The Confidence Club

GENERAL FICTION

Pages: 322 Ratings: 5.0

Book Format: Choose an option

Free standard delivery on UK orders over £35

Tucked in a box room of a Dublin church hall sits The Confidence Club – and a trio who really don’t want to be there.

Emer Malone works for one of the city’s most cut-throat entrepreneurs and is never too far from her phone or her boss’s demands. Reluctant to have another person tell her she’s ‘just not trying hard enough’, Emer’s hoping that completing the course will get everyone off her back.

Estate agent Terry O’Neill can walk the walk when it comes to selling properties, but the thought of making that all-important father of the bride speech means he needs help to find his voice.

Careers teacher Sarah Watson is lying to her less than perfect boyfriend, and sees the course as a lifeline to building a new life. If only she has the courage to do so.

This unlikely threesome needs each other in order to make their confidence leap of faith: and it’s more than visualisation and breathing techniques can offer.

Áine Toner is a former award-winning magazine editor and the current Features Editor for the Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life. She has written short stories and articles for a number of charity publications and is a regular contributor on popular culture on local radio.

Customer Reviews

5.0

1 reviews

Funny and inspiring, and perfect for books clubs

“Find your tribe.” So said the mother of one of our three protagonists on her first day of school years earlier. Sometimes, in life, we find our tribes in the most unlikely places, and in this book, that place is The Confidence Club, a newly launched self-help group held in the box room of a Dublin church hall. At the first meeting, no leader appeared, prompting some attendees to drop out or move to other activities within the church hall. Only three remain — Emer, an assistant to a well-known media figure; Terry, a successful estate agent; and Sarah, a popular career guidance teacher. However, we soon discover that despite their professional achievements, they are all confronting personal struggles — abusive partners, oppressive bosses, and social anxiety manifesting as a speech impediment. Instead of waiting for a leader to appear, the unlikely allies take charge of the class — if only they could do so in their respective lives! — and slowly but surely help each other address their respective demons. “That girl, no, woman, was no pushover. Except by her boss,” Terry says at one point about Emer, highlighting how a single toxic person in our lives can drain all our strength and spirit. The trio eventually exchange the church for a café as they become more than just members of a self-help group; they become friends, confidants and each other’s cheerleaders. Toner tackles serious topics with a light touch, and the book is filled with charming, witty prose and contemporary cultural references that keep readers invested in the characters’ journey. Naturally, they face many challenges along the way, leaving us to wonder whether they will achieve the happy endings they eagerly deserve. Poignant, funny and inspiring, The Confidence Club will lift the spirits of everyone who reads it. Perfect for book clubs. Highly recommended.