If Only It Were True

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Summary: An Enjoyable, Uplifting, Fun Little Read...
Review: I was in the mood for something light and fun when I picked up this book, and I was well rewarded for the thought. "If Only It Were True," is a heartwarming little story with a fantasy touch.

Lauren is a doctor who has a horrible car accident at the beginning of the novel, ending up in a coma.

Months later, unknowingly living in her home, Arthur, a young architect, is interrupted in his bath when he hears someone snapping their fingers in his closet. He opens the door, and there is Lauren. He can see her, he can touch her, and he can hear her. She is a living ghost, but for some reason he is able to interact with her.

Far from being a typical ghostly-love story, "If Only It Were True," departs from the usual formulas, and actually manages to throw in some wonderful and thought-provoking concepts into the mix. Should Arthur allow Lauren's mother to turn off the life support machines and gain her mother closure and an end to the pain - given that her "ghost" might fade? There is much more to this read than meets the eye on first glance, and it is well worth the small investment of time. You'll smile, and feel warmed, by this book.

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Summary: If you like daytime soaps, this is the book for you!
Review: After reading a fabulous review of "If Only It Were True", I rushed out to buy myself a copy. Unfortunately, after reading it, I was a bit disappointed. It's the story of Lauren, a young beautiful doctor (I couldn't get Julia Roberts out of my mind)who gets in a terrible car accident in the first chapter of the book which puts her in an irreversible coma. In the second chapter, Arthur, a young, relatively unhappy architect (who is renting Lauren's apartment) finds Lauren hiding in his closet one night. Lauren is suprised he can see and hear her, Arthur is suprised there is a strange, but beautiful, woman in his house. Lauren proceeds to tell Arthur that she is actually in a coma on the other side of town. Arthur has a real life human ghost on his hands! Should Arthur believe her? Will Lauren ever wake up from her coma? Will Laren's mom take her off life support, and if she does, what will happen to the human ghost that Arthur has fallen madly in love with? Doesn't this sounds like the plot of a day time soap opera? The book does have a romantic feel, and it touches on the theme of living every moment to the fullest, but I found it to be a bit on the cheesy side, and the realtionship between Lauen and Arthur to be unrealistic and trite. If you're looking for a summer "no-brainer" and if you love daytime soaps, I'd say give this book a whirl!

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Summary: A Love Story To Remember!
Review: Lauren is in a car accident and slips into a coma at a local hospital. Arthur moves into her apartment and find her in his closet. He thinks his best friend is playing a joke on him, but Lauren has to prove that she is alive at the hospital. The more time they spend together, the more they begin to fall in love. Arthur decides to find a way to wake Lauren from her coma, but his mission turns into a wild and unsafe escape. Will she live to meet Arthur in the flesh or will she die? The answer is in the book "If Only It Were True." You will laugh and cry thru out the entire book! Enjoy!

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Summary: Sweet story & charming characters (mellion108 from Michigan)
Review: I'll be perfectly honest: The thing that attracted me to this book was the cover. Yes, the cover is a beautiful artistic aerial view of the Golden Gate bridge swallowed by clouds and fog. My eyes were automatically drawn to the cheerful blue of the cover and the even more brilliant blue of the end papers. Who says you shouldn't judge a book by its cover?

One evening, Arthur leaves his bath to investigate a noise from his walk-in closet. To his surprise, he finds beautiful Lauren, and his life is not the same from that moment. She tells him that her body is in a coma at a local hospital, and that Arthur is the only person who can see, hear, or touch her. What ensues from there is an incredible story of faith and love along with several messages to value each second of your life.

It might sound corny--and it is--but this story really is quite charming. It's a quick read at about 200 pages, and I managed to polish it off in a couple of hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's perfect summer reading because it requires no complicated plots or deep messages. You simply have to suspend your disbelief and go with the story. This book is in no way Pulitzer material, but it's a good way to wile away a few hours. I actually liked the backstory of Arthur's mother, Lili. I wouldn't mind reading a separate book devoted to Lili and her life.

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Summary: A catchy read
Review: Okay, so we know from other reviews that this book is on its way to Hollywood (I personally see Lauren played by Mira Sorvino and Arthur played by Michael Vartan), but read the book before the movie comes out.

Some people seem to try too hard to make this novel something it is not: a complicated, hard-to-read book. If Only It Were True is a charming love story revolving around the death of a San Francisco doctor and her predicament of being stuck between life and death.

The leading man, Arthur, is the only one that can see the comatose woman in her ghostly state. They embark on a journey to find out how to get her soul back into her body. The tale is sweet and memorable. Read the book.

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Summary: How do things like this get published?
Review: I just finished reading this book in the original French version, so I know that my disappointment was not due to a bad translation. I had heard that this was the best-selling book in France a couple of years ago and I'd read some good reviews, so I was expecting much more.

What an amateurish mess. Although the central premise could have been interesting, the book doesn't really work on any level. The writing is extremely pedestrian: the cops eat donuts, the sidekick makes wisecracks, and all the cliches appear just where you expect them. The characters don't behave like any human beings I know. There are huge, careless gaps in the plot (for example, why does Lauren's "soul" bother to hide in a bathroom closet if no one has been able to see her?) and the author doesn't even bother to get the geography of San Francisco right -- a quick look at a map would have shown that it is Post Street, not Polk Street, that runs along Union Square.

Of course, none of this really matters because the book reads like a sketchy proposal for a throw-away romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. And I have a feeling that's exactly what we're going to get. *sigh*

Rating:
Summary: Funny, witty, and unexpected!
Review: I admire the author's imagination; how he turned an 'Impossible' situation into a 'Could-happen' one. There are smart jokes, and the ending is unexpected. Right when you think it has come to an end, you are surprised and relieved that there's a final twist to spice up the 'epilogue'. I recommend this book for people who like smart jokes, and simple romance. Of course, you should keep an open-mind as you read this. It could happen to any of us! Marc Levy is brilliant.

Rating:
Summary: If Only It Were True
Review: What a wonderful book. I just happened to pick it up at the sale table and have recommended to everyone. I love the fantasy aspects as well as the romantic, and I especially love the surprise ending! This is just a great, feel good, book! Read it as soon as you can!

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Summary: Paranormal love story
Review: Paranormal love story written by first time French author, Marc Levy. Story of a young female doctor who is involved in a car accident and ends up in a coma. Her "spirit" is discovered by Arthur in a cupboard in the flat that he has just rented from the girl's parents. He is the only person who can see and touch her. The story goes onto to show them falling in love and then Arthur has the task of preventing her life support machine being switched off. There is a twist to the ending and whether you find it a sad or happy ending depends on your interpretation.

I liked the idea of this book but I felt that it could have been written better. However, not bad for a first time author.

"Where are you?" and "Seven days to Eternity" are his latest books but as of date have only found them in French.

Rating:
Summary: Very poorly written, but readable
Review: This book reads like an immature male's fantasy of himself - a poor, pitiful rich kid with somehow amazing spirituality and integrity. Several pages are devoted to love letters from the main character's dead mother, and none of the characters or relationships are well developed.

The fanciful, spiritual rescue plot is by far the best part of the book, and I was quite disappointed by the author's inability to explore the issues the premise (coma victim "detaches" spirit from her body) raises in more depth. The author mentioned the TV series "Bewitched" a few times - obviously an inspiration to him - but the writers of that series did a much more thorough job of exploring the options within its self-imposed magical limits. There are plot holes one can drive a truck through. For example, the coma victim/spirit and the protagonist can't seem to figure out how to communicate to others who can't see her, but the average reader will envision many ways it could be done that the characters don't think of. And the issues of coma and spirituality aren't really explored at all.

It was a quick read, with some stilted but good San Francisco imagery, and I did read it all the way through. If you're still tempted, go ahead. Just don't pay full price for it.