If You Could See Me Now

Product Description
Now in paperback: In this charming novel, internationally bestselling author Cecelia Ahern shows that sometimes not seeing is believing!
Readers and critics alike adore Cecelia Ahern for her lighthearted yet insightful stories about modern women and their often unusual situations. In If You Could See Me Now, she takes that theme a step further, offering us a heroine who is entirely believable, and the new man in her life who is, well, slightly less so.
Elizabeth Egan’s life runs on order: Both her home and her emotions are arranged just so, with little room for spontaneity. It’s how she counteracts the chaos of her family -- an alcoholic mother who left when she was young, an emotionally distant father, and a free-spirited sister, who seems to be following in their mother’s footsteps, leaving her own six-yearold son, Luke, in Elizabeth’s care. When Ivan, Luke’s mysterious new grown-up friend, enters the picture, Elizabeth doesn’t know quite what to make of him. With his penchant for adventure and colorful take on things large and small, Ivan opens Elizabeth’s eyes to a whole new way of living. But is it for real? Is Ivan for real?
If You Could See Me Now is a love story with heart -- and just a touch of magic.
From Publishers Weekly
In her third novel, Ahern (
P.S., I Love You and
Love, Rosie) employs an imaginary best friend to breathe distinctiveness into an otherwise stereotypical Irish tale. Living in her own house in a small, posh Irish town, 35-year-old Elizabeth Egan is an uptight interior designer and adoptive mother to her six-year-old nephew, Luke, whose mother, Elizabeth's 23-year-old sister, Saoirse, prefers boozing to parenting. Saoirse's behavior reminds Elizabeth of a painful past—the alcoholic mother who abandoned the family, leaving Elizabeth to care for her baby sister and forgo her own childhood, and the emotionally distant, controlling father still waiting for his wife's return. Unlike the other women in her family, Elizabeth adheres to a fastidiously well-ordered existence—no mess, no complications, no love. But all that changes with the arrival of Ivan, a goofy and spontaneous man intent on infusing much-needed fun and tenderness into Elizabeth's frigid persona. The catch is no one can see this ageless man from the land of "Ekam Eveileb" save Elizabeth and her nephew. Through Ivan, Elizabeth becomes the woman she's always been too afraid to be. He helps her reclaim the childhood she never had and, most importantly, to forgive those who have let her down. Ahern tempers heartbreak with hope and playfulness in this uplifting, sentimental tale.
(Jan.)
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From AudioFile
Living in an Irish village and raising her young nephew, Luke, isn't what interior designer Elizabeth Egan imagined, but she accepts her fate--until she meets Luke's not so imaginary friend, Ivan, and everything changes! Resonant with the charm and melancholy of Ireland, Susan Lynch's characterization is the strongest aspect of her reading, and her interpretation of rigid, emotionally repressed Elizabeth almost makes her likable. Equally impressive is Rupert Degas's performance as Ivan. The joy and warmth infusing his voice are contagious, and his comic timing is impeccable--particularly in the scenes involving Ivan's otherworldly cohorts. Also notable is the moody Celtic-flavored score, which helpfully denotes time passing or a flashback. C.E.W. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
About the Author
Cecelia Ahern is the twenty-four-year-old daughter of Ireland’s prime minister and the author of
PS, I Love You and
Love, Rosie. Foreign rights to her novels have been sold to more than forty countries. Film rights to
If You Could See Me Now have been bought by Walt Disney Pictures and rights to
PS, I Love You have been bought by Warner Bros. Ahern lives in Dub