PS, I Love You
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| PS, I Love You | |
 |
|
| Author | Cecelia Ahern |
|---|---|
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Thorndike Press |
| Publication date | April 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 655 pp (hardback edition) & 512 pp (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7862-6164-1 (hardback edition) & ISBN 0-00-716500-5 (paperback edition) |
| Followed by | Where Rainbows End |
PS, I Love You is Irish writer Cecelia Ahern's first novel, published in 2004. The book reached #1 bestseller status in Ireland (for 19 weeks), the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Set in Ireland, Holly Kennedy is beautiful, smart and married to the love of her life--a passionate, funny and impetuous Irishman named Gerry. So when Gerry's life is taken by an illness, it takes the life out of Holly. The only one who can help her is the person who is no longer there. Nobody knows Holly better than Gerry. So it's a good thing he planned ahead. Before he died, Gerry wrote Holly a series of 10 letters that will guide her, not only through her grief but in rediscovering herself. The messages are Gerry's way of informing Holly life goes on. The messages include various tasks and treats Gerry has left for Holly. This is his way of letting her know he will always be there for her. In the months that follow, more letters from Gerry are delivered in surprising ways, each sending her on a new adventure and each signing off in the same way: "P.S. I Love You." Holly's mother and best friends, Sharon and Denise, begin to worry that Gerry's letters are keeping Holly tied to the past, but, in fact, each letter is pushing her further into a new future. With Gerry's words as her guide, Holly embarks on a journey of rediscovery in a story about marriage, friendship and how a love so strong can turn the finality of death into new beginning for life.
[edit] Characters in "PS, I Love You"
- Holly Kennedy - the main character
- Gerry Clarke - Holly's late husband
- Denise Hennessey and Sharon McCarthy - Holly's best friends
- John McCarthy - Sharon's husband, and Gerry's best friend
- Frank and Elizabeth Kennedy - Holly's parents
- Richard, Ciara, Jack and Declan Kennedy - Holly's siblings
- Daniel Connolly - Holly's friend
[edit] Reception
Despite the hype and commercial success, Cecilia Ahern's debut novel drew mixed-to-negative reception. The Clare County library called the book "overhyped", "predictable" and "full of stock characters", but lastly an "easy read... and a nice holiday read",[1] amazon.co.uk calls it "at times repetitive and her delivery is occasionally amateurish [but] Ahern deserves credit for a spirited first effort"[2]
The plot is extremely similar to that of a 1997 Thai film entitled The Letter [1].[citation needed]
[edit] Movie adaptation
A film adaptation of the book was released in 2007 with Hilary Swank as the lead character, Holly, and Gerard Butler as her deceased husband, Gerry. James Marsters plays John McCarthy and Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays William Gallagher. The other cast includes Kathy Bates, Harry Connick, Jr., Gina Gershon and Lisa Kudrow. Filming began in early October, 2006 in New York City and Ireland, and was released on December 21, 2007 in the United States (see below for other release information).[2]
Although box office numbers were high, critics gave the film poor reviews. As of January 13, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 21% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 82 reviews.[3] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 42 out of 100, based on 15 reviews.[4]
[edit] Differences Between Novel & Film Adaptation
In the novel version of P.S. I Love You, main characters Holly and Gerry Kennedy are BOTH Irish--In the film, only Gerry is Irish and the two live in New York. Also in the novel, Holly has numerous siblings--In the film she has one. In the film Jeffery Dean Morgan plays William, a character who does not exist in the book. However, the film is like the novel in many ways. The playfulness displayed between Holly and Gerry at the beginning of the film was also in the novel, as was the argument over the lamp and the later mention of Holly being out buying ice cream in one of Gerry's letters. All of Gerry's letters are almost identical to those in the novel.
All in all, the movie and novel are not too drastically different, apart from the location of the central plot.
[edit] Notes
- ^ PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
- ^ PS, I Love You (Paperback).
- ^ P.S. I Love You - Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ P.S. I Love You (2007): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
