Select Editions readers may remember an unusual romance we published in Volume 4, 2004. It was P.S. I Love You by 21-year-old first-time Irish author Cecelia Ahern. The poignant/funny story concerned Holly, a young Dublin woman dealing with the untimely death of her husband. How to get through the next year? Luckily husband Gerry has left a set of 12 life instructions for Holly, one to be opened each month.
We all loved the manuscript here but debated whether the setting and lingo were just too Irish--sometimes you needed a glossary to understand the cheeky dialogue. But the wonderful characters won out and we decided to choose Cecelia Ahern's debut novel as one of the select 24 we published in 2004.
Now we all have a chance to see what the story would be like if it were taken out of Ireland. Is it still as charming, still as heartfelt? On December 21, the Hollywood version of P.S. I Love You opens nationwide, starring Hilary Swank, Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon and Phantom and 300 hunk Gerard Butler. I just looked at the movie trailer and note that Gerard Butler gets to keep his Irish accent and there are scenes that take place in Ireland, but most of the movie happens in a very Swanky New York City. So the Irishness of the story becomes a non-issue (sadly). (The 2006 photo above shows actors Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler on the set flanking Cecelia and her famous father, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern.)
For those of you who are Cecelia Ahern and/or chick lit fans, you may want to know that she is also a creator of the hit comedy series "Samantha Who?" on ABC on Monday nights. I've watched a few episodes of the show and am happy to report that Cecelia's trademark humor and heart shine through brightly. So check it out some time when you need a "bumbling-romantic-in-the-city" fix.
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