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The Gift

By Cecelia Ahern

(42)

| Hardcover | 9780007284979

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Book Description

If you could wish for one gift this Christmas, what would it be?

Everyday Lou Suffern battled with the clock. He always had two places to be at the same time. He always had two things to do at once. When asleep he dreamed. In between dreams, he ran through the events of the day while making planContinue

If you could wish for one gift this Christmas, what would it be?

Everyday Lou Suffern battled with the clock. He always had two places to be at the same time. He always had two things to do at once. When asleep he dreamed. In between dreams, he ran through the events of the day while making plans for the next. When at home with his wife and family, his mind was always someplace else.

On his way into work one early winter morning, Lou meets Gabe, a homeless man sitting outside the office building. Intrigued by him and on discovering that he could also be very useful to have around, Lou gets Gabe a job in the post room.

But soon Lou begins to regret helping Gabe. His very presence unsettles Lou and how does Gabe appear to be in two places at the same time?

As Christmas draws closer, Lou starts to understand the value of time. He sees what is truly important in life yet at the same time he learns the harshest lesson of all.

This is a story about people who not unlike parcels, hide secrets. They cover themselves in layers until the right person unwraps them and discovers what's inside.S ometimes you have to be unravelled in order to find out who you really are. For Lou Suffern, that took time.

Critics

  • Bookreporter.com - THE GIFT by Cecelia Ahern

    With at least a wink and a nod to beloved holiday classics such as The Bishop’s Wife plus a tip of the hat to “The Twilight Zone,” Cecelia Ahern gives us an interesting and unusual Christmas story. Lou Suffern’s tale is told as a story within a story ... (read full critics)

    bookreporter published on Sun, 29 Aug 2010

  • Classic tales made new

    Writers are practiced recyclers because some stories deserve to be told again and again. We have here, among other things, an updated version of Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol’’ set in Ireland and another novel that puts a chick-lit spin on the old Pyg ... (read full critics)

    boston published on Thu, 26 Aug 2010

5 Reviews

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  • In Dublin, business mogul Lou Suffern is a 24/7 workaholic who has no time for his family, who is tired of his failure to be there for them ever. On a brisk wintry morning in front of his office, Lou buys a hot cup of coffee for a homeless person and for no known reason offers Gabe a job in the mail ... (continue)

    In Dublin, business mogul Lou Suffern is a 24/7 workaholic who has no time for his family, who is tired of his failure to be there for them ever. On a brisk wintry morning in front of his office, Lou buys a hot cup of coffee for a homeless person and for no known reason offers Gabe a job in the mail room. Gabe in turn tells Lou his boss is having serendipitously lunch dates with his rival. Gabe tries to convince Lou how important family is, but the corporate officer is uninterested in his two children who are young and boring and his wife Ruth as he has a mistress. Lou realizes that Gabe can be in two places at one time and begs the man to help him do so. Gabe gives Lou a magical pill to clone himself. One Lou will close the real estate deal; the other goes home to his family as Gabe prays his "client" will learn the importance of loved ones. This is a fascinating version of A Christmas Carol as Lou thinks he is helping Gabe with an act of kindness, but Gabe is actually trying to help Lou place his priorities in order. The underlying message of this whimsical angelic story line is too simplified as Lou learns what matters between being "Ruthless" and being with Ruth and his other family members.
    I thought that this book was beautifully written and i could not put it down. Although it is a sad story that made me cry, it makes you think about life and how to live it to the fullest! I have and will definately recommend this book.

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    Addy S said on Nov 16, 2011 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • Okay, I read this book during Lent. This book was published in time for Christmas 2009 as a Christmas read. But tell me, I'm not the only one to watch Love Actually and The Holiday at anytime of year. They are feel good movies which just happen to be set over Christmas time.
    This book didn't do ... (continue)

    Okay, I read this book during Lent. This book was published in time for Christmas 2009 as a Christmas read. But tell me, I'm not the only one to watch Love Actually and The Holiday at anytime of year. They are feel good movies which just happen to be set over Christmas time.
    This book didn't do it for me, and not just because I read it at the wrong time of year. I didn't enjoy it as much as PS I Love You. I get the idea, the scenario is supposed to make you think about the importance of time. To realise that life is not just about rushing from one thing to another. It reinforces the work/ life balance message. There are shades of Lou Suffern in us all. He is extremely ambitious aiming to get to the top, trying to attend every meeting he is asked to attend. And like so many he does not appear to delegate - he is a perfectionist after all. During all this he neglects his wife and children, and he cannot remember much going on in the lives of his parents or siblings. Gabriel or Gabe (I think is no less than the Angel Gabriel in vagabond form) walks into his life and Lou learns a lesson over a period of time. Gabe gives Lou a gift.

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    Booketta said on Mar 20, 2011 | Add your feedback

  • Just not my kind of book..

    Characters: Gabe Renault, Lous Suffern, Raphael O'Neilly

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    Mati said on Jan 27, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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