Lou is the main character, who is an arrogant and busy 24/7 man. He is not happy with his life, he always wants more, he tries to do more, but actually he forgets what he already has.... especially his family: his wife Ruth and their two young children. Especially his one year old son is crying when he approaches, not recognizing any familiarity with his father.

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern - Female First Book Review: The Gift by Cecelia Ahern - Female First

Gabe, however, sees something good in Lou, and despite the fact that Lou is rude to him, he seems adamant to make him see the error of his ways and help him any way he can.I found all of the characters well rounded. We get to know them well through their impact on Alice. Her meeting with Naomi is a turning point, where she learns that her life can be different. Her relationship with Andy, after an idyllic start, becomes troubled at times, but they learn to deal with each other's idiosyncrasies. Her love of being out in nature and her growing understanding of plants through seeing their moods and colours was fascinating and and, for her, life-changing. What I wish I had seen more of was her interaction with Natalie, or even Poh. Both women were interesting characters who floated on the periphery of Alice’s world.

The Gift Quotes by Cecelia Ahern - Goodreads The Gift Quotes by Cecelia Ahern - Goodreads

Beautiful, moving and unexpected, In a Thousand Different ways is an unforgettable story. This is Cecelia Ahern at her very best’ Louise O’Neill I was pretty sure this was going to be a story about him realizing how wrong he was, then making a 180 and changing his life drastically. That did happen, sort of, and at the same time it didn't. Honestly, I don't know what to think of the ending. I guess it's making sure the author's message comes across clearly, but at the same time I felt it was kind of unnecessary.

Alice realised at 8 years of age that she could see the colours of people's moods swirling around them, changing with their thoughts and desires; manifesting their actions. Bewildered by her curse (or is it a gift?), it causes her to be distracted, distant, and different, as others' auras reach out and attempt to affect and influence her too. She must even deflect people's happiness because, 'you shouldn't steal someone else's happiness. You have to make your own.' Alice needs to find a way to live with herself and live her life, in spite of the colourful insights she sees, 'wondering why it is that I see every part of everyone and most of them never see me at all.' This book is her journey: hiding, deflecting and manipulating and finally accepting: her differences become her strength. I really enjoyed this book, if mostly for the narrator. The story was based around Christmas time and we get a look at the joys of Christmas celebrations Dublin style. The imagery is just right and although the minor characters are not written in too much detail, it doesn’t really matter. The focus is mainly on Lou and Gabe.

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern | Goodreads The Gift by Cecelia Ahern | Goodreads

Scott Shane's outstanding work Flee North tells the little-known tale of an unlikely partnership ... The Gift focuses on the idea of time and how we spend it. Do you have any tips for managing our time around such a busy time of year?

Featured Reviews

Once again from the very first chapter, as so often happens in Ahern’s books, you are drawn in from the very start, wanting to know more. The concept of seeing colours to represent emotions is genius, to have the main character be able to see and absorb these feelings and how this insight into others might not be a ‘gift’ is just captivating. On several occasions through the book you could relate to how you really don’t know what is going on with others around you, life seemingly perfect on the outside but possibly something that couldn’t be further from the truth. Ahern σε αυτό το βιβλίο μας γνωρίζει τον Λου. Έναν άντρα που δουλεύει 30 ώρες το 24ωρο, που θέλει να πάει όσο πιο μπροστά γίνεται. Που έχει χάσει λίγο-πολύ την μπάλα. Ξενύχτια, συσκέψεις, ραντεβού (τόσο επαγγελματικά όσο και προσωπικά), γρήγορα αυτοκίνητα, ονειρεμένο σπίτι, μια γυναίκα, 2 παιδιά και μια οικογένεια οι οποίοι, βλέπουμε, ότι είναι στην τελευταία θέση στην ζωή του. The story revolves around the main characters Lou and Gabe, but their story is told to a young boy being held at the Police station after throwing a frozen turkey through a window.

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern | Goodreads

Cecelia has a rare talent. One that has the ability to draw the reader in without them really knowing it. There isn't a plot as such, it is a story of Alice’s life, but you can't help but be drawn to her and knowing you can't give her a hug (it's too much for her to cope with) I felt protective of her. Anyone having had a toxic parent will sympathise and understand her conflict let alone with the confusion and disruption of colours as she was growing up. A wonderful, poignant at times, emotive story and one that left me with a tear. To quote Oscar Wilde “ Mere colour, unspoiled by meaning and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways”. Stunning The story is centered around Lou Suffern, a workaholic who never spends quality time with his family, and whose multi-tasking leaves much to be desired. Immediately, the reader understands that Lou is not a warm person, and I personally took an instant dislike to him. ziua de Crăciun, sergentul Raphael O’Reilly şi Jessica Rabbit sunt de serviciu. La secţie este adus un adolescent, care aruncase un curcan îngheţat prin fereastra tatălui său, aproape rănind-o pe sora lui vitregă, pe motiv că tatăl său anulase cina cu el şi mama sa pentru a sta cu noua lui familie. Raphael crede că tânărului rebel i-ar trebui o lecţie, aşa că hotărăşte să-i povestească o întâmplare din care el a învăţat multe. Lou Suffern este un om de afaceri mereu ocupat. Pentru el, cel mai important este să fie promovat la serviciu, ignorându-şi astfel soţia şi copiii. Niciodată nu este atent la ce se întâmplă în jurul lui, fiind preocupat numai de afacerileI haven't read anything by Cecila Ahern for quite some time, but when I saw this on Netgalley, I had to request a copy. Thank you to them and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.