Book Launch: A Bigger Life by Louise O'Neill

For the next edition in The Crescent's Bookmark series, we are thrilled to welcome to Belfast Louise O'Neill for the launch of her memoir A Bigger Life.

At 38, Louise O’Neill had the life she thought she wanted—until her long-term relationship ended, taking with it the home, future, and sense of certainty she’d built.

Heartbroken but defiant, she made a radical decision: to say yes to everything, to take risks, and to reclaim her life—on her own terms. What followed was a dating experiment that took her across Paris, London, New York, and beyond. Through the men she meets and the moments in between, Louise begins to challenge everything she’s been taught to settle for – in life, love, and in herself.

Part memoir, part manifesto, A Bigger Life is a candid, courageous exploration of modern womanhood, sexual freedom, and the myths we’re sold about what makes a life worthwhile. It’s about embracing uncertainty, finding joy after heartbreak, and creating space for the version of yourself that doesn’t play small.

In conversation with writer Lucy Sweeney Byrne, Louise invites us to laugh, wince, and reflect as she asks the question at the heart of the book: What does it really mean to live a bigger life?

Louise O'Neill steps into areas that lesser writers are daunted by. She is a pioneer. Marian Keyes