''PS, I Love You'' is the

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

by Irish writer

Cecelia Ahern Cecelia Ahern (born 30 September 1981) is an Irish novelist, known for her works like '' PS, I Love You''; '' Where Rainbows End''; and '' If You Could See Me Now''. Born in Dublin, Ahern is now published in nearly fifty countries, and has sold ...

, published in 2004. It claimed the number one best-seller status in Ireland, Britain, the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands, and was on the number one spot in Ireland for nineteen weeks.

Plot

Holly and Gerry are a married couple who live in Dublin. They are deeply in love, but they fight occasionally. By winter that year, Gerry suddenly dies of a brain tumor and Holly realises how much he means to her as well as how insignificant their arguments were. Deeply distraught, Holly withdraws from her family and friends out of grief until her mother calls her informing her of a package addressed to her. Within the package are ten envelopes, one for each month after Gerry died, containing messages from him, all ending with "P.S. I Love You". As the months pass, each new message fills her with encouragement and sends her on a new adventure. With Gerry's words as her guide, Holly slowly embarks on a journey of rediscovery.

Characters

*Holly Kennedy: Gerry's wife, Sharon's best friend *Gerry Clark: Holly's husband, John's best friend *Sharon McCarthy: Holly's best friend, John McCarthy's wife *John McCarthy: Gerry's best friend, Sharon McCarthy's husband *Denise Hennessey: Holly and Sharon's best friend *Tom O'Connor: Denise's husband *Daniel Connolly: Holly's friend and suitor *Elizabeth Kennedy: Holly's mother *Frank Kennedy: Holly's father *Richard Kennedy: Holly's older brother *Meredith Kennedy: Richard's former wife *Timothy "Timmy" Kennedy: Meredith and Richard's son *Emily Kennedy: Meredith and Richard's daughter *Jack Kennedy: Holly's brother *Abbey Kennedy: Jack's wife *Ciara Kennedy: Holly's sister *Mathew: Ciara's boyfriend *Declan Kennedy: Holly's brother *Leo: Holly's hair stylist *Chris Feeney: Holly's boss *Alice Goodyear: Holly's colleague *Laura: Daniel's former girlfriend *Barbara: Travel agent *Charlie: Bartender

Reception

Despite the hype and commercial success, the debut novel from Cecilia Ahern, daughter of Irish political figure

Bertie Ahern Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, and as Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008. A Teachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 2011, he served ...

, drew negative reception.

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

gave it three out of five stars, stating that Ahern's book is "funny and emotional", but also criticising the book's message of getting over the death of a loved one by "getting drunk and shopping". ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' wrote a satirical review which lampooned Ahern's shallow characterisation and melodramatic plot. The Clare County library called the book "overhyped", "predictable" and "full of stock characters", but lastly an "easy read... and a nice holiday read". Amazon.co.uk calls it "at times repetitive and her delivery is occasionally amateurish utAhern deserves credit for a spirited first effort".

Movie adaptation

A film adaptation of the book was released in 2007 with

Hilary Swank Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series '' Camp Wilder'' and made her film debut with a minor role in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (19 ...

as Holly, and

Gerard Butler Gerard James Butler (born 13 November 1969) is a Scottish actor and film producer. After studying law, he turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as '' Mrs Brown'' (1997), the James Bond film ''Tomorrow Never ...

as her husband, Gerry.

James Marsters James Wesley Marsters (born August 20, 1962) is an American actor, musician, singer, comic book writer, and audiobook narrator. He is best known for his role as the British punk vampire Spike in The WB series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ...

plays John McCarthy and

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the character Negan in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2016–2022) and its spin-off '' The Walking Dead: Dead City'' (2023–present ...

plays William Gallagher. The cast includes

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress. Kathy Bates filmography, Her work spans over five decades, and List of awards and nominations received by Kathy Bates, her accolades include an Academy Awards, Academy Award, t ...

Harry Connick, Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and former television host. As of 2019, he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling ma ...

Gina Gershon Gina L. Gershon (; born June 10, 1962) is an American actress and singer. She has starred in such films as ''Cocktail'' (1988), ''Red Heat'' (1988), '' Showgirls'' (1995), '' Bound'' (1996), '' Face/Off'' (1997), '' The Insider'' (1999), '' Dem ...

and

Lisa Kudrow Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the American television sitcom ''Friends'', which aired from 1994 to 2004. The series earned her Primetime Emmy A ...

. Filming began in October 2006 in New York City and Ireland, and the movie was released on 21 December 2007 in the United States. Although box office numbers were high, critics gave the film negative reviews.

Notes

Sources

* {{Cecelia Ahern 2004 Irish novels Novels by Cecelia Ahern Cengage books Irish novels adapted into films 2004 debut novels Novels set in Dublin (city)