Where Rainbows End (a.k.a Love, Rosie or Rosie Dunne) by Cecelia Ahern
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 558
Publication date: 08.11.04
Series: N/A
Format: 2012 UK paperback edition
Why I picked it up: Was pestered by a friend (and rightly so)
From naughty children to rebellious teenagers, Rosie and Alex have stuck by each other through thick and thin. But just as as they’re discovering the joys of teenage nights on the town and dating disasters, they’re separated. Alex’s family move from Dublin to America – and Alex goes with them. For good.
Rosie’s lost without him. But on the eve of her departure to join Alex in Boston, Rosie gets news that will change her life forever – and keep her at home in Ireland.
Their magical connection sees them through the ups and downs of each others lives, but neither of them knows whether their friendship can survive the years and miles – or new relationships. And at the back of Rosie’s mind is whether they were meant to be more than just good friends all along. Misunderstandings, circumstances and sheer bad luck have kept them apart, but when presented with the ultimate opportunity, will they gamble everything for true love?
~ Goodreads summary.
I know this novel isn’t, strictly, classified as young adult fiction but I am going to review it anyway since I loved it so much. When I first picked this up, I didn’t really know what to expect since this was the first Cecelia Ahern novel that I have read but I can now safely say that I will definitely be reading more of her works. Where Rainbows End brought out so many emotions and had me laughing, crying and frustrated me throughout.
The writing was in epistolary form- a collection of letters, cards, e-mails, IM’s, chat room discussions and notes passed back and forth in class. Contrary to popular opinion, I loved this method of writing since it meant that Ahern could incorporate different voices and personalities that were unique to each character and also meant that the pacing was extremely fast- I read it in a day. I also commend the way in which Ahern was able to develop the syntax of each character as they grew up, yet keep signature traits within each characters’ lexicon.
The book spans over 45 years- following the lives of Alex and Rosie from when they were 5 to when they are 50 allowing an abundance of time to develop each character. As mentioned before, the epistolary form of writing helped me to relate and connect with each character and it was inspiring to read about how their lives took them in completely opposite directions and yet they were still able to stay in contact with each other throughout the many years (well the majority of them at least). I liked how Rosie’s daughter, Katie, and her best friend, Toby, echoed the lives of Rosie and Alex and also, ultimately, brought them together. Furthermore, every time Rosie and Alex missed an opportunity to have what destiny inevitably wanted them to have, I was filled with so much angst and the dramatic irony that was sustained throughout the length of the story was so frustrating to a point that I was literally shouting at the book and wanting to hit my head on the desk. If I were to choose a favourite character it would probably be Rosie because despite so many obstacles that prevented her from achieving what she wanted to achieve, she kept persevering and was constantly so determined. And why did Greg have to be such an evil man? Overall, I think my only negative comment would be that the plot sometimes went round in a torturous circle and some of the events became a bit repetitive.
I am so glad I read this book since it allowed me to discover a new author who I truly admire. I think that this novel was well-written, intelligent and entertaining and I highly recommend it to anyone.
Oh and I forgot to mention, the movie is coming out sometime in 2014 and features Lily Collins and Sam Claflin. :)
Rating: ★★★★★
“Our life is made up of time; our days are measured in hours, our pay measured by those hours, our knowledge is measured by years. We grab a few quick minutes in our busy day to have a coffee break. We rush back to our desks, we watch the clock, we live by appointments. And yet your time eventually runs out and you wonder in your heart of hearts if those seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years and decades were being spent the best way they possibly could. In other words, if you could change anything, would you?”
Buy: Amazon (UK | US) | The Book Depository | Waterstones | Barnes and Noble
If you liked this, I would recommend:
One Day by David Nicholls
~ Emi
Do you ‘no’ of any other of Cecelia Ahern’s novels? Feel free to comment below…
P.S I read this almost immediately after watching One Day – my life is full of coincidences, first it was those sci-fi novels and now this.
I am currently reading (well, am just about to read) Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman. I am really excited to read this because I have heard great things about it despite it being allegedly depressing… I guess I shall see and just make sure that I provide myself with a bunch ‘a tissues just in case. 
I have recently finished Siege and Storm by the inimitable Leigh Bardugo. All I have to say is SHMOWZOW- I’m just going to leave it up to you to interpret that in whatever way you wish ;), I can’t believe we have to wait for almost a year for the sequel, Ruin and Rising, to come out!
emireads 