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Women's Fiction, Family & Friendship - Fiction
If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern β€” book cover

If You Could See Me Now

by Cecelia Ahern
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Overview

In her third novel, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern introduces us to two sisters at odds with each other. Elizabeth's life is an organized mess. The organized part is all due to her own efforts. The mess is entirely due to her sister, Saoirse, whose personal problems leave Elizabeth scrambling to pick up the pieces. One of these pieces is Saoirse's six-year-old son, Luke. Luke is quiet and contemplative, until the arrival of a new friend, Ivan, turns him into an outgoing, lively kid. And Elizabeth's life is about to change in wonderful ways she has only dreamed of.

With all the warmth and wit that fans have come to expect from Cecelia Ahern, this is a novel full of magic, heart, and surprising romance.

Synopsis

From the internationally bestselling author of 'PS, I Love You' and 'Where Rainbows End' comes a new novel about wishes - and what happens when they come true.

Publishers Weekly

In her third novel, Ahern (P.S., I Love You and Love, Rosie) employs an imaginary best friend to breathe distinctiveness into an otherwise stereotypical Irish tale. Living in her own house in a small, posh Irish town, 35-year-old Elizabeth Egan is an uptight interior designer and adoptive mother to her six-year-old nephew, Luke, whose mother, Elizabeth's 23-year-old sister, Saoirse, prefers boozing to parenting. Saoirse's behavior reminds Elizabeth of a painful past-the alcoholic mother who abandoned the family, leaving Elizabeth to care for her baby sister and forgo her own childhood, and the emotionally distant, controlling father still waiting for his wife's return. Unlike the other women in her family, Elizabeth adheres to a fastidiously well-ordered existence-no mess, no complications, no love. But all that changes with the arrival of Ivan, a goofy and spontaneous man intent on infusing much-needed fun and tenderness into Elizabeth's frigid persona. The catch is no one can see this ageless man from the land of "Ekam Eveileb" save Elizabeth and her nephew. Through Ivan, Elizabeth becomes the woman she's always been too afraid to be. He helps her reclaim the childhood she never had and, most importantly, to forgive those who have let her down. Ahern tempers heartbreak with hope and playfulness in this uplifting, sentimental tale. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Cecelia Ahern

Cecelia Ahern is author of the international bestsellers, PS,I Love You, Love, Rosie, and If You Could SeeMe Now. Film rights to If You Could See Me Now have been bought by Walt Disney Pictures, and PS, I Love You isbeing made into a film by Warner Bros. Foreign rights to her novels havebeen purchased in more than forty countries and have sold more than four million copiesin North America, Europe, and Australia. The daughter of Ireland's prime minister, she lives in Dublin.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

In her third novel, Ahern (P.S., I Love You and Love, Rosie) employs an imaginary best friend to breathe distinctiveness into an otherwise stereotypical Irish tale. Living in her own house in a small, posh Irish town, 35-year-old Elizabeth Egan is an uptight interior designer and adoptive mother to her six-year-old nephew, Luke, whose mother, Elizabeth's 23-year-old sister, Saoirse, prefers boozing to parenting. Saoirse's behavior reminds Elizabeth of a painful past-the alcoholic mother who abandoned the family, leaving Elizabeth to care for her baby sister and forgo her own childhood, and the emotionally distant, controlling father still waiting for his wife's return. Unlike the other women in her family, Elizabeth adheres to a fastidiously well-ordered existence-no mess, no complications, no love. But all that changes with the arrival of Ivan, a goofy and spontaneous man intent on infusing much-needed fun and tenderness into Elizabeth's frigid persona. The catch is no one can see this ageless man from the land of "Ekam Eveileb" save Elizabeth and her nephew. Through Ivan, Elizabeth becomes the woman she's always been too afraid to be. He helps her reclaim the childhood she never had and, most importantly, to forgive those who have let her down. Ahern tempers heartbreak with hope and playfulness in this uplifting, sentimental tale. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Elizabeth is a successful thirtysomething businesswoman living in a small town in Ireland. In an effort to establish some control over a chaotic, dysfunctional family, she has a clean, rigid, and lonely existence with her six-year-old nephew Luke. Into her bleak existence comes Ivan, a magical and somewhat disrupting presence who delights and inspires Elizabeth and Luke. Ahern's characters and landscapes are beautifully developed in this modern folktale, and the whimsy is charming though not especially profound. Apparently the rights to the book have been sold to Disney for a musical version that is sure to be popular. Production values are excellent in this audio program with Susan Lynch and Rupert Degas giving dimension to the female and male voices. Highly recommended for light fiction collections in public and high school libraries.-Barbara Valle, El Paso P.L., TX Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A buttoned-up Irish woman finds her life transformed when she meets a soulful man who may not exist. Ahern (Love, Rosie, 2005, etc.) sets her third novel in a sleepy and picturesque Irish burg well-suited to magical happenings. Among its inhabitants is reluctant single parent Elizabeth Egan, who has few reasons to believe in magic. Abandoned by her "free spirit" mother at an early age, she was forced to take care of her much younger sister, Saoirse, with little help from her emotionally distant farmer dad. Saoirse (Gaelic for "freedom") grows up to become a wild and troubled teenager with a baby of her own. When she shows no interest in taking care of the child, Luke, Elizabeth adopts him. Realist-by-default Elizabeth has little patience when, at age 6, Luke starts playing with an invisible companion he calls Ivan. When Elizabeth actually starts seeing Ivan, she mistakenly believes he is the father of a local boy. Ivan, who considers himself a professional best friend helping youngsters in need, realizes that Elizabeth would benefit from his services as much as Luke would. He teaches her to be spontaneous and silly and helps her come to terms with her unhappy childhood. (Ivan also confronts certain ethical issues when he finds himself interested in Elizabeth in more than a professional capacity.) Is Ivan a figment of Elizabeth's sleep-deprived and caffeine-addled brain, or a tall, blue-eyed dream guy?Ahern's fairytale is at times insufferably whimsical, with a main character whose idea of fun is spinning around on chairs and speaking backwards. Film rights for a musical adaptation to Disney, with Hugh Jackman to star

Book Details

Published
January 1, 2007
Publisher
Hyperion
Pages
320
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781401308667

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