If You Could See Me Now

It seems like I have read a lot of books about imaginary friends lately. This one has a twist, where the imaginary friend is there for the child as well as for his aunt whom he lives with. I love the playfulness which Ahern gives to Ivan and all the other imaginary friends. I am still saying things like “____ is my new favorite thing.”. There was several parts I found myself reading out loud to my husband (a sure sign of a funny book in our home). It made me miss Ireland, and want to go back and explore again someday. The book was very descriptive and visual in parts of it’s writing. It made me wish in part to have an imaginary friend as an adult, and just as glad that I don’t need one. It was quite different from what I show more expected after reading PSILY, but charming in it’s own right. I can’t wait to see what my next Ahern read brings. =D show less

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I liked the idea of the book and the characters a lot. But I found very confusing (and a bit troubling to be honest) Elizabeth's realisation about her parents. Did it really make a difference if her mother was an alcoholic or not? The fact was that she abandoned her kids. And her father is described very cold towards Elizabeth because she reminds him of her mother through the entire book. Does the fact that the mother was an alcoholic and she didn't leave to chase some adventure somehow changes the father's behaviour?? I don't see how. The fact that Elizabeth remembered the scene at the pub with her mother is supposed to be this crucial moment in Elizabeth's development but it didn't feel so important to me. I get why she show more was supressing the memory but not why it had such an impact with her father's relationship. show less

This was not my favourite book of the year by a long way. I struggled with engaging with the main characters and the language was missing a descriptive element for me. I enjoyed the overall message/story but I felt it could have been much sharper and more engaging. I didn't find the main character very likeable (which I understand was the point initially but I expected her to grow on me). There was a bit too much "oh look what we know that you don't" going on as well, so we were shown aspects of the situation she was not aware of like it was a good thing which made the book quite simplistic.

I felt there could have been a great deal more family interaction rather than a focus on the couples that were/weren't unfolding. I did however show more really like the other smaller parts and felt some of them could have made really good novels in their stories (is it wrong to wish for the story of the characters who only just appear now and again?)

Overall if you like the author you will persist but I don't believe it was her best work for me. show less

Thirty-four year-old Elizabeth does not have it easy. Her younger sister is a reckless, alcoholic who is constantly losing jobs, disappearing, and leaving Elizabeth to do all the clean-up work. Part of this includes raising Saoirse’s 6-year-old son, Luke. Add to the mix a reclusive and distant father, and a mother who abandoned the family when Elizabeth was thirteen, and it's no wonder Elizabeth is constantly hiding away from people. One day, Ivan, an invisible friend from the land of Ekam Eveileb enters Luke’s life. Was he really sent to to help Elizabeth?

How does a grown woman accept the notion of having her very own invisible friend? Like all fairy tales, this one involves quite a lot of suspending belief, but it’s generally show more well put together and the characters are full enough that we care how things turn out.

Even though the story is both uplifting and entertaining, isn’t a perfect book. It drags on too long, the premise gets a little old and Elizabeth can be more than a little dense. For the most part it’s a quick, light, feel-good read perfect for day when you're looking to escape some of the craziness in your life. show less

All of Cecelia Ahern's stories seem like fairytales but this one particularly so.

I really liked this and read it in one sitting. I wasn't that fond of Elizabeth for most of the book, it's true, she's just too rigid and clinical. But by the end I was shedding tears for her and loving the tale. I wish I had an imaginary friend just like Ivan too.

I was a bit unsure of Ivan initially because there's something a bit squirly about a 6ft man playing and acting like a little boy but I soon got over that and he grew on me. I actually felt really sorry for him at the end too. It must be a good book if I'm feeling sorry for a figment of a book character's imagination......

All in all a really good book and I would recommend it for anyone that likes show more a weepy but feel-good book. And it's just perfect for a beach or garden read. show less

It's Magically Delicious!: Elizabeth Egan never got the chance to be a child. Abandoned by her gypsy alcoholic mother as a young girl, she was forced to raise her younger sister and cater to her bitter, resentful father. At the age of 35, not much has changed, except that now she has adopted her sister's son, Luke, and she is all business as an interior decorator. She has no time to laugh or take the lesser problems of life with a grain of salt. That is, she doesn't until Ivan comes into her life.

Ivan is a "best friend" who usually helps young children in trouble and, at first, only Luke can see him. Then it's Elizabeth who sees him. That's when things get complicated, because, amid all the life-changing fun of discovering the show more childhood she didn't get to have with Ivan and Luke, Elizabeth and Ivan begin to fall in love. There are just a few problems, though: Nobody else can see Ivan, although he is truly there, and he can never grow old like a mortal being.

So what is to become of them? Well, get If You Could See Me Now and find out for yourself. I laughed a lot, cried a few times, and was totally enchanted by the childlike magic aimed at all ages in Ahern's sweet story. Here is a charming book that deserves to be made into a blockbuster family movie. It might even make you believe there's something more than air to your childrens' imaginary playmates. show less

Mijn eerste reactie bij de eerste hoofstukken was "jeetje dit ga ik echt niet allemaal lezen hoor" alleen maar mailtjes,chatten en brieven....
Maar moest eerlijk zeggen toen ik doorlas heb ik toch ook genoten om de taal en verschillende levens.
zeker de kindertaal was heerlijk om te lezen,MAAR dit moet cecelia ahern
niet meer doen hoor,ook hier had ze een mooi gewoon geschreven boek van kunnen maken.
Maar toch blijf ik fan van haar,ook al was dit een stuk minder.