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Post by megan on Mar 23, 2006 16:22:18 GMT
I know Elizabeth is a doormat but lots of people are particularly when dealing with relatives like her sister Soairse. I think the term is co-dependency!
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Post by jofromoz on Mar 24, 2006 5:43:04 GMT
Hi Susanmay, Yeah I know what you mean about being annoyed with Elizabeth..and I was also a bit put off with the heartless way she treated her nephew, who seemed to be much older than his 6 years! But as I persevered, I could see how changes were going to happen with Ivan in the picture, and it was, I reckon, a very clever form of writing, the way it was developed in the book. And yes, I think a lot of us have been guilty of being the doormat for rellies...I know I was one for my eldest sister for many years, but one day said enough, and I haven't taken her nonsense since. As I say to her and the rest of the family nowadays, everyone is responsible for his/her own life, and we all make our own choices. This book was a bit of a curve away from her others, in style, but worth hanging in there!
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Post by susanmay on Apr 22, 2006 12:00:56 GMT
I'm sitting here eating my words! I've just closed the last page on Cecilia's 'IYCSMN': I started this book some time back but could never finish it because I realised one of the lead characters was an imaginary friend from a place called 'Ekam Eveileb' and I assumed it was more directed at children and readers with over active imaginations! Of course I was wrong! I decided to pick this book up again and absolutely loved it. This is pure escapism at its best. I loved all the characters and began to understand Elizabeth; with her love for coffee (just like me!). Ivan was brilliant and so were his fellow friends at Ekanm Eveileb'; with their wonderful names; Opal and Calendula etc. My favourite scene was 'Jinny Joe Day' with Ivan, Elizabeth and Luke dancing in the field catching dandelion seeds whilst Elizabeth's, father Brendan looked on from the nearby road, from his tractor in astonishment at only two bodies dancing in the field that of a young child and woman - only two figures not three. This book is very cleverly written and a lovely read with wonderful magical descriptions. The inside cover reads: For Georgina, who believes. . . I too, now believe! Susan PS Ekam Eveileb (Make Believe)
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Post by megan on Apr 22, 2006 12:25:44 GMT
Oh Susan! what a wonderful review!! I am so glad that you enjoyed it, and for all the same reasons as me! That is my favourite scene also - the one in the fields. I hope that Cecilia sticks with this type of writing in the future, but, even if she doesn't, we will always have 'If You Could See Me Now!'
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Post by claire on Apr 22, 2006 17:05:40 GMT
Susan I'm so glad you finished it AND enjoyed it! You make it sound quite interesting, but I still don't want to read it, sorry
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Post by Oonagh on Apr 22, 2006 18:48:28 GMT
I think this just highlights to me we all have different tastes in books!!
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Post by Shirley on Apr 26, 2006 6:46:31 GMT
I'm sitting here eating my words! I've just closed the last page on Cecilia's 'IYCSMN': I started this book some time back but could never finish it because I realised one of the lead characters was an imaginary friend from a place called 'Ekam Eveileb' and I assumed it was more directed at children and readers with over active imaginations! Of course I was wrong! I decided to pick this book up again and absolutely loved it. This is pure escapism at its best. I loved all the characters and began to understand Elizabeth; with her love for coffee (just like me!). Ivan was brilliant and so were his fellow friends at Ekanm Eveileb'; with their wonderful names; Opal and Calendula etc. My favourite scene was 'Jinny Joe Day' with Ivan, Elizabeth and Luke dancing in the field catching dandelion seeds whilst Elizabeth's, father Brendan looked on from the nearby road, from his tractor in astonishment at only two bodies dancing in the field that of a young child and woman - only two figures not three. This book is very cleverly written and a lovely read with wonderful magical descriptions. The inside cover reads: For Georgina, who believes. . . I too, now believe! Susan PS Ekam Eveileb (Make Believe) I just read this post Susan. Glad to hear you liked it. I started it last night and can't get into it at all! I'm only a few chapters in though. I have a feeling it's going to take me aaagggesss to read!
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Post by susanmay on Apr 26, 2006 8:15:23 GMT
It took me four months to read! I kept putting it down and putting it down until finally I decided I had to finish it! Its tough going at the start. It'll take at least eight chapters to get into it if not more. Its cleverly written in the sense that its not only for adults but teenagers too. I think its definitely more aimed at teenagers but the character Elizabeth is there to entertain the adult readers. I thought she was very cold towards her nephew Luke.
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Post by Shirley on May 7, 2006 18:25:04 GMT
I finally finished this book! While it wasn't one that I would ever read again, it certainly was a lot better than I expected it to be - and it was several leagues ahead of the standard of Where Rainbows End. It took me a good 100 pages to get into it, and I have to admit that it was a major chore to read at the beginning. What won me over was Ivan's personality. I didn't warm to Elizabeth at all for a very long time, but I did end up feeling a level of empathy towards her at the end of the book. I agree with Susan that it's a book for teenagers too - I really felt like I was reading a book that was aimed specifically at the teenage market. What I liked most about the book was the scenes where Ivan brought Elizabeth out of herself and showed her how to have fun - those scenes were both well written and entertaining IMO. The Jinny Joe scene was really lovely, but I also enjoyed the one where Ivan brought Elizabeth out on the street to throw coffee all over it and then the tourists copied them - it brought a smile to my face. Another good scene was the one where Ivan brought Elizabeth down to the beach to eat dinner and look at the stars. While a lot of the book was fanciful, it was sweet if you allowed yourself to suspend your disbelief. I also thought she conveyed the nature of Elizabeth's pain very convincingly - it definitely takes talent to get inside the mind of someone who is suffering for one reason or another if you haven't experienced that kind of pain yourself. What I liked least about the book was the author's way of labouring a point instead of just letting us work it out for ourselves, and also her tendency to over-explain her metaphors. I didn't feel this was necessary, especially as the book is apparently being marketed as adult women's fiction. Overall, I'm definitely a lot more convinced of CA's merit after reading this book. She showed a lot of versatility in this book. Each of her books have been very different so far, and that has to be commended. I think she should write a book in the first person though - I don't count Where Rainbows End as having fulfilled that specification. The bits I enjoyed the most in If You Could See Me Now were the bits where Ivan was narrating, and I think she could do a really good job of an entire book written from the first person perspective. So that's my opinion on it all - I'm glad now I've read the d**n thing and that's that!
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Post by Shirley on May 7, 2006 18:31:24 GMT
I know Elizabeth is a doormat but lots of people are particularly when dealing with relatives like her sister Soairse. I think the term is co-dependency! I have to agree with this - so many people make allowances for their family members and take crap from them that they would never take from anyone else. The old family issue is a very complicated one for most people! That's another thing that CA conveyed really well in this book, and she really showed the impact that childhood has on some people. She should think about turning her hand to writing children's books - she seems to have the imagination for it. I honestly don't know why she wasted her time writing that god-awful Where Rainbows End when she's capable of doing much better work like this book. Hope I haven't offended anyone by saying that - just really didn't like WRE!
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Post by susanmay on May 7, 2006 19:18:09 GMT
Agree with everything you've said Shirley. CA would make a great children's/teenage author she does have the colorful imagination for it.
Can anyone tell me what ever became of Saoirse??
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Post by megan on May 7, 2006 19:31:17 GMT
Great review Shirley!! I couldn't even read Where Rainbows End because it appeared so boring to me! I am glad that you enjoyed this book in the end. For me it was a different experience - I loved it from the very first chapter! So that was lucky for me. It will be very interesting to see what she writes next!
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Post by Karen on May 7, 2006 20:42:13 GMT
^ Any news on when her next book is out?
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Post by megan on May 7, 2006 21:14:47 GMT
I have heard nothing Karen, but if she keeps with her usual schedule it should be in the autumn.
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Post by filmbuff on Dec 11, 2007 14:32:41 GMT
I think CA'S books are very good. Granted she's not every1's cup of tea but that's not her fault.
Filmbuff
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