If Only It Were True

Rating:
Summary: Magical stuff...
Review: This is a tale of love and committment beyond the spectrum we know of.

I liked the way I'm teleported to another place where a normal life is changed by a single magical element - the spirit of Lauren Kline.

The language and prose of the story was soothing and easy to drink in albeit a lack of development links seemed to mark the story. This caused "little bumps" in the tale which made me think "sounds a bit strange there" which prevented a smooth flow of events in the story.

Even though there was a predictable turn in Arthur's and Lauren's relationship, I was sucked into their whirlwind of great joy and couldn't suppress a smile.

A very enjoyable read that would keep you holding on to the end.

Rating:
Summary: If Only It Were True
Review: This is the best book I've ever read. You can't put it down until the end. It's funny, sad, touching, suspenseful and just awesome. Marc Levy is a very talented writer who shows his readers how valueable their life is. He has a great imagination that captures readers attention. It's amazing that this is his first novel. I look forward to more books from Mr. Levy.

Rating:
Summary: If Only It Were True
Review: A young San Francisco architect named Arthur is faced with a dilemma. A young women named Lauren is living in his closet. The only problem with that situation is the fact that she is a ghost. Arthur is the only person that can see or hear her. Arthur soon learns that they have a magical bond. So when doctors prepare to end Lauren's care, he must find a way to save her. Finally, Lauren decides to wake up after being in a coma for several months. I have never read a book like this. This book shows how two complete strangers can fall in love. This is an adventure that is breathtaking and romantic. This book captivates the essence of love and friendship. It shows our strength to believe in miracles. "What I have to tell you is not easy to understand,impossible to accept. But if you will listen to our story-if you are willing to trust me-then maybe in the end you'll believe me. And it's very important that you, should believe me. For without knowing it, you are the only person in the world I can share our secret with." (Page 216) When Lauren woke up from her coma she didn't recognize Arthur. Arthur was going to explain there story to her. He hoped that she would believe him. For not knowing Lauren long enough he is able to share with her there secret. Through Lauren's hospital recovery Arthur was by her side the whole time. That shows love and compassion. This book starts out slow but picks up. It is nicely written and detailed. I feel this book is not for everyone. People who prefer comedy or action would probably not like this book. This book has some sad and romantic parts. If a person believes in ghosts, then this would be the book for them.

Rating:
Summary: A Love Just Out of Reach
Review: "How many realize what a privilege it is to wake and see, feel,touch, hear?" It's not something you think about every day, is it? Well, for Lauren, a doctor at a local hospital, it became one. After a tragic car accident Lauren wound up in what seemed to be an irreversible coma. She became afraid that she'd never have that privilege again. All because of one horrible accident. Months later while in his new apartment Arthur heard a noise coming from the closet and while he was investigating, discovered a woman claiming to be a "ghost". Lauren "the ghost" explained that Arthur was living in her old apartment; her body was currently in a coma at the local hospital and she has somehow managed to leave her body and appear wherever she pictures. Thinking his friend and business partner Paul was playing a joke on him he ignored her for a while. After he listened to Lauren repeatedly insist her story was true he took a trip to the local hospital to check it out. Upon discovering that Lauren's body was actually at the hospital he started to believe her story.Lauren and Arthur decided to work together to learn more about Lauren's condition. After they worked together for a while they started to fall in love and spend more time together. When Lauren's mom decided to disconnect Lauren's feeding tube Arthur had to step in and save Lauren's life. From that point on the plot continued to improve as a kidnapping plot came into play along with many other interesting twists and turns eventually leading to an unsuspected ending. This book contained many good aspects including a creative plot; unpredictable ending and many vivid details that make you feel as if you were there. It was an easy read containing many characters that were brought to life by their characteristics. It would make a great book for relaxing weekend or summer reading. It does not require too much thought, but has a plot that makes you want to keep reading.

Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: I ordered this book because the plot sounded so promising, and because it supposedly was a best-seller in Europe. Perhaps it was translated from the French -- that would explain the plodding, dull prose. The conversations had no hint of the speakers' personalities. Much like Mary Higgins Clarks characters, they all spoke with the same tone. Real people don't speak in long paragraphs. The characters were flat, the setting seemed more of a soap opera set than real life, and the story was unconvincing. The ending was the predictable happily-everafter stuff of a Harlequin Romance. Are you sure this book wasn't written by a precocious fifteen-year-old girl?

Rating:
Summary: It could be worse...
Review: Summary: An okay book that eases away a few hours. Although the story and writting is substantially better than Nicholas Sparks' "Message in a Bottle" it would still make a poor movie.

Strengths: Moderately interesting storyline. Nice touches of San Francisco.

Weaknesses: The writing is trite and uninspired. The relationship dynamics between Arthur and Lauren are largely superficial and left me wondering why they were so much in love. Many key details were incorrect, e.g. a 1961 Ford "Woody" station wagon? with a V-6? Woody's were made 10-20 years earlier and V-6's didn't appear in Ford until many years later, bringing into question the integrity of other aspects of the story. Simple research would have tightened up the facts.

Rating:
Summary: If Only It Were Written Well
Review: The story's improbable premise had so much potential: The hero (Arthur) finds the very real looking "ghost" of a young woman (Lauren)who is actually across town in a coma. The doctors are ready to pull the plug and she asks Arthur's help in kidnapping her body so that she can stay alive.

I purchased the book thinking that this might be another "Ghost" or "What Dreams May Come." It's not. The characters are flat; the dialogue is wooden; the story line approaches the absurd. (How many practicing architects do you know would be able to take an extended leave of absence whilst they (a) steal an ambulance and (b) con a hospital into releasing a patient who's been in a coma?)

I give the book a star, because I believe it has potential to be a reasonably entertaining movie. It was as though the author had written the book with that thought in mind. Perhaps Spielberg can do something with it.

Rating:
Summary: Not a Book to Buy in Paris (France or Texas)
Review: A week ago while I was in Paris, I stopped by the Village Voice, a superb little Anglo-American bookstore. There I saw and purchased "If Only It Were True" by Marc Levy. I paid 110 francs for it. And then I made the further mistake of reading it.

"If Only It Were True" is meant to be a tearjerker, but it is so poorly written that it fails to jerk tears. The book is tritely done and crudely derivative. Levy borrows from here, there and yonder and never acknowledges his debts. He owes a singular debt, for example, to the late Jean-Dominique Bauby who had a very rare conditon, the locked-in syndrome, but. miraculously managed to "write" his memoir: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." Levy's heroine just happens to have the locked-in syndrome, too.

According to the dustcover, Marc Levy is an architect who divides his time between France and the U.S. We hope his career in architecture is successful, since his book is not. "If Only It Were True" is reportedly a bestseller in France but, if I return soon to Paris, I want my 110 francs back. Levy's book is not worth a sou.

Rating:
Summary: This is a fun "what if" kind of Book !
Review: I actually give this book an A+. The title caught my eye while reading an article in PREMIERE magazine that Spielberg had purchased the film rights to do a movie based on the book. It was a fun "what if" kind of book that explores an 'almost' loss of life and moments that occurred during a comatose state. It's an original romantic novel with a lot of meaning intertwined. A lovely book. Some of the tricks that the main character, Lauren, did reminded me of "Bewitched" the old TV sitcom that I usd to love and watch as a child. This book also helped me personally during a difficult time of grieving in my life. One favorite line: "How many realize what a privelege it is to wake and see, feel, touch, hear?"

Rating:
Summary: Descent into sentimentality
Review: It's a good thing I had a supply of insulin on hand to counteract the saccherine of this book. I was willing to suspend disbelief - I knew from the blurb the nature of the story. The book started promisingly enough - I particularly liked how the hero's friend and partner made sure the hero saw a psychologist once he (the hero) had reported a ghost in his appartment. However, the ease with which the partner was persuaded to break the law (and break it seriously!) was scarely credible. But my main problem with the book is the descent into sentimentality in the second half of the book. What a disappointment from such a promising premise and beginning.