Book review: P.S. I Love You

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern was released years ago and has also been made to a movie last 2007. But it is only this time that I get to read it. Not that I cannot get a hold of a copy, but because I have been avoiding it. I did not hear of the book when it was released because I was not that keen on reading novels since I was busy with school then. When I heard about the movie, I was in a limbo with regards to my relationship at that time so it was a choice not to watch the movie so as not to depress myself. I was very tempted at that time because of the rave about the movie but I also happen to know through a little research that it is such a tear-jerker so I really have to force myself to skip it. After a while, since the movie is a hit, the bookstores' shelves would always bear P.S. I Love You at the front, where everyone can see it without searching. Again, the temptation of grabbing a copy was so intense but I was scared to read it. It is only now that I have convinced myself that I have finally moved on that I got the nerve to buy myself a copy.

As I start reading the book the other night, I was still skeptic. I do not know what to expect, except for the fact that the book as one of the critics' say is indeed a tear-jerker, "4 1/2 hankies out of 5". As I read the first few pages, I was immediately hooked. I can barely put it down even as the night got deeper. I was almost half-way through when I finally let myself drag me to sleep. I was not able to read last night since I was pretty busy so I continued this morning till tonight. I have already finished the 370-page novel of Ahern.
The plot is incredible. I love the characters in the story because each of them is real. I mean, the characters' emotions are very real that its as if these people truly exists. Cecelia did not bother to sugar-coat a thing and she played with the characters as honestly as she could.

The dark days of Holly were so true that its as if you can reach out and stroke her hair to make her feel better. Gerry's love has been so great and pure that you will find yourself half-wishing if you can trade places with Holly. Holly's siblings each has their own lives and yet even though they are not the main characters, Ahern still gave them enough share of their own limelight and yet did not overpower the story of Holly and Gerry.

Overall, the novel is great. Ahern may added a few more characters into the story as it progresses but she did not add them to confuse the readers and she neither did just add them there just to abandon them after their "purpose" at the moment. She gave them their own stories, their own life, and managed to incorporate them to Holly's life smoothly.

Though I must admit that the novel did not gave me much tears to pour, there are some parts where I did cry but not as much as I expected, (or dreaded). I do not however recommend you to compare with me because as I am a little cry baby, I cannot decipher my emotions these past few weeks. I have been having problems processing my emotions so my not crying that much cannot rely upon.

One thing that I have learned though, it that it really is not an option to solely rely to your husband or to anybody else whether financially or emotionally. Holly had a hard time keeping up with the financials after Gerry died that she have, at one point, has to ask her mother to pay for her internet use. The point is, the novel just proved me right and supported my personal policy of having my own money, and my own source of living regardless if I would have a wealthy husband or not. It was also a lesson to be learned for me not to rely on any other person your completeness as a being (which I tend to do with my past relationships). You wouldn't know how to get up on your own once that "life" of yours has already gone. It is also a lesson learned for me that you also have to understand other people's feelings as much as you want them to understand yours. Them being happy when you are suffering does not mean that they are insensitive, they have the will to move on and continue their life which you should also consider doing for yourself. And for once, I truly believe, with the help of this novel that indeed, Happiness is a choice. Brooding about something that you have no control of is just a waste of time. The world do not stop its journey while you are wasting your time brooding over something you cannot change. It continues and you should try to catch up or risk being stuck somewhere only to wake up into an entirely new world.

Book review: I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti

I just finished reading I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci. The story as a whole, for me is okay. I mean it is a memoir anyway so Giulia is only narrating her life to the readers, particularly, her love life. The relationships that she had, each ending tragically, only because Giulia would always tend to expect a happy ending with these men only to find out in the end that their relationship with her is destined to only be short-lived. The whole point of the book, I think is that for every failed relationship that Giulia would encounter, one of the things that kept her sane, is food. The same goes even if she is enjoying the romantic period of each relationship. I must admit that the only things that made me keep on going with this book are the recipes. I want to know what food will Giulia prepare for the next event on her life. Although, I must also say that Giulia has a skill in writing wherein she always manage to "wake" me whenever I encounter a slow part of the book. Basically, I think that Giulia made the right decision to write a book about love and food combined. I think this combination is so good because most of the readers love love stories, and they also like to eat. But to be fair enough, although I find some parts of the book, quite boring, I was still entertained. I think the fact that this book tells about her life, made this more entertaining and exciting.

For the food lovers though, you will not be satiated by the love story on which this book revolves because for almost every food that Giulia made for occasions, recipes are included in the book. And I love the side comments that she sometimes adds at the end of the cooking procedures. But the best feature for me is the fact that whenever something that has been cooked before makes a comeback on the succeeding recipe, Giulia always include the page number where you will find the recipe of that particular item (example: pasta). And I have observed that Giulia made a whole lotta pasta over her adult life. No wonder her book title suggested spaghetti. In general, I think I can give this book a rating of 3/5. This is due to some references that I cannot relate with simply because it is neither too old or too rare. But I can't wait to try some of her pasta recipes. I am just grateful that I have recipes without buying a cookbook.