"PS I Love You" by Cecelia Ahern is the March 2025 selection for the IrishCentral Book Club.
Each month, we will pick a new Irish book or a great book by an Irish author and celebrate the amazing ability of the Irish to tell a good story for the IrishCentral Book Club.
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Sharing her inspiration for "PS I Love You," Ahern says: "I wrote this novel when I was 21 years old and experiencing a challenging moment in my life.
"I had just graduated from college, was questioning my identity and my direction, and as I always did and still do, I turned to writing as a form of release. I was fearful of losing the people I loved and hoped that if that dreaded heartbreaking loss was to occur, that I could find a way to continue my communication with the people I loved even in their death.
"Those feelings inspired the story for 'PS I Love You.'
"My journey was mirrored through the story of Holly, who lost her husband Gerry at 30 years of age and felt she had lost her identity and her sense of direction. The letters helped Holly find her feet, her voice, herself again, and her husband, though gone, was able to continue to guide her on her journey through grief, give her strength to heal again and reach a point of hope."
"PS I Love You" was published in 2004 and just three years later was made into a major motion picture starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler.
Synopsis of "PS I Love You"
Everyone needs a guardian angel…
Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry.
Childhood sweethearts, they could finish each other’s sentences and even when they fought, they laughed. No one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other.
Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry’s death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms, Gerry comes back to her. He’s left her a bundle of notes, one for each of the months after his death, gently guiding Holly into her new life without him, each note signed "PS, I Love You."
As the notes are gradually opened, the man who knows Holly better than anyone sets out to teach her that life goes on. With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing – and being braver than ever before.
Life is for living, she realises – but it always helps if there’s an angel watching over you.
Reviews for "PS I Love You"
"A bitter-sweet storyline guaranteed to tug on your heartstrings" - Glamour
"This exceptional novel about bereavement, friendship and lost love is both heartbreaking and uplifting" - Daily Express
"Heartbreak, intrigue and love letters from beyond the grave – Ahern has a sure and sympathetic hand" - The Irish Times
About Cecelia Ahern
Cecelia Ahern is the author of the international bestsellers "PS, I Love You;" "Love, Rosie;" "If You Could See Me Now;" "There’s No Place Like Here;" and "The Gift." Her novels have been translated into 35 languages and have sold more than 25 million copies in over 50 countries. Two of her books have been adapted as major films and she has created several TV series in the US and Germany. She lives in Dublin with her family.
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