Friday, December 31, 2010

Mini-Review of "The Book of Tomorrow" by Cecelia Ahern - Much More Than "Chick Lit"!


Cecelia Ahern is the daughter of Ireland's former prime minister. She came to prominence in her own right with her NY Times Bestseller, "P.S. I Love You." Ahern continues her exceptional writing with her latest offering: "The Book of Tomorrow."

Following the death of her father, teenage protagonist, Tamara, moves with her almost catatonic mother from Dublin to a remote village that is the ancestral home. Bored out of her mind, she picks a book from the book mobile that serves her rural area. The book turns out to a magical blank diary that predicts the future one day at a time. Using this literary device, the author places Tamara in a number of situations in which she needs to choose whether to act to alter the future or accept what has been written as a "fait acccompli." Each character is beautifully depicted - Tamara, her two young love interests, the enigmatic nun, her secretive Aunt Rosaleen, and the mysterious person who lives across the road.

This is a clever and very engaging coming-of-age tale with several wonderful plot twists. It would be easy to dismiss this novel as "chick lit," but it is far more than that. This old man loved it.

Enjoy!

Al

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