Amazon.co.uk Review
Cecelia Ahern's debut novel,
PS, I Love You, follows the engaging, witty and occasionally sappy reawakening of Holly, a young Irish widow who must put her life back together after she loses her husband Gerry to a brain tumour. Ahern, the twentysomething daughter of Ireland's Prime Minister, has discovered a clever and original twist to the Moving On After Death concept made famous by novelists and screenwriters alike--Gerry has left Holly a series of letters designed to help her face the year ahead and carry on with her life. As the novel takes readers through the seasons (and through Gerry's monthly directives), we watch as Holly finds a new job, takes a holiday to Spain with her girlfriends, and sorts through her beloved husband's belongings. Accompanying Holly throughout the healing process is a cast of friends and family members who add as much to the novel's success as Holly's own tale of survival. In fact, it is these supporting characters' mini-dramas that make
PS, I Love You more than just another superficial tearjerker with the obligatory episode at a karaoke bar. Ahern shows real talent for capturing the essence of an interaction between friends and foes alike; even if Holly's circle of friends does resemble the gang from Bridget Jones a bit too neatly to ignore (her best friend is even called Sharon).
While her style can be at times repetitive and her delivery is occasionally amateurish, Ahern deserves credit for a spirited first effort. If PS, I Love You is any indication of this author's talent, readers have much to look forward to as Ahern matures as a novelist and a storyteller. --Gisele Toueg, Amazon.com
Review
Cecelia was featured in Elle's'Hot 100 for 2004' at no 19.
Fluffy romance from the cute-as-a-button daughter of Ireland's Prime Minister. At the tender age of 22, film student Ahern pens her very first novel! The heroine: a young widow, Holly Kennedy, who discovers a batch of letters from her late husband Gerry, one for every month of the year. Yes, the posthumous postings are meant to help Holly heal, to laugh again and love again, and to remind her always to walk on the sunny side of the street, cherishing her memories and the happy future ahead (come to think of it, only a 22-year-old could write a book like this). Tra-la-la, come skip down the streets of Dublin with Holly and her chum Sharon. They spend a lot of time "laughing and joking about old times, then crying, followed by some more laughing, then more crying again." Though still consumed by grief, Holly can see that she has dark circles under her eyes, her hair is a fright, and her lips are chewed and chapped. Maybe now it's time to stop crying! And as she opens the first envelope to read Gerry's letter, she realizes that tomorrow is a new day. Reassured that Gerry is looking down from heaven, she vows to follow his lighthearted, loving advice and buy that new lamp, sing in a karaoke bar, etc. And each time she opens an envelope, it seems that Gerry is just playing a happy little game with her, even though they live in two different worlds. Holly knows he's right there, she can feel his spectral presence, she even talks to him. Of course, he'd know if she cheated at the happy little game, so she doesn't. There are other Big Questions, though, and our Holly searches for Answers. Get a Job or Keep On Shopping? Fall in Love with A Handsome Man or Start An Exciting Career at a Fashion Magazine? Don't worry! The ending is happy! Sappy rehash of some very familiar plots. (Kirkus Reviews)