I missed this book when it came out at Christmas but finally got round to finishing it at the weekend. Although The Gift is set in the Christmas period, I still really enjoyed reading it over a sunny June weekend!
Basically the story revolves around the question of:
If you could wish for one gift this Christmas, what would it be?
Cecilia Ahern presents us with the character of Lou Suffern, he is a young, successful man with a wife and two kids who nearly always needs but fails to be in two places at the same time. One morning he meets Gabe who is homeless and begging outside of Lou's office building; he is intrigued by this man who looks remarkably similar to himself and so he finds him a job in the company's mail room. Lou starts to find Gabe's presence a little odd, how does he manage to be in two places at the same time? Christmas gets closer and Gabe seems to be interfering in Lou's life even more, trying to teach him the true value of time. Towards the end of the book Lou has begun to realise what is really important in life but then he has to learn the harshest lesson of all.
Once again Cecilia Ahern presents you with a slightly fairy-tale like story that is completely believable and absorbing. The book held my interest from the very beginning and there were many twists and turns that I would never have predicted. Lou Suffern is a fantastic character, you get a real feel for the scarily fast speed that he is living his life at and the many responsibilities that he is trying to juggle. Gabe is the true fairy-tale character of the story, we do not know who he is or where he has come from, yet his impact on the story is huge.
I would have liked to have read this book at Christmas but it was still lovely to read at this time of year. I felt that Cecilia Ahern really captured that time of year, with the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, the cold weather and the many social commitments that we all make. The book had a really lovely message that is relevant all year round, not just during the festive period. We do take people for granted sometimes and need a little nudge to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
If you are a Cecilia Ahern fan like me then I am sure you will really enjoy this book and if you haven't read any of her books then here is a good place to start. I can highly recommend reading a book set in December during this heatwave, all the talk of snow and biting winds cooled me right down!
7 comments:
I'm deeply ashamed that I haven't read anything by Cecelia Ahern yet and everyone else seems to be a fan! I have this book and I started reading it around Xmas because I figured it was the perfect timing, but it just didn't capture me ... Granted I only read the first few pages, but somehow I just couldn't get into it so I stopped again. But everyone's been praising it so I really must give it another try - maybe next Xmas! ;) Glad you enjoyed it though!
bookalicious- I really like Cecilia Ahern, I think P.S. I Love you is probably my favourite. A few people have said the same as you about The Gift but I was definitely hooked by the end of the first chapter!
I read P.S I love you and although I liked the plot and all I was really put off by the writing style, thats the reason why I haven't picked up any of her other books.
But her stories are beautiful, so I might give this one a try.
I saw the movie P.S. I Love You and wasn't that impressed. I wondered if the book would be better. This one sounds delightful. I will have to check her out at some point.
Violet- the other books are in a very different stylE, I really like the fairy-tale element that she has in her writing.
Nicole- I think that the book is better than the movie, although I think that The Gift would make a great Christmas movie!
Love, love, love this book, such a perfect Christmas read, and I'll be rereading it again this xmas!
Chloe- I think I will too, I really enjoyed it!
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