Ich lese sehr gerne Bücher von Cecilia Ahern, da diese sich meist direkt mit meinem Herzen verbinden und ich dann immer so gerührt bin, dass ich auch mal weinen muss. Diese Geschichte hat mich überrascht, weil es eine Geschichte war, die ich so nicht erwartet hatte. Die Autorin weiß wie man sympathische reale Charaktere schafft und überzeugt auch hier wieder mit wundervollen Menschen und lebenswerten Momenten.

Met het schaamrood op mijn wangen moet ik bekennen dat de boeken van Cecelia Ahern, tot een week geleden, een compleet mysterie voor mij waren. De schoonheid van haar verhalen, was voor mij onbekend. En daar heb ik spijt van. Spijt dat ik niet eerder een boek van Cecelia opgepakt heb. I loved how the author used the city of Dublin in Allegra’s narrative. So many books mention the names the story is set in but they hardly go beyond mentioning a couple of local sights. This book doesn’t provide the touristy version; rather, it gives a resident’s view into the functioning of the city. I enjoyed that authentic sound. (Author Cecelia Ahern’s being Irish helps, of course.)In a Nutshell: This was a very nice read, better than I had expected. Kinda slow, but with memorable lead characters. Allegra Bird moves away from her small town to the big smoke with a dream job and a huge secret mission that would change her life forever, if only she had the courage to follow it through. I’ve already decided I’m not going to answer that question, because I don’t even know who the five people are and I don’t even want to think about it ... I know that’s a really horrible answer, but it’s not why I write the books. All I can do is create a character and tell the story from her perspective, how she sees it ... that’s how I write. Otherwise I’d be doing what you do, which is non-fiction, but that’s a skill I don’t have.” I adore characters who struggle socially as they tend to be sensitive, clever and capable of teaching me, the reader, so much more about life and myself.

At the same time she’s grappling with her eccentric landlords, unusual part-time job and keeps running into Tristan who’s trying to atone for his initial behaviour.

Featured Reviews

I loved Allegra’s voice. Ahern delivers her narrative in a very conversational way reflecting her personality. There’s a very ‘matter of fact’ tone to her writing that makes this very accessible and engaging. What if the people who have the power to change your life are the ones who have been there all along... There were moments in this that were hard to read due to a myriad of reasons from Allegra's experience of self harm when she was younger, to even the awkward and second hand embarrassment a reader could feel when she was committing a social faux pas. I loved Allegra's job as a still life model, and this control over her body, and the way she was able to see parts of herself in others work was just so interesting to read. For a change, the characters were portrayed as per their age. Allegra acted like a twenty-four year old, unsure and underconfident, yet wanting to be an independent adult, gushing over the Garda as it was her lifelong dream to become one, ready to do whatever it takes to turn her life around, even if it involves some questionable decisions. She was a wonderful lead character who knows how to help others but doesn’t know how to help herself. Her character growth is depicted well and quite realistically. She doesn’t stop making mistakes right till the end, but her acceptance of herself, flaws and all, is the differentiating factor. The stranger who shouts at her is also a key character in the book and he is written well too, very true to life. That is when her journey really begins. And in true Allegra Bird style, the road is pretty turbulent along the way.