Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia AhernOh Cecelia Ahern, we meet again. While in London, I picked up a paperback copy of Thanks for the Memories since it doesn't come out (in hardback!) until next month here in the states. The Irish writer has made quite a name for herself and I'm always excited to read her next novel. I suppose that's why I was slightly disappointed with this book.
Ahern is known for starting her books in the middle of a tragedy and this book is no different. It opens with the heroine, Joyce, laying at the bottom of a staircase after a terrible fall, one where she miscarries her baby. Elsewhere, Justin, after suffering from a painful divorce, meets an attractive woman who somehow manages to convince him to donate blood. From there, the story weaves these two characters together through chance meetings and magical realizations. Ahern is known for giving her stories a fairy tale sort of feel and this one is no different.
My problem with this book was that it was incredibly predictable, right down to the ending. The characters were illustrated well enough, you liked them and understood their actions, however that was it. My greatest compliment for this book is that it's well written in typical Ahern style. It is grabbing, definitely, but it left me feeling nothing, regardless of the happy ending.
If you're looking for something that's a quick read (despite its 400 pages) with surefire happiness, then this is the book for you. If you're looking for something a bit deeper, a bit more like her last few novels, than wait for her next book The Gift which seems to be getting better reviews. Despite my lack of love for this book, I'll definitely still check it out. I like her writing too much to give up.
2 comments:
I just started There's No Place Like Here last week and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I loved PS I Love You and Love, Rosie, but was less then thrilled with If You Could See Me Now (which, by the way, I heard they are turning into a movie). I do still want to read this one...
I'm 100% like you. I really loved the first two books. "If You Could See Me Now" was cute and I did enjoy it in the end, but it was weird at first. I liked her romantic books better than magical ones, you know? I wasn't a huge fan of "THere's No Place Like Here," but I say continue reading it. "Thanks for the Memories" has a bit of the romance side, but a lot of the magic as well. And that's what made it less than terrific for me.
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