If Only It Were True

Rating:
Summary: Painfully bad writing
Review: I picked up this book because the premise sounded interesting. I wasn't expecting great literature; just a fun, summer read. But after only two pages, I was already cringing in my seat. Maybe the writing lost something in the translation -- one can only hopes so. Regardless, it was stilted and self-conscious, the sort of thing one reads in a freshman writing class. I slogged through about 50 pages, but finally had to give up. There's only so much pain a person can take in the name of an interesting premise.

Rating:
Summary: Great love story!
Review: I really enjoyed this book! I know that a lot of the other reviewers did not, but I beg to differ. The book was very funny, very moving, and had some very tender moments in it. I could not put this book down and had to finish it before the day was over! This would make a heck of a movie and from what I gather here, it will be!

If you want a fast read on a romantic tale - this is it with some mysticism thrown in. The story was very romantic and the dialogue, I thought, was witty and at times provoking. The incredibly hilarious dialogue between Arthur and his friend Paul was so vivid that I was laughing out loud! Few books make me do that. I liked the quote, "I believe that everyday life with someone is the ground in which true intimacy grows." A tale attesting to the true love between two people and the giving because of that love. "Happiness is not just there for the taking. You're either a giver or a receiver."

Sorry, but a for a die-hard romantic here, this story was great! I would love to see a sequel as well on the follow-up between Lauren and Arthur. I guess we all search for that one true love, as Arthur was, and when it ended for Arthur after he had indeed found that love, the reader feels his loss and devastation - his pain is real.

Great book and I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: If only this book were better!
Review: It's not that I don't like paranormal stories or romantic tales or even the romance genre, but this title just didn't do anything for me. Unfortunately, Marc Levy has repeated an oft told tale without anything new or interesting. While the first half is an OK read, the second half falls into trite rhetoric which any romance reader has already read in a newer and fresher manner.

The basic premise of the book is that while a young woman lies in a coma, her ghost visits a man who has much to learn about love. And while Arthur at first can't believr whats happening, he then goes on to fight to save Lauren's life when her mother is advised to remove her life suppport system. During their time together, both Lauren and Arthur learn more about themselves, love and the meaning of life. And while the premise could have been somewhat interesting, Levy tends to be overly sappy including a message makes the e mail rounds almost weekly. This message, which asks the question of what is the meaning of a year, month, week, day, hour or even a tenth of a second has been hashed and rehashed so much, I was surprised to see this once again in this book.

This is the first book by Marc Levy. I hope that his next book, if there is one, is better.

Rating:
Summary: A Question of Title
Review: Patty Engelmann in Booklist says "Levy has managed to make the improbable seem possible".I disagree, being too grounded in reality,but Levy would be pleasedwith her review since an accurate translation of the title is "What if It Were True?"

Rating:
Summary: If only it weren't true that I read this!
Review: Part one of the book was interesting but went way down hill after that. I found the personality of Lauren to be very annoying! The dialogue between the characters sounded as if they were reading off of cue cards and their reactions to their situation were so unrealistic, even for a "fantasy" type of story. I ended up skipping from chapter eight to the last page just to see how it ended. I was so disappointed that I found it hard to believe anyone enjoyed this book!

Rating:
Summary: Cheerful bubbles
Review: An excellent one-night read for those not bothered by reality, this book contains a nice blend of emotion and laughs. Do not read if you want a serious book. Main characters were good (though the hero's mother seemed rather trite and unbelievable). Poeple really do go off on whims like this! A happy book after a hard day's work.

Rating:
Summary: A French point of view
Review: I would like to share my opinion of this wonderful book. I will first point out that I read it in French, my native language. When I was in Paris earlier this year, everyone was talking about his book. I read most of it in a red eye flight between San Francisco and Chicago,...and i could not put it down! There are two key points that make this a must read book: - Its originality - Its humor, which makes you forget how serious the situation is. I found myself many times laughing out loud, almost to tears.

Rating:
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!

Rating:
Summary: What a Great Find
Review: I read this book in one day. I loved the way this author wrote and how it made me think about life. It would be nice to see a sequel about what happens with their lives.

Rating:
Summary: My Sunday..
Review: Bought this book Saturday evening an read it through in one go on Sunday. It had me happy, sad, an hooked until I turned the very last page.. Read with an open mind an enjoy it :)