The Gift

Product Information

I suppose it's easy to be cynical about the character of Gabe in his mysterious guardian angel role, and I understand the whole point of this story is to emulate a type of Scrooge story in the city; a man who goes through an experience that forces him to see the world differently and prompts him to want to turn over a new-leaf. You have to introduce an element of magic and suspend disbelief to achieve that, that's fine. It's even set at Christmas time! It only narrowly avoids the cheesiness of a Hollywood Christmas movie by its ending, but by that point, I actually wanted to see the new leaf pan out and the characters to live happily ever after.

If you can get past the few few chapters and into Lou's story, there is no doubt that you will enjoy the book. And these first few chapters, although weaker than Cecelia's previous books, are essential to expressing the lesson and moral of this story. So in hindsight, it is easy to see why the book begins like this.Ahern is a wonderfully gifted writer with a writing style that is easy and enjoyable to follow through her magical tales. I found myself submerged in her story telling straight from the opening chapter. During the beginning of the book, she describes the warmth and calmness of Christmas with beautiful imagery, and manages to get you to feel that warmth inside as you read along. Although this book is set at Christmas time, it’s not exactly Christmas themed, though that didn’t stop me feeling the Christmas spirit as I read the first three paragraphs. 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. What Lou doesn’t catch onto immediately, is that Gabe is about to gift him his special talent for being in two places at once. The gift is one we have secretly wished for a time or two, I'm sure- but as it turns out the gift ends up having an unexpected effect on Lou… Cecelia shares with us the inspiration behind her character and the lessons she learned while writing The Gift.

Jarlath Regan (20 December 2015). "Cecelia Ahern". An Irishman Abroad (Podcast) (118ed.). SoundCloud . Retrieved 21 December 2015. I 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. 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? But, one day, although completely out of character for Lou, he buys a homeless man named Gabe a cup of coffee, which eventually leads him to help Gabe get a job in the Mailroom. The more he is around Gabe, the more noticeable it is that Gabe has this uncanny ability to get from one place to another in record time. One frigid morning in an uncharacteristic burst of generosity, he buys a cup of coffee for Gabe, a homeless man huddled outside his office building. Inspired by his own unexpected act of kindness, Lou decides to prolong his charitable streak and contrives to get Gabe a job in his company's mailroom. But when Gabe begins to meddle in Lou's life, the helping hand appears to be a serious mistake. Gabe seems to know more about Lou than Lou does about himself, and, perhaps more disturbingly, Gabe always seems to be in two places at once.I loved the beginning how it starts off on one story that I thought the book was about but ends up being taking you down a whole different route.

This touching novel focuses on a man who comes to realise that some parts of his life can only bring him to ruin. I was gonna post this on the night of 25th, right when I finished the book (literally eating it up in one setting), but the internet is flimsy here right now due to political reasons. THIS book caught my eye with its silver wrapping-paper effect hardcover of shiny snowflakes and bright red ribbon tied in a bow to look like the perfect gift. I admit it's not a light, jolly tale but the veins of hope that run through it as the story progresses makes it such a beautiful and unique read.Businessman Lou Suffern always has to be in two places at the same time. He catches the beginning of one meeting or function so that he can be there at the end of another.