The Gift: A Novel

This is not the first Cecelia Ahern book i have read and as as a matter of fact i got it because i have enjoyed every book oh hers so far.The title had a lot to do with my decision to try it, since tis the season. I was not dissapointed. Call me sappy, sentimental, whatever; I get it.I have lived a pretty full life and unlike Lou, appreciate every bit of it for what it has been. I have regrets, of course, but mostly i appreciate everymoment. I trully believe we all have a Gabe in our lives, we just don't recognize them because we don't want to or we have grown to be so jadedand materialistic that we don't trust faith for what it is. Thanks Cecelia, for reminding me to listen, so that I will know when my next Gabe whispersin my ear.

I'm pleased it met my expectations! It might have been a used book but it was gently used and you can't even tell that it was used, it's like brand new and it's in really good shape! I was so pleased to receive it, thank you!!

The story line seemed sort of chick flick-ish. If you like that type of story, you will most likely enjoy this. I found it a bit predictable and lacking depth of characters. I couldn't really relate to any of them.The chick flick type of story is kind of sad to me - women take a lot of guff from the men in their lives, then men realize they're about to lose a good woman and magically make a transformation into a woman's ideal of a man. Then all is forgiven.The author made an attempt to develop a Christmasy magical feeling that didn't quite get there. And I think the reader is supposed to be rooting the main character on in his transformation, but I just didn't care.

Although the story was hard to believe, the message was clear. Cherish each day, each moment...hug your loved ones every day!!

Lou Suffern is a typical workaholic. He ignores his wife and children. He promises them he'll be somewhere, then breaks the promise because of work. He feels that they should be grateful for the money he makes and the beautiful home they have.One morning he stops and gives a cup of coffee to a homeless man he passes each day. He tells him, Gabe, that there is probably a job in the mail room if he wants it, and gives him some of his extra clothes, so that he'll look decent.Gabe gets the job, and seems to have supernatural powers. He influences Lou by looking displeased when Lou puts his work first and breaks a promise to his family. He manages to get from the 14th, (really the 13th,) floor with his mail cart faster than Lou can with the elevator.He gives Lou a pill which lets him clone himself, giving him the capability to be two places at once. Lou discovers how much his family means to him, and how precious life is.All of Ahern's books have been different, and all very readable. I liked this book very much.

Very thought provoking. Makes one determined to do and be better in spending the minutes, hours and life better as you go.

I really liked the message of this book - about how the most precious thing that we have is time. It cannot be given, but it can be shared. It was one of those books that caused me to really take a look inward and evaluate whether or not I spend my time where its most important.The thing that kept me from giving this book a higher rating was that I felt the author left a lot of loose ends. I felt like she wrote a lot of mysteries into the plot and then never answered our questions. I personally like everything to be all wrapped up at the end of a book unless I know that there is a sequel.The book has a good message. I don't regret reading it. However, I wouldn't recommend this book to other as a 'must read' Christmas book.

This is a good story - by good I mean it speaks to being "good" in life and cherishing the time we have. It's now new news, but is interesting in the way it's presented. There is not enough character development of the two police people - that could have been cultivated more. The age old moral of stopping to smell the roses and enjoy life is the point of the book. It offered no surprises, and not much to keep the reader interested - very predictable. It's just okay.

I usually love this author, but honestly, what had she been indulging in for inspiration? Too much dry sherry, I think. Christmassy, this is not, so if you want a pleasant festive read with a feelgood factor, avoid this like you would norovirus. I can only imagine she was trying to write a modern version of "A Christmas Carol" with poor old Lou being shown the error of his ways in time for Christmas. However, unless you want to try and get an emergency appointment with your GP for antidepressants, I'd stick to reading Dickens' classic, which is cheerful and uplifting compared to this.

This short novel follows the story of Lou, who in a charitable mood gives a job to a mysterious, observant homeless man named Gabe. Not entirely selfless- the job was given in an attempt to make the mailroom a little more efficient- but Lou begins to dislike Gabe and sees him as a possible competitor at his office and all the while Gabe is attempting to subtly guide him towards a path of being a better man.This novel will have you guessing the whole way through. The story of Lou is being shared by an old police officer who is interviewing a suspect on Christmas day- a suspect who has nothing to do with the main characters. The purpose of this is to make the lesson a little more obvious- although I didn't think it was entirely necessary.Overall, this is a quick read that you can have done in a single sitting if you wish, but one that will leave you feeling a little sombre and reflective.

How depressing. Womanizing, drinking workaholic ignores wife and children for fun in the city. Meets homeless man called Gabe (there is a connection with a certain angel here) who gives him magic pills so he becomes two people at the same time, loving father and husband and sex mad drunk. Plodded through to the end but it is dreadful and never quite figured out what Turkey Boy had to do with any of it.

This is a lovely book to read around Christmas time, a tale set in Dublin during December and so follows the lead up to Christmas, whilst including that magical element Cecelia Ahern often includes in her books. The main story is told through the eyes of Sergeant Raphie. It starts with a young boy who throws a frozen turkey through the window of a house and gets taken to the local police station for questioning, whilst awaiting for his mother to arrive. At the police station we are introduced to Sergeant Raphie and his colleague Jessica, who both seem upset by a recent event that has happened that morning. As Sergeant Raphie begins to try and question the young boy, so he begins his story. The story he tells is of a man called Lou Ruffern, who is a highly accomplished but highly stressed businessman who just does not have enough hours in his day for everything. This is then the premise for the whole book, the concept of time; not having enough of it and prioritising how it is spent. Lou is presented as an unlikeable character, who cares more for his job, money and promotion than he does his own wife, children and family, and he does not care about the manner in which he speaks to people in order to get what he wants. One day, as he is busy walking to work he buys a homeless guy Gabe a coffee, and realising how observant Gabe is, offers him a job in the company's mailroom. The character of Gabe is not all he seems though and it is at this point the book becomes almost a modern 'Christmas Carol', where Gabe becomes Lou's conscience, questioning his decisions in life and encouraging Lou to stop and think - with a little bit of Christmas magic. Whilst I found this book really enjoyable, liking the enchanting element Ahern gives her books, there were two things that let the book down for me; one, the fact this was being narrated through the eyes of the police Sergeant in order to try and make 'Turkey Boy' realise the error of his ways before its too late, and two, the end of the book. I think the book could have been simply told as the story of Lou and his life in the third person and how he is given the opportunity to change his ways. Without the Sergeant's input at various points and at the end, the moral of the story was quite clear enough. With this, I felt the end of the tale for Lou and his family did not necessarily match up with the lesson to be taught to 'Turkey Boy'. Whilst the book focussed around the concept of 'time' and not having enough of it, I'm not sure the whole tale would really make Turkey boy understand his own situation with his dad, who has recently split from his own home. For me, this was the real part that let the book down, and left me with too many questions at the end. Such as, who is the daughter the Sergeant is keeping an eye on, the back story with Jessica seemed a bit thrown in, and would the Sergeant have really known Lou's story in such detail with such recent events? Sadly, due to these questions and parts which did not seem to make sense at the end, I felt slightly let down having very much enjoyed the rest of the book. It is well written and as already mentioned, has elements of a modern day 'Christmas Carol' to it. I would recommend this as a Christmassy read with a bit of magic thrown in, but just be mindful of the end.

Tales of people who are blinded by success or money neglecting the important things in life before having an epiphany have been told many times before. Does Cecelia Ahern break any new ground? Not really. Is The Gift worth a read? Probably. The story of Lou Suffern, a successful business many too busy for his family, is wrapped up in another story where a policeman tries to show an angry teenager the error of his ways. As a storytelling device it's not brilliant, but it sort of works.Cecelia Ahern has a pleasant writing style that is mostly easy to read but occasionally slips into self-indulgence with her descriptions. Either it petered out as the novel went on or I got used to it. Whichever it was, it probably won't bother most people as she's certainly a talented writer.Lou is a complete ass who puts everything before his family. Early in the story he meets homeless Gabe, who turns out to be his saviour or nemesis, depending on which way you look at it. We soon get the idea about Lou's misplaced priorities, but it doesn't stop Ahern labouring the point... and then some. The whole thing about the party for Lou's father was ridiculous and a bit much to swallow.There were times early in the novel that I really enjoyed it, but my interest waned. On reflection, this would have been better as a short story as much of it consists of hammering home what a dick Lou was when the reader is already well aware of it. Or maybe a Tales of the Unexpected TV show. I didn't care for the preachy paragraph at the end either, it was inappropriate for a novel. Overall, nicely written and worth a read despite being dragged out unnecessarily.