Mumsnet Talk

Good.....Mariella has been giving great interview lately...

Excellent, Mariella is a good egg and it will be interesting to hear what she has to say.

Brilliant. Will be there.

I love Mariella. I'm only sorry we won't get to hear her beautiful voice, which, as a squeaky scouser, I have always envied .

Love Mariella. She would be one of my fantasy dinner party invites. Would it be too shallow to ask if she would drink red wine or white?

Must try to think of some serious questions, then mark this on my calendar

Mariella

You seem to epitomise a babyboomer who does indeed "have it all"? Did you purposefully concentrate on career first and foremost and wait to have children until your career was well-established, as so many other women of your generation have done? Or is that just the way your life has panned out?

You would be one of my ultimate dinner party guests. Who would your top six be and why?

Thanks

<slight crush>
<faints>

Mariella, are you a member of the Fawcett Society? Do you think women have as much of a voice in UK democratic processes as men?

Mariella - it depresses me to see such huge financial inequality between women and men, not just in third world countries (where NGOs are doing some great work) but here in the UK where I often read on this forum and others about women who sacrifice their much lower earnings to buy things for their children and go without themselves while their male partners live it up without a care in the world. As a mother of boys, I am determined to ensure my sons recognise and appreciate all types of contribution to family life and have a sense of gender fairness and justice. How do you think society could address this issue in the UK.

hey mariella
take a look at the new asda xmas advert - how BAD is it?!

Hi Mariella, great to have you on here. I just wondered what you think of the campaign to try and rid the Sun of Page 3?

MaureenLove - what's the new ASDA ad about? Havent seen it - wouldnt use them anyway as their customer service is rubbish. Doesnt surprise me they've come up with rubbish ad too...

The Asda ad is very wifey-martyr, a la 1950s. With a bit of subliminal wifey-nag thrown in for good measure.

Hmm, glad I've missed it so far....

Mariella, what's your favorite book? Which author have you most enjoyed interviewing?

Also, I have a huge girl crush on you. Would you come round my house and drink wine and talk about books until the early hours of the morning? I live in the US so you may need to stay the night.

Mariella, as you can see I'm posting this at 03.36am, hoping for good news on Obama!

What do you think of the US Election Results?

Mariella, what do you think of the Children in Need Bearfaced campaign, where women are sponsored to not wear makeup?

Mariella.....Susannah Reid - female (BBC Breakfast) is sent to cover the Oscars. Bill Turnbull - male- is sent to cover the US Elections.

Discuss............

Another sneaky question- I am reading Barbara Kingsolver's new book 'Flight Behaviour' as I love her and love all her writing. Who is your favourite American author and will a woman ever be 'allowed' to write the Great American Novel?

Oh, I won't be around for the webchat, but just wanted to say I met Mariella last year at the top of the BT tower (!) and she was indeed fab and ace. Very on-message and very professional. Clever woman. (we did a radio interview together. Am sure she won't remember, but <waves> anyway!)

First off, I love Open Book, so thank you for that, Mariella. Not hugely convinced by the blingy bangle idea, but I can see there's something interesting in the idea.

Anyway, my question would be: Orange Prize vs Booker...? I know (think?) you've sat on panels for both - how do you feel the two prizes compare and where the panels approaches different?

A friend and I were talking about the differences between boys and girls yesterday, and how boys seem to somehow receive the cultural message that they can be confident, and believe in themselves, whilst girls get the message that they are to question themselves and apologise for themselves.

It's a sweeping generalisation, of course; but throughout my life I've met talented, brilliant women who seemed to have no self esteem, while their male counterparts have had no problem viewing themselves as fantastic, never question their own authority, never put themselves down (and verge on obnoxiously over-confident at times).

What do you think we can do to help girls and women grow in confidence, and do you have any thoughts on how can we break down the automatic arrogance and sense of entitlement that we seem to be instilling in our boys (without, of course, damaging their confidence)?

I think this is a very broad question, with a potentially long, intricate and multi-layered answer. I am not expecting a long, intricate and multi-layered answer.

Hello Mariella
Think you're fab. <tries not to swoon>

Let's get it over with - Favourite biscuit?

Also, MNHQ if I'm allowed a proper question - what has been the biggest challenge in your career?