
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance
P.S I Love You By Cecelia Aherne
Holly and Gerry have been together since they were at school with the same crowd of friends. They moved in together, much to the dismay of Gerry's mother who saw it as 'living in sin', then they got married, something which she wasn't too happy about either, or so Holly reckons. They never argued other than about silly things like whether to go out of an evening or stay in or most commonly, who's turn it was to switch off the bathroom light after they'd both got into bed. It never occurred to either of them to buy a bedside lamp..
When they learn that Gerry has a brain tumour, Holly's world falls apart & she is forced to leave her job when her fails to understand why needs time off.
After Gerry's passing Holly's life begins to unravel, with her spending weeks hold up in the house. Her only contact with the outside world is a daily phone call from her mother. This invariably wakes her & is a source of irritation. Holly's mother informs her that she has an envelope waiting for her to collect. Her name & 'The Listen' is written on it.
Holly's best friend Sharon calls round to the house unexpectedly, having not heard from her friend since her loss. Sharon tells Holly to get a shower & have some food as it is clear that Holly has lost weight. They spend the afternoon together which starts Holly out on her healing journey.
The next day, Holly reluctantly leaves the house to go to her parents house to collect the envelope. It turns out to be package containing small envelopes, one marked for every month left in the year with a task written by Gerry ....all signed P.S I Love You. Although, some of the instructions prove a challenge, Holly, together with the support of her friends is determined to fulfill Gerry's wishes. The cards make her feel that Gerry is still around & helps to keep his memory alive.
Along the way, she forms a bond with a man who eventually makes his feelings for her clear. She has to decide whether she is ready to move on, whether this man is right for her future & whether she will be able to say goodbye to Gerry once the notes are gone & he finally leaves her.
So, I think that I first read the book after seeing the film. I certainly last read the book some years ago, as I had forgotten about all the differences between the film - & there are quite a number of them - & the book which initially threw me at first. The main one being that the book is set in Ireland, the film, in New York. I will leave you to discover the rest. The narrative of both basically remain the same, as do the main characters.
However, whilst I wanted to discover how some scenes in the film had transferred to the written word, this doesn't detract from the novel. The story is played out well in both versions, whilst the book has more detail, the film has more depth. I assume that the screenwriters for the film picked apart the story & re-told it due to the duration & to make it more appealing to American audiences.
Both genres are heart warming, touching & sad in places but also humorous in just the right amount.
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