P. S. I Love You

Cecilia Ahern is one of my favourite authors, and if you stay tuned you'll find that I will be writing about many of her books down the road. I'm going to start with P.S. I Love You. For all of you who know this book because you're familiar with the movie version, but not the actual book itself: You're doing yourself a disservice. Walk away from the computer, and find this book immediately. Well no, finish reading what I have to say first, then go find this book. 

I first read this book in 2005 while back in Ireland. It was my first Cecilia Ahern book, but definitely not my last. I re-read it again recently for what I'm pretty sure was my hundredth time and felt it appropriate to share my views on it here.

The story follows Holly, a young Irish woman who has just lost her husband to a brain tumour.  She is struggling with the loss of her husband and is finding it difficult to carry on in her everyday life without him. Her mother contacts her to let her know there is a package for her that needs to be picked up.

The package contains 10 sealed envelopes written by Gerry before he died, each one with a set of instructions on how to carry on with her life without him. She is only allowed to read one letter a month, and she must follow the instructions on the card. 

Throughout the course of the book, you see Holly slowly come to terms with the loss of her husband and learn to carry on with her life. 

The best part about this book is how Ahern is able to give you the perfect picture of what their love was like. The flashbacks to their earlier days are present throughout the novel and are key to making Gerry seem not only more human, but makes it understandable to the reader how he could be the love of Holly's life.

The best part about Ahern's writing is her ability to make you feel as though every character she writes about is real. Her vivid imagination and pure love of telling stories is evident in all of her novels, most especially in P.S. I Love You. One of my all-time favourite books and definitely a must read. 

Don't watch the movie. It's an awful adaptation and doesn't do the book any justice at all!

If you'd like to pick up a copy of this book Amazon is selling it for $9.89. If you yourself love to read, or have a woman in your life who does, this would make an excellent Christmas present!

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