Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern

Sunday, November 23, 2008 by 11 Comments

Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers | 2004 | 453 pages
Buy on Amazon

Imagine having to wait until you’re 50 years old to be united with your true love! What a long wait.

Rosie Dunne and Alex Stewart have always been best friends. They first met when they were five years old and have always been together through thick and thin. They did things like all best friends did together. They roughed it out through school, making their teachers and parents go crazy over their silly antics.

One fine day, Alex and his family had to move to Boston as his father was being transferred in his job. Alex and Rosie are from Dublin. Naturally, they’re upset because they can’t spend time together that much any longer. So they kept in touch through letters and e-mails.

Alex was supposed to return to Dublin to accompany Rosie to her debs or prom night. However, he missed his flight and Rosie had to go with someone else, a guy named Brian. She got drunk and the unexpected happened. Rosie then ended up being a pregnant 18-year-old. She couldn’t go to college in Boston anymore and also couldn’t be with Alex.

It’s evident that Alex and Rosie have strong feelings for each other but numerous things always got in the way. Just when Rosie might have confessed her feelings to Alex, he and his girlfriend, Sally, announced that they’re to get married! Rosie, wanting to move on, met another guy, Greg and got married too. Both friends were at each other’s weddings but felt weird seeing each other walking away from the altar with someone else.

Both friends also showed obvious dislike for the other’s spouses or partners. Rosie strongly expressed her dislike for whoever Alex was dating or was married to. Alex would also find fault with Rosie’s husband, Greg. And they’ll go on and on criticizing but they never got around to confessing their true feelings because they had to think of others, especially their children. They still do ponder over the ‘silence’ which they experienced after Rosie kissed Alex.

Anyway, Rosie’s daughter, Katie seemed to be experiencing the same thing like her mom. She also has a guy best friend, Toby, and never gave a second thought of having feelings for him. Katie and Toby are like the younger versions of Rosie and Alex!

Where Rainbows End is written in the form of letters, e-mails, and instant messages so it’s a very engaging read. Reading it was very quick even though it’s a rather thick book. Some boring parts could have been taken out so as to make the book thinner. Rosie’s e-mails tend to be terribly long as she can drone on and on about her job, her kid, Alex, Alex’s wife/girlfriend and her husband, Greg.

I definitely enjoyed reading this, just like Ahern’s other novel, PS, I Love You. Some things didn’t make sense in this novel but they can be excused. Can’t wait to read more of her books! Ahern sure knows how to write funny, heart-and-soul, touching and moving kind of stories.

Other Reviews: Annie, Alice, Rima, Kittycat

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P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 by 15 Comments

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
Publisher: Harper | 2007 (first published 2004) | 520 pages
Buy on Amazon

I stayed up until 2.30 a.m. last night to finish reading this book. I was eager to know the ending, so staying up late for it was no big deal!

There’s no doubt that this book has been a huge hit and so was the movie starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. No, I did not watch the movie yet though I’d really want to. It should be interesting to see Holly opening Gerry’s letters every month on screen and following her on her journey of self-recovery and doing some soul searching.

Holly’s husband and soul mate, Gerry, passed away due to brain tumour. She just can’t imagine life without him and thought she’d never be able to let him go. Then later, she receives a package from Gerry himself! He sent it just before he died. In the package are 10 sealed envelopes for Holly to open every month. She cannot cheat and open all of them at once, although she’d loved to do it!

And so Gerry’s letters help Holly move on in life without him. It’s hard but Holly is extremely lucky to have a supportive family and best friends to help her go through it. Her parents are a great help. Richard, the secretive and quiet oldest brother, surprises Holly in a number of ways. Jack, Holly’s favourite brother, has been quite distant, much to Holly’s disappointment. Then, there’s Ciara, the loud and noisy younger sister and Declan, who’s always holding a video camera nowadays.

Let’s not forget Holly’s best friends, Sharon and Denise. Both try their best to cheer Holly up as much as possible but sometimes they wonder if she’ll ever get better or if she’ll forever be depressing. However, it’s not easy on Holly’s part when she witnesses her friends’ moments of joy and happiness. Moments that she can never have with Gerry.

Holly makes a new friend too and his name is Daniel. He has recently broken up with his girlfriend and moved to Dublin while buying up a bar called Hogan’s at the same time. He’s good-looking and has been an understanding friend, but does he expect to be more than friends with Holly?

The ending was totally unexpected. Well, I didn’t expect the ending to be like that actually. All the same, PS, I Love You is definitely an enjoyable book, despite the sadness of it all. Ahern’s writing style is easy and funny, just like a chick lit book. Is this book considered as chick lit? Hmm, maybe not. If you’re the overly sensitive and emotional type, prepare a box of tissues when you read it! =)

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Maria, nylusmilk, Kathleen, Melody, Tricia, KittyCat

Filed Under: Authors A, Genre - Romance, Titles P Tagged With: