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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
The book's a satisfying mixture of fantasy, philosophy, and mystery. Full blog here: http://worncorners.com/2015/12/27/the-gift-the-race-against-time/
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 stars - readable but a bit pretentious and annoying
I was looking forward to reading something light (despite the unseasonable timing). I sometimes love a Christmas book, but this fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed the concept and what it was trying to achieve, but never felt enough empathy for the characters. Lou's family seem to have been well thought out, but it wasn't often I felt that translated to the reader. Given the extent to which they were the wronged parties I would have enjoyed spending more time with them as a group. There were some lovely touches - we don't get a physical description of Lou's daughter until it seems like he is looking at her properly for the first time - but also some poor editing in sections which caused repetitive phrases and pulled me out of the plot a little. But it was a sweet, distracting book overall.
I read this over the Christmas period and it was good timing for it, obviously. Story was nice, quick pace that I liked. Twist at the end was a nice surprise. Lacked in depth of characters and left a little baffled. Okay read overall.
Wat een mooi boek! Van alle boeken die ik van Cecelia Ahern heb gelezen is dit denk ik wel mijn favoriet. Het verhaal is erg leuk en er zit veel vaart in. Het boek eindigt wel heel erg zielig, ik moest bijna huilen :'( Dat overkomt me niet vaak als ik aan het lezen ben.
Twee dingen vind ik wel jammer. Ten eerste kom je heel weinig te weten over het personage Gabe. Ik heb wel een vermoeden wie hij isAartsengel Gabriël , maar hoe komt hij in het leven van Lou terecht? Waar komt hij vandaan? Ik zou wel iets over hem willen weten.
Daarnaast is is er een klein sub-verhaaltje over de Kalkoenjongen. De Kalkoenjongen had van mij wel meer pagina's mogen krijgen. Zijn personage is erg leuk, wat brutaler dan de rest van de personages in het boek. En door dat zijn verhaaltje zo klein is voegt het naar mijn idee eigenlijk weinig toe aan het verhaal.
Het boek eindigt een beetje moralistisch. Normaal erger ik me wel aan zo'n einde maar misschien omdat ik bijna moest huilen, of omdat het gewoon zo bij het verhaal paste, dit keer vond ik het niet erg.
Twee dingen vind ik wel jammer. Ten eerste kom je heel weinig te weten over het personage Gabe. Ik heb wel een vermoeden wie hij is
Daarnaast is is er een klein sub-verhaaltje over de Kalkoenjongen. De Kalkoenjongen had van mij wel meer pagina's mogen krijgen. Zijn personage is erg leuk, wat brutaler dan de rest van de personages in het boek. En door dat zijn verhaaltje zo klein is voegt het naar mijn idee eigenlijk weinig toe aan het verhaal.
Het boek eindigt een beetje moralistisch. Normaal erger ik me wel aan zo'n einde maar misschien omdat ik bijna moest huilen, of omdat het gewoon zo bij het verhaal paste, dit keer vond ik het niet erg.
I give this book a 3.5/5 stars rating.
I read this book for my #ChristmasReads series on my blog. You can read the entire post on my blog here: https://mithilareviewsbooks.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/the-gift-by-cecelia-ahern-christmas-reads-book-review/
What I liked about this book is that it is a book that you have to read at a leisurely pace. You cannot rush through it, you have to devour each description slowly. And since many "lucky" people have holidays around this time of the year, this is the ideal read for a long staycation.
What I didn't like about this book is that it gets too slow. At some points, it feels that the author could have skipped through entire plot twists, and still made her point. The plot didn't seem to be well structured in that sense. Also, the story begins with an off-plot scene of a policeman catching an adolescent truant for the crime of throwing a frozen turkey into his estranged father's house. I can almost see your reaction right now: "What?" But yes, that's the fact. The actual plot of the story is presented as a narration by the policeman to the boy, and not as an independent story. However, I didn't quite understand why the book was presented this way. It didn't make any value addition whatsoever.
Also, I didn't quite appreciate the verbose quality of the author's writing, which makes the book more lengthy.
I give this book a 3.5/5 stars rating. And that's only because the ending was a superb execution. The beginning and the middle seemed like a drag to me. It almost felt as if the author created an entire novel, just because she had a fantastic idea for the ending. You know what I mean?
I read this book for my #ChristmasReads series on my blog. You can read the entire post on my blog here: https://mithilareviewsbooks.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/the-gift-by-cecelia-ahern-christmas-reads-book-review/
What I liked about this book is that it is a book that you have to read at a leisurely pace. You cannot rush through it, you have to devour each description slowly. And since many "lucky" people have holidays around this time of the year, this is the ideal read for a long staycation.
What I didn't like about this book is that it gets too slow. At some points, it feels that the author could have skipped through entire plot twists, and still made her point. The plot didn't seem to be well structured in that sense. Also, the story begins with an off-plot scene of a policeman catching an adolescent truant for the crime of throwing a frozen turkey into his estranged father's house. I can almost see your reaction right now: "What?" But yes, that's the fact. The actual plot of the story is presented as a narration by the policeman to the boy, and not as an independent story. However, I didn't quite understand why the book was presented this way. It didn't make any value addition whatsoever.
Also, I didn't quite appreciate the verbose quality of the author's writing, which makes the book more lengthy.
I give this book a 3.5/5 stars rating. And that's only because the ending was a superb execution. The beginning and the middle seemed like a drag to me. It almost felt as if the author created an entire novel, just because she had a fantastic idea for the ending. You know what I mean?
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book, taking place at Christmas and the days just before it, is a fable that emphasizes what is important in life. When Lou Suffern, an ambitious executive, with his eye on a possible promotion, sees a homeless man on his way into work, he is inexplicably motivated to give him his coffee. Talking with the man, he is intrigued and arranges to give him a job in the company's mailroom. But when the man, Gabe, keeps appearing unexpectedly in Lou's life, Lou begins to wonder what Gabe is angling for and how he seems to be in two places at once.
Lou is struggling to manage his work and personal life and both seem to be slipping out of his grasp. Gabe helps him identify what his true priorities are and gives him the gift of time to fix things in his life while that is still within his power to achieve.
An easy read, but it does get you thinking about what is important in your own life.
Lou is struggling to manage his work and personal life and both seem to be slipping out of his grasp. Gabe helps him identify what his true priorities are and gives him the gift of time to fix things in his life while that is still within his power to achieve.
An easy read, but it does get you thinking about what is important in your own life.