A work of pure genius. For the people who think Cecelia's stories are too sweet and stuff, this book is completely OUT OF THE BOX. And for people like me who like mysteries but don't want to read the normal 'murder-in-the-dark-alley' books, this story is for you ! I mean, the best combination of mystery and magic, There's No Place Like Here makes sure you keep on wondering about it long after you finish reading it. I love the way Cecelia combines humor with the serious and mysterious situation. I couldn't keep it down after I started reading it - the mystery haunted my mind so much that I just HAD to know what's going to happen next ! I read it a month ago and it still haunts me. It does get a bit boring in a few places but the mystery keeps your mind going on - so that's negligible. Cecelia's done it again - but in a different way :)
Oh, and it has one of my favorite cliched lines -
"Where are we?"
"We're dead."
Another favorite line - "I've been expecting you." :P
Read the book to calm down the curiosity :D
A very fresh read. 4 hearts :) It deserves it - it's absolutely different from what Cecelia's ever written.
Still haunted :S
Dawn <3
Since Sandy Shortt’s childhood classmate disappeared twenty years ago, Sandy has been obsessed with missing things. Finding becomes her goal- whether it’s the sock that vanished in the washing machine, the car keys she misplaced or the graver issue of finding the people who vanish from their lives. Sandy dedicates her life to finding these missing people, offering devastated families a flicker of hope.
Jack Ruttle is one of those desperate people. It’s been a year since his brother Donal vanished into thin air. Thinking Sandy Shortt could well be the answer to his prayers, he embarks on a quest to find her.
But when Sandy goes missing too, she stumbles upon the place – and people – she’s been looking for all her life. A world away from her loved ones and the home she ran from for so long, Sandy soon resorts to her old habit again, searching. Though this time, she is desperately trying to find her way home…
[ A different picture for a different book ] :D
Talk about 'magical'. An absolutely unique story which just left me thinking and over-thinking every time I had to stop reading. [Yeah, I'm compelled to take breaks in between :P]. This story actually can make even a realistic reader believe that miracles can happen. As Cecelia says, that in her stories, the happy endings do not have to be about the heroine finding the 'perfect man' at the end of the day - it's about finding yourself through the path of self-discovery. In the starting, when Joyce loses her child, she finds her whole world to be crumbling around her. An acquaintance with an unknown man, which leaves her with a deja vu feeling, pulls her through. Little she knows that Justin has been thinking of that unknown yet familiar connection. Such an interesting story, packed with humorous lines, I must say that Cecelia has done it again. :)
How can you know someone you’ve never met?
Joyce Conway remembers things she shouldn’t. She knows about tiny cobbled streets in Paris, which she has never visited. And every night she dreams about an unknown little girl with blonde hair.
Justin Hitchcock is divorced, lonely and restless. He arrives in Dublin to give a lecture on art and meets an attractive doctor, who persuades him to donate blood. It’s the first thing to come straight from his heart in a long time.
When Joyce leaves hospital after a terrible accident, with her life and her marriage in pieces, she moves back in with her elderly father. All the while, a strong sense of déjà vu is overwhelming her and she can’t figure out why …
But sadly, I cannot rate it more than 3.5 hearts due to some reasons.
The stories of Joyce and Justin are woven but not quite well in the beginning. I literally had to make an effort to keep reading it, the starting few chapters. It caught my interest after one-fourth of the story, when finally they crossed paths.
Other than that, it's just magical. No other word.
With a magical feeling of fairy-tale happiness,
Love,
Dawn <3
Where Rainbows End [ also published as
Love, Rosie or
Rosie Dunne ] was an epic win as far as
epistolary novels go. I'd read a few of them before, but they always seemed to lack the continuity and made readers wonder about what happened. Not this one. Cuteness, romance, best friendship and hard lessons of life - packed in one along with humorous conversations - the best one could ask for ! :P It is a story that each one of us experiences themselves or sees it happening to a friend - that is, falling for your best friend, caring for them more than the rest and not realizing that they may be the one you're looking for [not that it's always love, but sometimes we may fail to see it before our very own eyes]. The story is presented through the eyes of Rosie, who is sitting in her hotel-turned-house, reading all those passed class notes, email printouts, saved texts, letters, invitations, newspaper articles and chatroom printouts, after her best friend Alex, admits his feelings for her, after being the best-est of best friends for more than 45 years ! I accept that it may be a bit slow for the readers who love the fast-paced reads. But for the people who just love the friendship-turned-love-stories, you'll love this one. What's best about the story is that it's very realistic - it seems as if the incidents could happen to you or any of your friends. The book made me laugh, made my heart melt at some places and the epilogue sure got me teary-eyed.
From naughty children to rebellious teenagers, Rosie and Alex have stuck by each other through thick and thin. But just as as they're discovering the joys of teenage nights on the town and dating disasters, they're separated. Alex's family move from Dublin to America - and Alex goes with them. For good.
Rosie's lost without him. But on the eve of her departure to join Alex in Boston, Rosie gets news that will change her life forever - and keep her at home in Ireland.
Their magical connection sees them through the ups and downs of each others lives, but neither of them knows whether their friendship can survive the years and miles - or new relationships. And at the back of Rosie's mind is whether they were meant to be more than just good friends all along. Misunderstandings, circumstances and sheer bad luck have kept them apart, but when presented with the ultimate opportunity, will they gamble everything for true love?
All in all, with the happy ending, it leaves a happy feeling in the minds of the readers too. I wouldn't recommend it to the people who are looking for a literary classic or a serious book to critic. But - It's a fun read - funny and not too serious. Completely 'my' type of book. :P 3 hearts. Hope you enjoy it :)
Happily believing that miracles can happen :P
Dawn <3
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