth in fire to her destiny as the wife of five brothers cheated of their father’s kingdom. Swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, Panchaali stands beside them through years of exile and the terrible civil war that engulfs the kings of India. Along the way, she navigates fierce rivalries, a complex friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, and a forbidden attraction to her husbands’ most dangerous enemy. With its vivid imagery, lyrical prose and unforgettable characters, Divakaruni’s novel brings to life a world of warriors, gods, and fate, seen through the eyes of a fiery woman determined to shape her own destiny. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni answers readers’ questions about reclaiming women’s voices from myth and legend, the different kinds of love - marital, forbidden and divine, and how mythology can be used to re-write expectations for how people should live their lives even in the modern day.

1h 7m
12/01/2025

Philippa Gregory: The Other Boleyn Girl

Harriett Gilbert welcomes bestselling author Philippa Gregory into the World Book Club studio to discuss her celebrated historical novel, The Other Boleyn Girl. This novel, about to celebrate its 25th anniversary, is a vivid portrayal of ambition, love, and betrayal in the Tudor Court, told from the perspective of Mary Boleyn, sister to the ill-fated Anne. As Mary becomes the mistress of King Henry VIII, Anne sets her sights on the throne. Set against the splendour and peril of sixteenth-century England, Philippa Gregory’s masterful novel explores power, desire, and the price women paid in a world where one man’s whims were considered sacrosanct. Philippa Gregory answers readers’ questions on what drives her fascination with women’s untold histories, the clash between love and ambition in the fraught world of the English court, and whether sisterhood can survive when the ultimate prize is the crown of England.

55 min
11/01/2025

Oyinkan Braithwaite - My Sister, The Serial Killer

Harriett Gilbert welcomes Nigerian author Oyinkan Braithwaite into the World Book Club studio to discuss her internationally bestselling debut, My Sister, the Serial Killer — a darkly comic thriller that has captivated readers around the globe. This is the story of two sisters, Korede, the responsible and overlooked older sibling, and Ayoola, the beautiful younger sister with a deadly secret. When Ayoola’s boyfriends keep turning up dead, Korede finds herself in an impossible position — torn between loyalty to her sister and her own moral compass. Set against the backdrop of modern-day Lagos, this sharp, fast paced novel explores family, power, and the lengths we go to for those we love. Oyinkan Braithwaite answers your questions about why are some forms of violence treated as ordinary while others shock us? How far does beauty allow someone to escape consequences? And what exactly defines the bond — or the burden — of sisterhood? (Photo: Author Oyinkan Braithwaite. Credit: Studio Q)

51 min
10/04/2025

Silvia Moreno-Garcia - Mexican Gothic

Harriett is joined by Silvia Moreno-Garcia to discuss her chilling bestseller Mexican Gothic. The story begins when Noemí Taboada, a glamorous socialite from 1950s Mexico City, receives a desperate letter from her cousin Catalina, claiming her new husband is poisoning her. Unsure if Catalina is mad or truly in danger, Noemí rushes to High Place - a decaying English manor transplanted to the Mexican mountains. But is she to be the rescuer, or the unwitting prey of the evil that festers in the bones of the house? High Place, and its inhabitants, want Noemí, and it will take all her courage and ingenuity to save her cousin, and herself. A masterful blend of gothic suspense, startlingly vivid imagery and dark romance, Mexican Gothic has sparked intense fascination from readers around the world - and Silvia Moreno-Garcia will be answering questions from our global audience of book lovers. Why is Gothic literature seeing a resurgence in the 21st century? How does horror allow us to explore themes of colonialism and sexual violence? And where is the very real cemetery that inspired the setting of High House?

1h 7m
09/06/2025

Arthur Conan Doyle - The Hound of the Baskervilles

Join us for a special episode of World Book Club as we journey into the fog-shrouded moors of Devon to explore The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle—arguably the most iconic and enduring novel in the Sherlock Holmes canon. First published in 1902, this gothic masterpiece has captivated readers for over a century and remains a cornerstone of detective fiction. Harriett Gilbert is joined by internationally bestselling crime writer Denise Mina whose books include Three Fires, and The Good Liar and Dr Mark Jones, co-presenter of The Doings of Doyle podcast and editor of The Sherlock Holmes Journal. Together, they’ll be answering your questions about The Hound of the Baskervilles and discussing Sherlock Holmes’s lasting influence on crime and detective fiction. Recorded in front of a live audience at Topping & Company Booksellers in Edinburgh during the Edinburgh Festival, this episode is a treat for mystery lovers everywhere. Expect lively debate as the panel considers whether all great fictional detectives need to be a little insufferable, whether the novel’s gothic atmosphere has had more impact on the genre than Holmes’s famed deductive reasoning—and why the spectral hound continues to haunt readers’ imaginations more than a century after it first appeared.

1h 2m
08/02/2025

Juhea Kim - Beasts of a Little Land

Harriett Gilbert talks with Juhea Kim about her debut novel Beasts of a Little Land. Set during the turbulent years of Japanese-occupied Korea in the early 20th century, this sweeping historical epic traces the lives of two unforgettable characters: Jade, a young girl sold to a courtesan school, and JungHo, the orphaned son of a hunter who becomes swept up in the Communist resistance. Over five decades, their paths cross and recross as they navigate war, occupation, and revolution. Rich with lyrical prose, folklore, and unflinching insight into the brutality of empire, Beasts of a Little Land explores identity, loyalty, and the high price of survival. Juhea Kim will be talking about why the Tiger is such an important symbol in Korean history, how her writing is structured like a symphony, and how as a writer she strives to show the humanity of all her characters when they are on very different sides of war and colonialism.

59 min
07/05/2025

Graeme Macrae Burnet - His Bloody Project

On this episode of ‘World Book Club’ Harriett Gilbert speaker with with Graeme Macrae Burnet about his riveting historical crime novel ‘His Bloody Project’. Set in a remote Scottish community in the 1800s, the story centres on a brutal triple murder and the person who admits guilt for the bloody deed - a 17 year old boy. This boy, Roderick Macrae, is shy, intelligent, and remarkably articulate. Could he really be responsible for such a grisly crime? Or was he out of his mind? Told via a fascinating collection of memoir, police documents and trial transcripts, this novel explores the impact of an oppressive society on those who do not fit their assigned place, the boundaries of criminality and insanity, and has you questioning what the truth of the crime may be every time you turn a page. Graham Macrae Burnet will be answering your questions, about the 19th century views of ‘the criminal class’, who, or what, was responsible for the murder at the heart of the novel, and why we continue, in the modern day, to be fascinated by murder...

49 min
06/07/2025

N.K Jemisin - The City We Became

In this episode of World Book Club, Harriet talks with one of the world’s best-loved sci-fi and fantasy authors, the four time Hugo award winner N.K Jemisin. Which of her plethora of books did we choose? Her 10th novel, and love letter to New York, ‘The City We Became’. The story takes place in a world in which major cities become sentient, living beings. After New York is attacked by an otherworldly enemy, five people, champions representing each of the city’s five boroughs, must band together to save the city, but also humanity itself. Rich with sharp social commentary, vibrant characters, and breathtaking world-building, it’s a gripping, imaginative tale of identity, belonging, and the power of unity in the face of otherworldly, eldritch chaos. N.K Jemisin will be answering questions from our World Book Club - including how she created characters that embody each of New York’s five boroughs, what makes a city ‘alive’, and how she confronted, and subverted, Lovecraftian tropes to create the enemy of all humanity, the Woman in White. Presented by Harriett Gilbert. Produced by Elizabeth Ann Duffy. Photo Credit - Laura Hanifin

56 min

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Harriett Gilbert

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356 Ratings

Polyandry

Jan 11

Joytsna

Thank you for the novel. I have always wondered about Draupadi's point of view. Who did she love most? Did she feel sexually liberated or even more enslaved? How can one not especially as a woman?! Just wanted to also point out that albeit polyandry was rare in ancient and medieval India and other parts of the world, it was a social and economic practice especially in the North where resources were scarce. I am not allowed to paste the link here but you can find readings on polyandry as a practice in North India and other parts of the world if you research it in Google.
Excellent episode

06/08/2025

ansleystreetpress

I love all of your episodes. The NK Jamison episode was epic.
Without a doubt, my favorite podcast of all time

02/14/2025

lisajanrose

I’ve been listening to the World Book Club for many years and have gone back through the entire archive more than once. I think Harriett Gilbert is an outstanding interviewer. She’s authentic, not snobbish, and warm-hearted. And I really like the format; entirely different from the other literature podcasts.
Delicious! Such depth.

09/12/2023

Wendy Whimsy

It is wonderful to hear the voices of readers from all corners of the world talking about the same book. The comments and questions are rich and the answers of authors are rich. The discussions expand our openness to the diversity of our global family.