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There's No Place Like Here
From the bestselling author of P.S. I LOVE YOU and LOVE, ROSIE, comes a tale of a woman who learns that sometimes it takes losing everything to truly find yourself...
Since Sandy Shortt's childhood classmate disappeared twenty years ago, Sandy has been obsessed with missing things. Finding what is lost becomes her single-minded goal--from the lone sock that vanishes in the washing machine to the car keys she misplaced. It's no surprise, then, that Sandy's life's work becomes finding people who have vanished from their loved ones. Sandy's family is baffled and concerned by her increasing preoccupation. Her parents can't understand her compulsion, and she pushes them away further by losing herself in the work of tracking down these missing people. She gives up her life in order to offer a flicker of hope to devastated families...and escape the disappointments of her own.
Jack Ruttle is one of those devastated people. It's been a year since his brother Donal vanished into thin air, and he has enlisted Sandy Shortt to find him. But before she is able to offer Jack the information he so desperately needs, Sandy goes missing too...and Jack now finds himself searching for his brother and the one woman who understood his pain.
One minute Sandy is jogging through the park, the next, she can't figure out where she is. The path is obscured. Nothing is familiar. A clearing up ahead reveals a camp site, and it's there that Sandy discovers the she has inadvertently stumbled upon the place-- and people--she's been looking for all her life, a land where all the missing people go. A world away from her loved ones and the home she ran from for so long, Sandy soon resorts to her old habit again, searching. Though this time, she is desperately trying to find her way home...
Since Sandy Shortt's childhood classmate disappeared twenty years ago, Sandy has been obsessed with missing things. Finding what is lost becomes her single-minded goal--from the lone sock that vanishes in the washing machine to the car keys she misplaced. It's no surprise, then, that Sandy's life's work becomes finding people who have vanished from their loved ones. Sandy's family is baffled and concerned by her increasing preoccupation. Her parents can't understand her compulsion, and she pushes them away further by losing herself in the work of tracking down these missing people. She gives up her life in order to offer a flicker of hope to devastated families...and escape the disappointments of her own.
Jack Ruttle is one of those devastated people. It's been a year since his brother Donal vanished into thin air, and he has enlisted Sandy Shortt to find him. But before she is able to offer Jack the information he so desperately needs, Sandy goes missing too...and Jack now finds himself searching for his brother and the one woman who understood his pain.
One minute Sandy is jogging through the park, the next, she can't figure out where she is. The path is obscured. Nothing is familiar. A clearing up ahead reveals a camp site, and it's there that Sandy discovers the she has inadvertently stumbled upon the place-- and people--she's been looking for all her life, a land where all the missing people go. A world away from her loved ones and the home she ran from for so long, Sandy soon resorts to her old habit again, searching. Though this time, she is desperately trying to find her way home...
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2006
741 people are currently reading
16888 people want to read
About the author
Cecelia Ahern
98 books19.4k followersCecelia Ahern was born and grew up in Dublin. She is now published in nearly fifty countries, and has sold over twenty-five million copies of her novels worldwide. Two of her books have been adapted as films and she has created several TV series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,276 reviews
September 14, 2023
This book really hit home when I read it for the first time. No wonder then that it felt like coming home again the second time. There was just something about a place where all the things you can’t find, go. It appealed to me, as did the main character who I could relate to. I loved the sweet moments, like the therapist who dresses like a sock so that sandy who did the same, didn’t have to feel alone. I loved the people she met at the place called here, and how people who never met shared some instinctual connection. This is a wise book from a compassionate author. Maybe I will read it a third time?
July 13, 2017
This novel had the potential to be so much more, but I was left frustrated and disappointed with the ending of the book. I think Ahern could have made her ending much more powerful, instead it is left fairly ambiguous with a conclusion hanging in midair. The idea of a place where all missing objects and people go intrigued me, but at times I was left laughing at the naive idea of all these missing people, from all over the world, speaking different languages, living together in peace and harmony, in a self-sustaining community, with freshly baked doughnuts arriving daily courtesy of absent-minded delivery boys, etc. At times, I got really bored with the novel as it felt more like a fairytale story for children, not a book for adults.
The relationship between the main character, Sandy, and her psychiatrist, Gregory, seemed completely implausible and unrealistic. There just wasn't enough time devoted into exploring how this romantic relationship could have come about. In fact, Ahern, seemed to hint all along that Sandy would end up with Jack Ruttle, that somehow they 'connected'. I waited for the big reunion at the end but got nothing, Jack went back to the girlfriend he didn't love anymore and Sandy went back to the guy that gave up on her.
And what about all the other missing people trapped in 'Here'? Why didn't they get found too? Clearly, a lot of people trapped there, Bobby especially, wanted to get out and return home to their family and friends. Why was Sandy the only one that returned home?
I really think Cecelia Ahern would be far better suited to writing for children. She has a great imagination and comes up with good storylines but her style of writing is rather naive and immature.
The relationship between the main character, Sandy, and her psychiatrist, Gregory, seemed completely implausible and unrealistic. There just wasn't enough time devoted into exploring how this romantic relationship could have come about. In fact, Ahern, seemed to hint all along that Sandy would end up with Jack Ruttle, that somehow they 'connected'. I waited for the big reunion at the end but got nothing, Jack went back to the girlfriend he didn't love anymore and Sandy went back to the guy that gave up on her.
And what about all the other missing people trapped in 'Here'? Why didn't they get found too? Clearly, a lot of people trapped there, Bobby especially, wanted to get out and return home to their family and friends. Why was Sandy the only one that returned home?
I really think Cecelia Ahern would be far better suited to writing for children. She has a great imagination and comes up with good storylines but her style of writing is rather naive and immature.
March 21, 2025
I wanted a better story than this.
***When blurbs are more interesting than the actual story***
"Perhaps because I had spent so many years turning my life upside down and looking for everything, I had forgotten to look for myself."
The story starts with the main character getting lost early in the morning while she was jogging.
This is the story going backwards to happened to her life in general before getting lost and what happened after she did.
Some other side characters come along who seemed unreal and I don't want to think they were in their right minds.
I guess this book tried to discuss about mental health with a twist of some psychological mystery thriller plot. Well, the writing is fine. It's the lack of character development, they all sound like teenagers till the end. Also, there's lack of plot direction that made the story a little too slow and uneventful. It dragged a lot in between.
The first half is quite interesting in terms of building up the plot. However, I had a hard time accepting the idea of a group of adults getting lost and being there away from their former lives for four decades. If it was a "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" kind of story, I would have been really happy knowing what kind of book I was picking up.
But then again, I love the idea of the village which played a huge part of the book.
The blurb made it sound like a thriller. I feel betrayed. It started out really good I mean.
That handsome therapist. But it's problematic with what followed. No. Not a fan of making out with a very much younger client.
The parents thought it was a good idea to send their teenage child to a therapist when she's not getting the kind of help she needed but because he had "nice eyes."
It's really uncomfortable to read the parts with the sixteen year old and the older guy flirting. It's creepy for the guy to say such things and say such things. Cringe!
The writing is accessible, easy to get into and not repetitive. There are lines which speaks a lot to the reader when it comes to life and emotions.
But the book could have been a hell lotta shorter.
I would suggest you to pick up this book when you want to pick up a chick lit kind of book during a lazy summer day and read about new relationships, found family kind of stories otherwise don't trust the blurb and pick it up expecting a totally engrossing, dark thrilling read (no, I made that mistake already). The main character/narrator is really unlikeable and it doesn't get better at all anywhere.
There's another character called Jack who seemed like someone who would make up a bigger portion in the story and make some kind of impact for the plot. But sadly his character wasn't given the depth and importance as much as it was made to believe.
Every character introduced is either lost or has someone near and dear to them lost.
I really wish this story was written so much better and the characters more interesting and mature. It had so much potential.
I know how disturbed and sad it is for them, but, sorry to say this, the adult characters are all like clueless middle grades.
***When blurbs are more interesting than the actual story***
"Perhaps because I had spent so many years turning my life upside down and looking for everything, I had forgotten to look for myself."
The story starts with the main character getting lost early in the morning while she was jogging.
This is the story going backwards to happened to her life in general before getting lost and what happened after she did.
Some other side characters come along who seemed unreal and I don't want to think they were in their right minds.
I guess this book tried to discuss about mental health with a twist of some psychological mystery thriller plot. Well, the writing is fine. It's the lack of character development, they all sound like teenagers till the end. Also, there's lack of plot direction that made the story a little too slow and uneventful. It dragged a lot in between.
The first half is quite interesting in terms of building up the plot. However, I had a hard time accepting the idea of a group of adults getting lost and being there away from their former lives for four decades. If it was a "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" kind of story, I would have been really happy knowing what kind of book I was picking up.
But then again, I love the idea of the village which played a huge part of the book.
The blurb made it sound like a thriller. I feel betrayed. It started out really good I mean.
That handsome therapist. But it's problematic with what followed. No. Not a fan of making out with a very much younger client.
The parents thought it was a good idea to send their teenage child to a therapist when she's not getting the kind of help she needed but because he had "nice eyes."
It's really uncomfortable to read the parts with the sixteen year old and the older guy flirting. It's creepy for the guy to say such things and say such things. Cringe!
The writing is accessible, easy to get into and not repetitive. There are lines which speaks a lot to the reader when it comes to life and emotions.
But the book could have been a hell lotta shorter.
I would suggest you to pick up this book when you want to pick up a chick lit kind of book during a lazy summer day and read about new relationships, found family kind of stories otherwise don't trust the blurb and pick it up expecting a totally engrossing, dark thrilling read (no, I made that mistake already). The main character/narrator is really unlikeable and it doesn't get better at all anywhere.
There's another character called Jack who seemed like someone who would make up a bigger portion in the story and make some kind of impact for the plot. But sadly his character wasn't given the depth and importance as much as it was made to believe.
Every character introduced is either lost or has someone near and dear to them lost.
I really wish this story was written so much better and the characters more interesting and mature. It had so much potential.
I know how disturbed and sad it is for them, but, sorry to say this, the adult characters are all like clueless middle grades.
December 29, 2022
Unlike Sandy, I have no problem with missing items: pen, socks, books, thoughts, and memories; I lose them all the time. Sometimes, during the day, I remember that I threw away that sock or that I gave that pen to somebody.
The worst is when I'm in bed, trying to fall asleep, and I remember something I totally forgot, good or bad doesn't matter. I’ll spend the next days - weeks if it goes badly -, trying not to think of that memories, only with the result of imprinting it for much longer. All of this stops when I remember something new, and most of the time I lose hours of sleep.
But nothing can compare to dealing with a missing person. And God knows how much I hate this terminology.
In Italy, we have a tv show that talks about missing people and people no one is looking for because they’re not important enough or there isn’t enough proof for a case. It's an extremely important program because, even if they don't find the person you're looking for, they never stop looking for the truth. But I hate it.
It makes me feel like a bad person, but that program gives me the weekly amount of anxiety in two hours and a half on a normal Wednesday evening.
And, honestly, how a person can be missing? It's the 21st Century: there are cameras at every corner of the street, everyone has a cell phone, and there are tv programs and sometimes even the national news. For me, it's inconceivable that someone can go for a walk one day and then go missing for fifty or more years.
So yes, this book didn't cure my anxiety.
At first, I thought the author was trying to use a metaphor: “some people vanish with no reason but, in reality, it’s because they lose themselves first” or something like that. But probably I read too much into this since the beginning. There's no big message under Sandy’s story, only a poor explanation and poor editing for the tragedy of having a loving person missing.
I’m a little disappointed, but Cecelia Ahern wrote so many books and not all of them can be best sellers.
But it's not a bad story, you know. If you read it with a light spirit and less expectation than me, I bet you'll enjoy it even more than I did.
↠ 3 stars
The worst is when I'm in bed, trying to fall asleep, and I remember something I totally forgot, good or bad doesn't matter. I’ll spend the next days - weeks if it goes badly -, trying not to think of that memories, only with the result of imprinting it for much longer. All of this stops when I remember something new, and most of the time I lose hours of sleep.
But nothing can compare to dealing with a missing person. And God knows how much I hate this terminology.
In Italy, we have a tv show that talks about missing people and people no one is looking for because they’re not important enough or there isn’t enough proof for a case. It's an extremely important program because, even if they don't find the person you're looking for, they never stop looking for the truth. But I hate it.
It makes me feel like a bad person, but that program gives me the weekly amount of anxiety in two hours and a half on a normal Wednesday evening.
And, honestly, how a person can be missing? It's the 21st Century: there are cameras at every corner of the street, everyone has a cell phone, and there are tv programs and sometimes even the national news. For me, it's inconceivable that someone can go for a walk one day and then go missing for fifty or more years.
So yes, this book didn't cure my anxiety.
At first, I thought the author was trying to use a metaphor: “some people vanish with no reason but, in reality, it’s because they lose themselves first” or something like that. But probably I read too much into this since the beginning. There's no big message under Sandy’s story, only a poor explanation and poor editing for the tragedy of having a loving person missing.
I’m a little disappointed, but Cecelia Ahern wrote so many books and not all of them can be best sellers.
But it's not a bad story, you know. If you read it with a light spirit and less expectation than me, I bet you'll enjoy it even more than I did.
↠ 3 stars
May 29, 2009
I regret to say that I received this book two years ago and just now managed to actually read it. It was my first ARC and I put it aside and it sat at the very bottom of my TBR pile for the longest time. Until this time of year, when I've been trying desperately to get everything out of that box and I finally decided to give this seemingly thick, impossible-to-get-through book a shot. Boy, do I hate myself for waiting so long to read such a literary work of genius. Remember in your school days, when teachers always told you to "show, not tell"? Cecelia Ahern does this, and does it flawlessly, with writing that is not at all awkward like much "good" writing seems to be, nor is it childish. Everything flows. All the words fit together as if they were each handpicked to play the part they are assigned. Coupled together with crazy good characterization, a plot as unique and captivating as they get, this contemporary fantasy should be a must-read for anyone considering themselves a true reader. As lengthy as it is, I got through this book in one long sitting, absolutely refusing to put it down. Cecelia Ahern is the literary genius I have been searching for.
Rating: 5/5
Rating: 5/5
September 24, 2017
I read this years ago, it was actually my first Cecelia Ahern novel. That should have been a big warning for me about how pointless her book can be sometimes, this one included.
I remember it was about random things that just kept disappearing. It was boring, not a lot of action going on. Kinda like a sock missing in the washing machine.
Ooo... mysterious.
I remember it was about random things that just kept disappearing. It was boring, not a lot of action going on. Kinda like a sock missing in the washing machine.
Ooo... mysterious.
March 6, 2016
H Cecelia Ahern έχει ένα ξεχωριστό είδος γραφής και τεχνικής που το διατηρεί αναλλοίωτο σχεδον σε ολα τα βιβλία της.
Καταφέρνει να κρατάει πάντα αμείωτο το ενδιαφέρον,να προκαλεί αγωνία και προσμονή,να χρησιμοποιεί λιτή και απέριττη γλώσσα ώστε να μην κουράζει τον αναγνώστη αλλά και να καταγίνεται πάντα με θέματα πρωτότυπα,επικίνδυνα ίσως αλλά και αιώνια αμφισβητήσιμα.
Στο "θα σε βρω ξανά"το επίκεντρο της ιστορίας ειναι ολα τα χαμένα πρόσωπα-ζώα-πράγματα που εξαφανίζονται μυστηριωδώς και ο προορισμός τους ή ο τόπος που καταλήγουν.
Ο ΤΟΠΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΛΗΣΜΟΝΙΑΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΧΑΜΕΝΗ ΚΟΙΛΑΔΑ ΤΩΝ ΔΑΚΡΥΩΝ
Θα μπορούσε να ειναι ένας σαφής χαρακτηρισμός της ιστορίας μας.
Που παει η αγάπη όταν πεθαίνει;
Που καταλήγει το λησμονημένο γέλιο κάποιου αγαπημένου μας;
Που βρίσκεται η χώρα των χαμένων ψυχών;
Όσοι εξαφανίζονται και παραμένουν άφαντοι συναντιούνται κάπου σε ένα παράλληλο σύμπαν;
Ότι χάνεται ειναι σίγουρο πως θα ξαναβρεθεί είτε πρόκειται για κάτι έμψυχο είτε για οτιδήποτε άψυχο;
Τέτοιου είδους ερωτήματα δημιουργούνται στην πλοκή του βιβλίου και μπορώ να πω πως οι τελικές απαντήσεις δεν ειναι μυθοπλασίες ή προκαταλήψεις.
Τα συμπεράσματα βέβαια άπτονται της φιλοσοφίας της σκέψης και των πεποιθήσεων και εμπειριών του κάθε ανθρώπου.
Ακόμη κι αν όλο το θέμα της λησμονιάς και του χαμού για κάποιους ειναι αδιάφορο ή φαντάζει εδώ υπερεκτιμημένο, το ταξίδι που προσφέρεται με τούτο το βιβλίο όπως προφανώς και όλες οι γνώσεις,οι αναμνήσεις, οι διαφορετικοί τρόποι αντιμετώπισης και η εναλλακτική φύση και τάξη πραγμάτων που μπορείς να πάρεις ειναι σημαντικά !
Καλή ανάγνωση!!
Καταφέρνει να κρατάει πάντα αμείωτο το ενδιαφέρον,να προκαλεί αγωνία και προσμονή,να χρησιμοποιεί λιτή και απέριττη γλώσσα ώστε να μην κουράζει τον αναγνώστη αλλά και να καταγίνεται πάντα με θέματα πρωτότυπα,επικίνδυνα ίσως αλλά και αιώνια αμφισβητήσιμα.
Στο "θα σε βρω ξανά"το επίκεντρο της ιστορίας ειναι ολα τα χαμένα πρόσωπα-ζώα-πράγματα που εξαφανίζονται μυστηριωδώς και ο προορισμός τους ή ο τόπος που καταλήγουν.
Ο ΤΟΠΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΛΗΣΜΟΝΙΑΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΧΑΜΕΝΗ ΚΟΙΛΑΔΑ ΤΩΝ ΔΑΚΡΥΩΝ
Θα μπορούσε να ειναι ένας σαφής χαρακτηρισμός της ιστορίας μας.
Που παει η αγάπη όταν πεθαίνει;
Που καταλήγει το λησμονημένο γέλιο κάποιου αγαπημένου μας;
Που βρίσκεται η χώρα των χαμένων ψυχών;
Όσοι εξαφανίζονται και παραμένουν άφαντοι συναντιούνται κάπου σε ένα παράλληλο σύμπαν;
Ότι χάνεται ειναι σίγουρο πως θα ξαναβρεθεί είτε πρόκειται για κάτι έμψυχο είτε για οτιδήποτε άψυχο;
Τέτοιου είδους ερωτήματα δημιουργούνται στην πλοκή του βιβλίου και μπορώ να πω πως οι τελικές απαντήσεις δεν ειναι μυθοπλασίες ή προκαταλήψεις.
Τα συμπεράσματα βέβαια άπτονται της φιλοσοφίας της σκέψης και των πεποιθήσεων και εμπειριών του κάθε ανθρώπου.
Ακόμη κι αν όλο το θέμα της λησμονιάς και του χαμού για κάποιους ειναι αδιάφορο ή φαντάζει εδώ υπερεκτιμημένο, το ταξίδι που προσφέρεται με τούτο το βιβλίο όπως προφανώς και όλες οι γνώσεις,οι αναμνήσεις, οι διαφορετικοί τρόποι αντιμετώπισης και η εναλλακτική φύση και τάξη πραγμάτων που μπορείς να πάρεις ειναι σημαντικά !
Καλή ανάγνωση!!
July 22, 2022
Where does that other sock disappear too? Where do all our lost items go? Such a unique premise and another cute read from Cecelia Ahern.
Five stars.
Five stars.
January 17, 2020
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
Riiiiight. Well, this was an odd one. Reading the blurb, I though Ahern was writing metaphorically about a place that lost things end up. Nope. I was very wrong. The result? An odd story that I just couldn’t settle to throughout the narrative.
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
Riiiiight. Well, this was an odd one. Reading the blurb, I though Ahern was writing metaphorically about a place that lost things end up. Nope. I was very wrong. The result? An odd story that I just couldn’t settle to throughout the narrative.
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
May 2, 2011
Light enough that it didn't require deep thought, interesting enough to keep me turning pages, yet not so gripping that I couldn't put it down when I needed to sleep.
The story is about Sandy Shortt, who is something of a misfit. She is extremely tall, for one thing, in sharp contrast to her surname. She is also very logical and organized, and has a compulsion to search for missing things - and people. It all started when her neighbor Jenny-May vanishes when they are both ten years old.
By the time the story starts, Sandy runs a missing persons agency. She has reunited various lost family members, but there are still several unsolved cases which she has studied extensively.
Then Sandy herself disappears, and finds herself in a different world: one filled with people and objects that have mysteriously gone missing from the real world.
It's bizarre and surreal... and yet somehow the story works. In this strange other world there are socks, phones, wallets, even sofas... all of which have vanished without trace. There are also some of the people whose cases Sandy was working on. They have settled down, sometimes even married and had children, accepting their new lives after they've been there for a while.
The writing is very good; the story delightful, and unexpectedly moving in places. It's also strangely believable - it doesn't feel like fantasy at all.
The story is about Sandy Shortt, who is something of a misfit. She is extremely tall, for one thing, in sharp contrast to her surname. She is also very logical and organized, and has a compulsion to search for missing things - and people. It all started when her neighbor Jenny-May vanishes when they are both ten years old.
By the time the story starts, Sandy runs a missing persons agency. She has reunited various lost family members, but there are still several unsolved cases which she has studied extensively.
Then Sandy herself disappears, and finds herself in a different world: one filled with people and objects that have mysteriously gone missing from the real world.
It's bizarre and surreal... and yet somehow the story works. In this strange other world there are socks, phones, wallets, even sofas... all of which have vanished without trace. There are also some of the people whose cases Sandy was working on. They have settled down, sometimes even married and had children, accepting their new lives after they've been there for a while.
The writing is very good; the story delightful, and unexpectedly moving in places. It's also strangely believable - it doesn't feel like fantasy at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2009
Where do all things go when they disappear?
Cecelia Ahern has the answer for that through this book. The Irish chick lit author who previously wrote the international success PS I love you tried to charm her readers again with her fourth book. Funnily, this book has several different titles in English for example: "There's no place like here" and "A place called here". Anyway, the Danish title that I wrote above translates to "A place nearby"
I must admit that Ms. Ahern has a powerful imagination when she wrote this book. That's probably one thing that would fail me as a book author. My imagination is as thin as air in the Himalaya mountains. I couldn't just daydream about something and actually write about it and not forget about it. She apparently got the idea about this book when she couldn't find her left sock. Perhaps.
The book tells the story of a misfit young teenager - now a young woman - called Sandy Shortt. Two facts that I know from her character are that she's not short and that she's not sandy-haired. So don't let her name fools you.
When she was 10 years old, her opposite neighbour's daughter Jenny May Butler went missing and nobody could find her and that tickled her inner soul to tell her unconscious mind that she must find any missing thing from that moment on. It's not so much because she has affection toward the missing girl - far from that - it's just only because she gets irritated when a thing goes missing.
"It's like you know a lyric for a song by heart and suddenly you forget the words", she said.
Sure enough, she grew up to be a un-whole person. She dropped her job in the police corps and started her own investigative bureau to find missing persons as an attempt to seek a peace of mind.
Until one day she went missing and found herself in a place called "here" - along with a lot of other people she'd been trying to locate all these years. Including Jenny May. Including her white-and-orange striped left sock. Including her passport. Including the teddy bear she used to have when she was a kid.
Now, this is what I called a relaxing yet intriguing chick lit book as I found most chick lit books were too dumb to be worth reading. Believe me, I have many times given up a book halfway because I'm too tired to read the swearings of the main characters about their ex-boyfriends, their disaster dating sessions or their extremely sad and boring single lives. Whatever.
So this book is something different from a start and it does offer a good story. Enjoy
Cecelia Ahern has the answer for that through this book. The Irish chick lit author who previously wrote the international success PS I love you tried to charm her readers again with her fourth book. Funnily, this book has several different titles in English for example: "There's no place like here" and "A place called here". Anyway, the Danish title that I wrote above translates to "A place nearby"
I must admit that Ms. Ahern has a powerful imagination when she wrote this book. That's probably one thing that would fail me as a book author. My imagination is as thin as air in the Himalaya mountains. I couldn't just daydream about something and actually write about it and not forget about it. She apparently got the idea about this book when she couldn't find her left sock. Perhaps.
The book tells the story of a misfit young teenager - now a young woman - called Sandy Shortt. Two facts that I know from her character are that she's not short and that she's not sandy-haired. So don't let her name fools you.
When she was 10 years old, her opposite neighbour's daughter Jenny May Butler went missing and nobody could find her and that tickled her inner soul to tell her unconscious mind that she must find any missing thing from that moment on. It's not so much because she has affection toward the missing girl - far from that - it's just only because she gets irritated when a thing goes missing.
"It's like you know a lyric for a song by heart and suddenly you forget the words", she said.
Sure enough, she grew up to be a un-whole person. She dropped her job in the police corps and started her own investigative bureau to find missing persons as an attempt to seek a peace of mind.
Until one day she went missing and found herself in a place called "here" - along with a lot of other people she'd been trying to locate all these years. Including Jenny May. Including her white-and-orange striped left sock. Including her passport. Including the teddy bear she used to have when she was a kid.
Now, this is what I called a relaxing yet intriguing chick lit book as I found most chick lit books were too dumb to be worth reading. Believe me, I have many times given up a book halfway because I'm too tired to read the swearings of the main characters about their ex-boyfriends, their disaster dating sessions or their extremely sad and boring single lives. Whatever.
So this book is something different from a start and it does offer a good story. Enjoy
November 24, 2011
After hearing an interview with Cecilia Ahern on a radio book show, I was interested to read her work. It's not the kind of book I would ordinarily go for, but as she's such a successful author, I was curious to see what her stories were like. The concept was interesting and at times the story was moving. Losing parts of ourselves and our need to find them and bring them home to our heart, to feel whole again, is what this story is about, in a nutshell. It was a neat fit in keeping with the theme of the book, to reference the Wizard of Oz into the story. But it's like fast food for the brain. It's more-ish and easy to digest, but has no nourishment. It's a real page turner, I was driven to find out what would happen next, but I didn't enjoy the journey, only the destination, when all the mysteries had been unravelled. I didn't like the character of Sandy Shortt very much or her creepy doctor/ high school counsellor/lover. I don't want to spend any more time remembering this book. I'm none the wiser for it. Life's too short to read novels that don't challenge my intellect and broaden my scope.
April 5, 2021
A minha opinião em vídeo: https://youtu.be/j1qE_wdei_Q
October 17, 2021
Sería un 4,5 en realidad. Me ha gustado mucho, muchísimo más de lo que esperaba tras leer la sinopsis. Cecelia siempre sorprende y, en mi caso, no siempre me gusta el resultado (hay novelas suyas que me fascinan y otras que no he podido ni terminar), pero esta es de las que son un claro SÍ. Una historia original con una superficie entretenida y un trasfondo que hace pensar. La he disfrutado muchísimo.
September 24, 2016
تقدیم به تمامی ناپدید شدگان! باشد که دوستان و آشنایان شان با دیدن این یادبود بر استقامت و امیدشان افزون شود.
گم کردن وسایل مون به خاطر فراموش کردن بخشی از خاطرات مون اتفاق می افته. اما گاهی ما چیزهای مهم تری از وسایل مون گم می کنیم. مثل یک نوازش یک عطر یا چهره یک شخص و یا طنین صدای عزیزان مون. مردم از قصد خاطره هاشون رو فراموش نمی کنن. البته گاهی ترجیح می دیم فراموش شون کنیم. اما نگه داشتن همه چیز توی ذهن غیر ممکنه و اصلا مهم نیست که چقدر سعی کنی نگهش داری.
گاهی وقت ها مردم درست جلوی چشم ما ناپدید می شن. گاهی هم با این که تمام مدت جلوی چشم دیگران هستیم ناپدید می شیم و دوباره پیدامون می کنن. گاهی حتی خودمون رو هم نمی تونیم پیدا کنیم این درست موقعیه که از خودمون غافل می شیم.
سندی بعد از گم شدن همکلاسی دوران کودکیش (بیست سال قبل از شروع ماجرا) دچار وسواس پیدا کردن وسایل گمشده ش میشه. این وسواس باعث میشه کم کم خانواده و دوستانش رو گم کنه. اونا هم بعد از مدتی اونو گم میکنن.
پ.ن. غمی توی داستان بود. فرای تخیلی که راجع به سرزمین "اینجا" وجود داشت، حس گم شدن و فراموش شدن و فراموش کردن، کاملا تاثیر گذار بیان شده بود. خانواده هایی که با گذشت چندین سال همچنان امیدوار بودن که گمشده شون برگرده و چراغ ایوان خونه شون رو روشن نگه می داشتن تا گمشده شون راه برگشت رو پیدا کنه. مخصوصا حس بابی و مادرش. مادری که بعد سال ها خنده ی پسرش رو فراموش کرد. و غمی که بابی از این فراموشی حس می کرد.
گم کردن وسایل مون به خاطر فراموش کردن بخشی از خاطرات مون اتفاق می افته. اما گاهی ما چیزهای مهم تری از وسایل مون گم می کنیم. مثل یک نوازش یک عطر یا چهره یک شخص و یا طنین صدای عزیزان مون. مردم از قصد خاطره هاشون رو فراموش نمی کنن. البته گاهی ترجیح می دیم فراموش شون کنیم. اما نگه داشتن همه چیز توی ذهن غیر ممکنه و اصلا مهم نیست که چقدر سعی کنی نگهش داری.
گاهی وقت ها مردم درست جلوی چشم ما ناپدید می شن. گاهی هم با این که تمام مدت جلوی چشم دیگران هستیم ناپدید می شیم و دوباره پیدامون می کنن. گاهی حتی خودمون رو هم نمی تونیم پیدا کنیم این درست موقعیه که از خودمون غافل می شیم.
سندی بعد از گم شدن همکلاسی دوران کودکیش (بیست سال قبل از شروع ماجرا) دچار وسواس پیدا کردن وسایل گمشده ش میشه. این وسواس باعث میشه کم کم خانواده و دوستانش رو گم کنه. اونا هم بعد از مدتی اونو گم میکنن.
پ.ن. غمی توی داستان بود. فرای تخیلی که راجع به سرزمین "اینجا" وجود داشت، حس گم شدن و فراموش شدن و فراموش کردن، کاملا تاثیر گذار بیان شده بود. خانواده هایی که با گذشت چندین سال همچنان امیدوار بودن که گمشده شون برگرده و چراغ ایوان خونه شون رو روشن نگه می داشتن تا گمشده شون راه برگشت رو پیدا کنه. مخصوصا حس بابی و مادرش. مادری که بعد سال ها خنده ی پسرش رو فراموش کرد. و غمی که بابی از این فراموشی حس می کرد.
October 23, 2016
Xin thành thật cảm ơn chính tôi vì đã vô cùng vô cùng và vô cùng kiên nhẫn để đọc hết hơn 500 trang của cuốn sách này :v
Mở đầu không ấn tượng, tới tận chương 8 vẫn chưa biết tác giả có mục đích gì ko khi xây dựng 1 nhân vật chính tâm lí bất ổn và tính cách thì nhạt nhẽo, dở hơi. Bắt đầu thấy nản rồi mà vẫn ráng đọc, tại tôi ko có thói quen bỏ ngang một thứ gì đó.
Hi vọng mong manh truyện sẽ đỡ nhạt hơn xuất hiện ở chương 15/55 và hi vọng đó chính thức bị dập tắt ở chương 26/55 cho đến tận cuối sách luôn =.="
Nói chung là hình như do cái bóng của P/S I Love You quá lớn hay sao ấy, mà "Có một nơi gọi là chốn này" đối với tôi nó tệ hơn cả chữ tệ, nhạt nhẽo, vô lí và gây tốn thời gian cực độ :l
Đáng lẽ khách quan thì nội dung được 2*, nhưng do tiêu tốn hơn 2 tuần lê lết để đọc của tôi nên cho 1* ko thương tiếc >.<
Mở đầu không ấn tượng, tới tận chương 8 vẫn chưa biết tác giả có mục đích gì ko khi xây dựng 1 nhân vật chính tâm lí bất ổn và tính cách thì nhạt nhẽo, dở hơi. Bắt đầu thấy nản rồi mà vẫn ráng đọc, tại tôi ko có thói quen bỏ ngang một thứ gì đó.
Hi vọng mong manh truyện sẽ đỡ nhạt hơn xuất hiện ở chương 15/55 và hi vọng đó chính thức bị dập tắt ở chương 26/55 cho đến tận cuối sách luôn =.="
Nói chung là hình như do cái bóng của P/S I Love You quá lớn hay sao ấy, mà "Có một nơi gọi là chốn này" đối với tôi nó tệ hơn cả chữ tệ, nhạt nhẽo, vô lí và gây tốn thời gian cực độ :l
Đáng lẽ khách quan thì nội dung được 2*, nhưng do tiêu tốn hơn 2 tuần lê lết để đọc của tôi nên cho 1* ko thương tiếc >.<
September 8, 2018
Strašno neobična priča, štoviše nerealna. Ne mogu si predočiti to mjesto "Ovdje" odnosno shvatiti događaje u knjizi. Nije mi legla ova knjiga
February 16, 2023
Ευχάριστο, χαλαρό κι αστείο βιβλίο, περνάει όμορφα μηνύματα με ωραίο τρόπο.
April 26, 2013
Ενα βιβλιο που μιλαει για το κουραγιο κ την υπομονη, την πιστη που πρεπει να εχουμε στους αγαπημενους μας κ πανω απο ολα ποτε να μην ξεχναμε... εξαλλου τιποτα δεν πηγαινει στο πουθενα, ολα καπου καταληγουν αρκει να συνεχισουμε να ψαχνουμε, να μην λησμοναμε.
June 11, 2009
I actually stopped reading this book half way through (something I RARELY do). I don't know if it is because I'm not feeling well, or the book itself, but I just couldn't read any more. I skipped to the final pages, and lo and behold the ending was just what I thought it would be, so I figured why read another 150 pages.
December 17, 2012
I couldn't finish it....
The premise is promising, about certain place containing missing people and missing things. But I just couldn't get it. I couldn't care the least towards the characters.... Okay, they're missing someone, so?
Okay, they're in the middle of nowhere and waiting to be found, so?
I think this would be a very great book if the characters were multi-dimensional and had some...I don't know, uniqueness? I don't even like the character's name, Sandy Shortt. Okay, that's trivial @_@ I just can't relate to her, even though I often lose things myself and desperately need to find them.
And why the point of views? Couldn't it be enough to use only one point of view? I mean, I've felt tired enough to listen Sandy's whine, let alone Jack or whatever their names are. I don't mind about multiple point of views, actually, but the question is, would I care enough to learn much about the characters? If not, well, why bother to read each of the point of views?
I have another book by Cecilia Ahern, The Gift. I just hope I'll like it the same as I do with PS. I Love You--in which the characters are real and relatable....
The premise is promising, about certain place containing missing people and missing things. But I just couldn't get it. I couldn't care the least towards the characters.... Okay, they're missing someone, so?
Okay, they're in the middle of nowhere and waiting to be found, so?
I think this would be a very great book if the characters were multi-dimensional and had some...I don't know, uniqueness? I don't even like the character's name, Sandy Shortt. Okay, that's trivial @_@ I just can't relate to her, even though I often lose things myself and desperately need to find them.
And why the point of views? Couldn't it be enough to use only one point of view? I mean, I've felt tired enough to listen Sandy's whine, let alone Jack or whatever their names are. I don't mind about multiple point of views, actually, but the question is, would I care enough to learn much about the characters? If not, well, why bother to read each of the point of views?
I have another book by Cecilia Ahern, The Gift. I just hope I'll like it the same as I do with PS. I Love You--in which the characters are real and relatable....
September 8, 2010
Cecelia Ahern.
Gue pikir dulu namanya ditulis seperti ini: Cecilia Ahern.
Ya, yang biasanya emang gitu kan? Cecilia?
Dan penulisan nama Cecilia tadi membuat gue yakin, WOW.. Cecilia Ahern ini beneran orang Barat loh bow! Desse kan orang terkenal di Ireland bukan ya?
Tapi begitu gue amati lagi, ternyata namanya ditulis seperti ini: CECELIA.
Yang akhirnya membuat gue berpikir dan menginvestigasi
*siap-siap pasang suara Feni Rose*, "apakah… Cecelia Ahern… sesungguhnya berasal dari Jawa Barat? *JENGJENG!!* Kami akan menyuguhkan faktanya.. dengan tajam.. setajam Silet!! *JENGJENGJENGG!!!*
Sampe disini semua orang pada bingung.
Kok Jawa Barat sih, Far?
Loh, Iya dong. Coba liat biografinya. Dia lahir tahun berapa? 1981.
Berarti dia lebih tua dari gue dong?
Dan di Jawa Barat, perempuan yang lebih tua dipanggil apa? Teteh. Atau Ceceu.
Dan karena nama panggilannya Lia, jadi gue manggil dia Ceceu Lia.
Ga usah gua lanjutin deh yaa.. Daripada di unfollow massal. Kredibilitas gue dipertaruhkan disini. *ehem*
*ambil wudhu* *gelar sajadah* *berdoa*
*Ya Allah, ampuni otak Baim yang sudah rusak ini Ya Allah.*
Abaikan bagian di atas..
Kita mask ke bagian review. Yang lebih normal dikit.
Gue udah membaca 2 dari 3 novel Cecelia Ahern.
Yang pertama, P.S. I Love You (and my boyfie kept saying, "P.S. I love you… P.S. I love you.." when he first found out that I was crying out loud after reading that novel. Yes, I love you too, Boyfie) dan A place called here. Yang akan gue bahas reviewnya kali ini.
Buku ketiga yang akan gue baca adalah Thanks for the memories.
Buku-buku Cecelia Ahern yang gue baca selalu dalam bahasa Inggris. Yang pertama berbentuk e-book, yang sampe sekarang masih ada di dalam hp gue, dan yang kedua adalah novel yang gue pinjem di library.
Dari segi ide cerita, gue akui ide ceritanya brillian.
Kalau buku pertama bisa membuat gue menangis sedemikian rupa, buku kedua ini bisa membuat gue penasaran sampai di halaman terakhir.
Buku-buku ini membuat gue memahami apa yang dipikirkan, dan dirasakan oleh tokoh utama di dalamnya. Tapi tidak berhasil membuat gue melambungkan imajinasi lebih tinggi lagi.
Menurut gue, buku yang berhasil menyampaikan ide pengarangnya adalah buku yang berhasil membuat pembacanya merefleksikan cerita di dalamnya. Misalnya membuat gue berpikir, apa yang akan gue lakukan kalau gue jadi Holly, atau kalau gue jadi Sandy Shortt, atau kalau gue jadi Jack Ruttle.
Buku-buku yang berhasil membangun refleksi gue terhadap ceritanya, adalah Dunia Sophie, walaupun refleksi pertama yang gue dapet adalah gue akan membuang surat-surat sialan itu kalau gue jadi Sophie.
Dan Qorelayn. Yang mana refleksinya adalah gue akan memberikan reaksi berbeda terhadap pintu nomer 14. (ok, it's Coraline. Annoying ga sih gue berusaha memberitahu semua orang bagaimana cara menyebut Coraline yang baik dengan cara menulis cara pengucapannya terus menerus? hahaha *digerus pake ulekan*)
Tapi buku-buku yang disuguhkan Cecelia Ahern begitu nyata. Begitu logis. Sehingga tidak ada pilihan lain bagi si pembaca. Atau kalaupun ada, si pembaca tidak dapat membuat kisah yang sama menariknya dengan yang ditulis Ceceu Lia.
Maksud gue, pilihan apa yang bisa dibuat oleh gue disaat gue dihadapkan sama kasusnya Sandy Shortt? Dari awal aja udah kelihatan Sandy Shortt bukan gue banget. Sandy Shortt, yang namanya kontradiktif dengan penampilan fisiknya. Rambutnya bukan lagi sand color. Ngga cocok sama nama Sandy. And she is definitely NOT short. Ngga cocok sama nama Shortt.
Kalo gue? Farah. Bahkan orang-orang disekeliling gue, yang bukan orang Sunda pun, yang bisa ngomong F bukan P, suka kejam memanggil gue, "Parah Parah".
Gue pikir cuma orang Sunda doang yang ngga bisa ngomong F. Bisanya P.
*dan bokap gue dateng sambil melotot dan tolak pinggang, "Sapa yang ngomong gitu?? Bisanya PITNAH orang aja!!"*
heleuh..
Kedua, Sandy Shortt punya obsesi menemukan barang yang hilang. Sementara gue..
Contoh kasus seperti ini:
"kabel data hape gue mana yaaa.." *ngubek-ngubek laci.*
*dua jam kemudian*
"kabel data hape gue mana siii.." *ngubek-ngubek keranjang jilbab nyokap gue*
"ah males kagak ketemu. Pake punya si Babi Air dulu aja lah.."
*tiga hari kemudian*
"kabel data si Babi Air mana nih? Mati gue.. Punya gue udah ketemu, giliran punya dia yang nyelip. Sompret ah!"
Gue tidak segitu terobsesinya menemukan barang hilang. Kalo barang gue ada yang hilang, ya pake aja dulu yang lain. Kalo ilangnya masih diseputaran rumah juga paling beberapa hari, atau bulan, atau beberapa tahun ke depan deh paling telat, bakalan ketemu juga.
Tapi mungkin itulah tujuan utama Ceceu Lia. Memberikan batasan pada ceritanya yang, memang gue akui, spektakuler dan tidak memberi kesempatan bagi pembacanya untuk merusak jalan cerita dengan imajinasi yang kadang begitu melonjak-lonjak dan meletup-letup.
Cerita A placed called here ini begitu familiar. Karena kale gue tidak salah, beberapa ide serupa pernah diangkat ke layar lebar. Contohnya Jumanji, dan versi hi-tech dari Jumanji, Azura.
Gue akan memberikan sebuah hint disini. Inilah spoilernya.
Kemana sebenarnya Sandy Shortt pergi?
Menurut gue, dia tidak pergi kemana-mana. Dia terperangkap di dalam kepalanya sendiri yang dengan tidak disadarinya, membangkitkan seluruh informasi yang diketahuinya mengenai kasus orang-orang hilang yang pernah ditanganinya.
Mengapa Sandy Shortt tidak bertemu Donal Ruttle disana? Apakah sejak awal Sandy sudah memiliki firasat bahwa Donal sudah meninggal?
Bukan, karena Sandy belum sempat bertemu dengan Jack. Jadi dia belum menyimpan informasi lebih dalam mengenai Donal.
*tersenyum puas*
Gue akan membaca buku satunya lagi. Dan setelah selesai, akan membaca ulang semua bukunya.
Gue pikir dulu namanya ditulis seperti ini: Cecilia Ahern.
Ya, yang biasanya emang gitu kan? Cecilia?
Dan penulisan nama Cecilia tadi membuat gue yakin, WOW.. Cecilia Ahern ini beneran orang Barat loh bow! Desse kan orang terkenal di Ireland bukan ya?
Tapi begitu gue amati lagi, ternyata namanya ditulis seperti ini: CECELIA.
Yang akhirnya membuat gue berpikir dan menginvestigasi
*siap-siap pasang suara Feni Rose*, "apakah… Cecelia Ahern… sesungguhnya berasal dari Jawa Barat? *JENGJENG!!* Kami akan menyuguhkan faktanya.. dengan tajam.. setajam Silet!! *JENGJENGJENGG!!!*
Sampe disini semua orang pada bingung.
Kok Jawa Barat sih, Far?
Loh, Iya dong. Coba liat biografinya. Dia lahir tahun berapa? 1981.
Berarti dia lebih tua dari gue dong?
Dan di Jawa Barat, perempuan yang lebih tua dipanggil apa? Teteh. Atau Ceceu.
Dan karena nama panggilannya Lia, jadi gue manggil dia Ceceu Lia.
Ga usah gua lanjutin deh yaa.. Daripada di unfollow massal. Kredibilitas gue dipertaruhkan disini. *ehem*
*ambil wudhu* *gelar sajadah* *berdoa*
*Ya Allah, ampuni otak Baim yang sudah rusak ini Ya Allah.*
Abaikan bagian di atas..
Kita mask ke bagian review. Yang lebih normal dikit.
Gue udah membaca 2 dari 3 novel Cecelia Ahern.
Yang pertama, P.S. I Love You (and my boyfie kept saying, "P.S. I love you… P.S. I love you.." when he first found out that I was crying out loud after reading that novel. Yes, I love you too, Boyfie) dan A place called here. Yang akan gue bahas reviewnya kali ini.
Buku ketiga yang akan gue baca adalah Thanks for the memories.
Buku-buku Cecelia Ahern yang gue baca selalu dalam bahasa Inggris. Yang pertama berbentuk e-book, yang sampe sekarang masih ada di dalam hp gue, dan yang kedua adalah novel yang gue pinjem di library.
Dari segi ide cerita, gue akui ide ceritanya brillian.
Kalau buku pertama bisa membuat gue menangis sedemikian rupa, buku kedua ini bisa membuat gue penasaran sampai di halaman terakhir.
Buku-buku ini membuat gue memahami apa yang dipikirkan, dan dirasakan oleh tokoh utama di dalamnya. Tapi tidak berhasil membuat gue melambungkan imajinasi lebih tinggi lagi.
Menurut gue, buku yang berhasil menyampaikan ide pengarangnya adalah buku yang berhasil membuat pembacanya merefleksikan cerita di dalamnya. Misalnya membuat gue berpikir, apa yang akan gue lakukan kalau gue jadi Holly, atau kalau gue jadi Sandy Shortt, atau kalau gue jadi Jack Ruttle.
Buku-buku yang berhasil membangun refleksi gue terhadap ceritanya, adalah Dunia Sophie, walaupun refleksi pertama yang gue dapet adalah gue akan membuang surat-surat sialan itu kalau gue jadi Sophie.
Dan Qorelayn. Yang mana refleksinya adalah gue akan memberikan reaksi berbeda terhadap pintu nomer 14. (ok, it's Coraline. Annoying ga sih gue berusaha memberitahu semua orang bagaimana cara menyebut Coraline yang baik dengan cara menulis cara pengucapannya terus menerus? hahaha *digerus pake ulekan*)
Tapi buku-buku yang disuguhkan Cecelia Ahern begitu nyata. Begitu logis. Sehingga tidak ada pilihan lain bagi si pembaca. Atau kalaupun ada, si pembaca tidak dapat membuat kisah yang sama menariknya dengan yang ditulis Ceceu Lia.
Maksud gue, pilihan apa yang bisa dibuat oleh gue disaat gue dihadapkan sama kasusnya Sandy Shortt? Dari awal aja udah kelihatan Sandy Shortt bukan gue banget. Sandy Shortt, yang namanya kontradiktif dengan penampilan fisiknya. Rambutnya bukan lagi sand color. Ngga cocok sama nama Sandy. And she is definitely NOT short. Ngga cocok sama nama Shortt.
Kalo gue? Farah. Bahkan orang-orang disekeliling gue, yang bukan orang Sunda pun, yang bisa ngomong F bukan P, suka kejam memanggil gue, "Parah Parah".
Gue pikir cuma orang Sunda doang yang ngga bisa ngomong F. Bisanya P.
*dan bokap gue dateng sambil melotot dan tolak pinggang, "Sapa yang ngomong gitu?? Bisanya PITNAH orang aja!!"*
heleuh..
Kedua, Sandy Shortt punya obsesi menemukan barang yang hilang. Sementara gue..
Contoh kasus seperti ini:
"kabel data hape gue mana yaaa.." *ngubek-ngubek laci.*
*dua jam kemudian*
"kabel data hape gue mana siii.." *ngubek-ngubek keranjang jilbab nyokap gue*
"ah males kagak ketemu. Pake punya si Babi Air dulu aja lah.."
*tiga hari kemudian*
"kabel data si Babi Air mana nih? Mati gue.. Punya gue udah ketemu, giliran punya dia yang nyelip. Sompret ah!"
Gue tidak segitu terobsesinya menemukan barang hilang. Kalo barang gue ada yang hilang, ya pake aja dulu yang lain. Kalo ilangnya masih diseputaran rumah juga paling beberapa hari, atau bulan, atau beberapa tahun ke depan deh paling telat, bakalan ketemu juga.
Tapi mungkin itulah tujuan utama Ceceu Lia. Memberikan batasan pada ceritanya yang, memang gue akui, spektakuler dan tidak memberi kesempatan bagi pembacanya untuk merusak jalan cerita dengan imajinasi yang kadang begitu melonjak-lonjak dan meletup-letup.
Cerita A placed called here ini begitu familiar. Karena kale gue tidak salah, beberapa ide serupa pernah diangkat ke layar lebar. Contohnya Jumanji, dan versi hi-tech dari Jumanji, Azura.
Gue akan memberikan sebuah hint disini. Inilah spoilernya.
Kemana sebenarnya Sandy Shortt pergi?
Menurut gue, dia tidak pergi kemana-mana. Dia terperangkap di dalam kepalanya sendiri yang dengan tidak disadarinya, membangkitkan seluruh informasi yang diketahuinya mengenai kasus orang-orang hilang yang pernah ditanganinya.
Mengapa Sandy Shortt tidak bertemu Donal Ruttle disana? Apakah sejak awal Sandy sudah memiliki firasat bahwa Donal sudah meninggal?
Bukan, karena Sandy belum sempat bertemu dengan Jack. Jadi dia belum menyimpan informasi lebih dalam mengenai Donal.
*tersenyum puas*
Gue akan membaca buku satunya lagi. Dan setelah selesai, akan membaca ulang semua bukunya.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2009
I bought this book in 2007, I started reading it immediatly. But I never liked it enough to keep reading. I decided on reading it again last month and I feel like it took me ages to read.
I really liked the concept of someone who hates it when things go missing. Who starts a missing persons agency and then goes missing herself to end up on the place where the missing things and persons go. I was very excited to read this book from Cecilia as I loved ps;i love you. But the beginning really bored me. I forced myself to read it again a year later, failed and forced myself to read it again last month. It did get better, I liked her time at that place called Here. And I would find myself really feeling for her and Jack Ruttle. Cause I was dying to find out what would happend, if Jack would find his brother and most importantly Sandy. And if Sandy would get home and find the 'Here' place so she could 'free' all the missing persons.
But the ending, I think, was horrible. I would have loved to know what happened to her 'missing' friends. If they would actually search for the 'Here' place. I'm kinda dissapointed in the ending.
It has like 387 pages. Which should take me about 2 days to read. But it took me almost 2 months to read it. Not her best work.
I really liked the concept of someone who hates it when things go missing. Who starts a missing persons agency and then goes missing herself to end up on the place where the missing things and persons go. I was very excited to read this book from Cecilia as I loved ps;i love you. But the beginning really bored me. I forced myself to read it again a year later, failed and forced myself to read it again last month. It did get better, I liked her time at that place called Here. And I would find myself really feeling for her and Jack Ruttle. Cause I was dying to find out what would happend, if Jack would find his brother and most importantly Sandy. And if Sandy would get home and find the 'Here' place so she could 'free' all the missing persons.
But the ending, I think, was horrible. I would have loved to know what happened to her 'missing' friends. If they would actually search for the 'Here' place. I'm kinda dissapointed in the ending.
It has like 387 pages. Which should take me about 2 days to read. But it took me almost 2 months to read it. Not her best work.
July 5, 2022
A 2.5 - I had a hard time getting through this one. I thought the beginning was interesting and the last 100 pages were good, but in between was a slog. I switched back and forth between audio and reading to mix it up. I feel like so many interesting things could have happened because the premise is really creative, but I kept waiting and waiting and not much went on. Also, we get it: Sandy KNOWS that stuff just doesn’t go missing and she’s different from other people. I also did not like Gregory. A big nope from me on that storyline and it totally creeped me out how much Sandy’s mom liked him.
September 2, 2020
“Strength and Hope” are the only thing to cling to when someone close to you is Missing.
Sandy Shortt has made it her life’s mission to find missing people ever since her class mate Jenny-May Butler disappeared. There is so much pain and unanswered questions when someone just vanishes into thin air. Can she find those people? Will she ever be able to let go? Are the missing people the link to her own missing self?
After reading this book i really wish there would be a “A Place Called Here” or a zealous Sandy for every family that goes through this.
Sandy Shortt has made it her life’s mission to find missing people ever since her class mate Jenny-May Butler disappeared. There is so much pain and unanswered questions when someone just vanishes into thin air. Can she find those people? Will she ever be able to let go? Are the missing people the link to her own missing self?
After reading this book i really wish there would be a “A Place Called Here” or a zealous Sandy for every family that goes through this.
May 28, 2016
3,5
nicht so gut, wie ihre sonstigen Bücher
nicht so gut, wie ihre sonstigen Bücher
February 13, 2016
Aaahhh!!! Aku suka bgt kisah Sandy shortt. Gila... Tdk kupercaya aku sgt menyukai cerita bahkan aku sgt menikmati membacanya, jd pgn lagi membaca buku Cecelia Ahern
Sandy Shortt begitu terobsesi dengan menemukan sesuatu hal-hal yang hilang, karena saingan masa kecilnya, Jenny-Mei Butler telah hilang. Setelah bekerja untuk Garda, kepolisian Republik Irlandia, dia meninggalkan pekerjaannya untuk memulai agen mencari orang hilang.
Suatu hari, seorang pria bernama Jack Ruttle meminta Sandy untuk bantuan mencari adiknya Donal, yang hilang selama setahun sebelumnya. Dia setuju bersedia membantu Jack dan Sandy tidak pernah mengharapkan untuk menjadi hilang sendiri saat dia menemukan dunia di mana segala sesuatu yang pernah hilang, tempat yang disebut di sini.
Jack melanjutkan pencarian untuk Sandy percaya bahwa dia adalah kunci untuk menemukan saudaranya tetapi belajar lebih banyak tentang kehidupan pribadinya daripada yang seharusnya. Sementara itu, harta Sandy terus tersesat dari sini tapi menemukan di dunia ini. Sesuatu pasti akan terjadi tapi keduanya belum tahu apa itu.
Sebuah karya yang indah dan menakjubkan dari Cecelia Ahern. Seiring dengan "If You could see me now", "Where rainbows End" dan "The book of Tomorrow", buku ini seperti biasa membangun dunia romantis nan ajaib untuk Cecelia dan pembacanya. Ini adalah dunia di mana kau dapat menemukan dirimu lebih mendalam, dalam situasi pahit dan menemukan impianmu mungkin hilang dalam masyarakat sibuk dengan kehidupanmu. Secara pribadi aku sangat menyukai teori bahwa semuanya hilang dan begitu pergi ke suatu tempat, kadang-kadang karena pilihan kita, kadang-kadang karena kekuatan di luar kendali kita, tetapi "ketika kita belajar tentang apa yang jiwa kita perlu belajar, jalani hadiah itu sendiri" dan yang paling indah hal tentang tersesat adalah bahwa "kita menemukan" jika seseorang masih mencari kita di luar, kita selalu menemukan.
Aku suka dunia kata-kata Cecelia menggunakan dalam setiap buku, itu indah, sederhana tapi manis dan menyentuh.
Aku suka cara Cecelia mengungkapkan beberapa hal sederhana tentang kehidupan dan cinta, itu benar-benar begitu menyentuh bagiku.
Sandy Shortt begitu terobsesi dengan menemukan sesuatu hal-hal yang hilang, karena saingan masa kecilnya, Jenny-Mei Butler telah hilang. Setelah bekerja untuk Garda, kepolisian Republik Irlandia, dia meninggalkan pekerjaannya untuk memulai agen mencari orang hilang.
Suatu hari, seorang pria bernama Jack Ruttle meminta Sandy untuk bantuan mencari adiknya Donal, yang hilang selama setahun sebelumnya. Dia setuju bersedia membantu Jack dan Sandy tidak pernah mengharapkan untuk menjadi hilang sendiri saat dia menemukan dunia di mana segala sesuatu yang pernah hilang, tempat yang disebut di sini.
Jack melanjutkan pencarian untuk Sandy percaya bahwa dia adalah kunci untuk menemukan saudaranya tetapi belajar lebih banyak tentang kehidupan pribadinya daripada yang seharusnya. Sementara itu, harta Sandy terus tersesat dari sini tapi menemukan di dunia ini. Sesuatu pasti akan terjadi tapi keduanya belum tahu apa itu.
Sebuah karya yang indah dan menakjubkan dari Cecelia Ahern. Seiring dengan "If You could see me now", "Where rainbows End" dan "The book of Tomorrow", buku ini seperti biasa membangun dunia romantis nan ajaib untuk Cecelia dan pembacanya. Ini adalah dunia di mana kau dapat menemukan dirimu lebih mendalam, dalam situasi pahit dan menemukan impianmu mungkin hilang dalam masyarakat sibuk dengan kehidupanmu. Secara pribadi aku sangat menyukai teori bahwa semuanya hilang dan begitu pergi ke suatu tempat, kadang-kadang karena pilihan kita, kadang-kadang karena kekuatan di luar kendali kita, tetapi "ketika kita belajar tentang apa yang jiwa kita perlu belajar, jalani hadiah itu sendiri" dan yang paling indah hal tentang tersesat adalah bahwa "kita menemukan" jika seseorang masih mencari kita di luar, kita selalu menemukan.
Aku suka dunia kata-kata Cecelia menggunakan dalam setiap buku, itu indah, sederhana tapi manis dan menyentuh.
Aku suka cara Cecelia mengungkapkan beberapa hal sederhana tentang kehidupan dan cinta, itu benar-benar begitu menyentuh bagiku.
August 26, 2016
Sandy Shortt is an ex-Garda from Leitrim. She now runs a missing persons agency - she has been obsessed with finding missing things since a classmate went missing aged 10. Sandy has devoted her life to finding things and people, but when Sandy herself goes missing, who will find her?
I try to dial my cynicism down a notch when I read Cecelia's books. I go to them when I've had a couple of heavy reads and want something light. But this was not enjoyable. I had the American version, called "There's No Place Like Here", I know that the European version is called "A Place Called Here". I don't know if the description of how Irish Coffee was invented, the description of changing a "diaper" or the description of how to correctly pour Guinness were in the European version or if that was solely for the US market but all three irritated me.
Sandy, herself, was inherently unlikeable. I didn't care what happened to her. She was obnoxious, obsessive, rude, and mean. She was horrible to a little child, and even more horrible to her family. I found her "relationship" with Gregory completely and utterly inappropriate and was not rooting for them. I found her obsessions unbelievable and irritating.
Having grown up in Leitrim, I found some parts ridiculous, particularly the referral to "Leitrim Town" (no such town exists, there's Leitrim Village) and "Leitrim National School" which implies one National School in the entire county.
The ending made no sense - Sandy was so grateful to Jack but he had absolutely nothing to do with the conclusion. Nothing.
The premise was interesting, but the place Sandy went lacked atmosphere and the book dragged for me. I didn't enjoy it and I'm starting to think that this author is just not for me.
I try to dial my cynicism down a notch when I read Cecelia's books. I go to them when I've had a couple of heavy reads and want something light. But this was not enjoyable. I had the American version, called "There's No Place Like Here", I know that the European version is called "A Place Called Here". I don't know if the description of how Irish Coffee was invented, the description of changing a "diaper" or the description of how to correctly pour Guinness were in the European version or if that was solely for the US market but all three irritated me.
Sandy, herself, was inherently unlikeable. I didn't care what happened to her. She was obnoxious, obsessive, rude, and mean. She was horrible to a little child, and even more horrible to her family. I found her "relationship" with Gregory completely and utterly inappropriate and was not rooting for them. I found her obsessions unbelievable and irritating.
Having grown up in Leitrim, I found some parts ridiculous, particularly the referral to "Leitrim Town" (no such town exists, there's Leitrim Village) and "Leitrim National School" which implies one National School in the entire county.
The ending made no sense - Sandy was so grateful to Jack but he had absolutely nothing to do with the conclusion. Nothing.
The premise was interesting, but the place Sandy went lacked atmosphere and the book dragged for me. I didn't enjoy it and I'm starting to think that this author is just not for me.
May 6, 2012
Ahern has mastered a technique to lead people down memory lane. There's No Place Like Here speaks of things that just grow feet, wander off, cross the periphery, and never return for good.
"Here" is where my small, blue, fragile toy kangaroo has now found shelter in, where those pens I've previously thought just went inside somewhere deep in my pants' pockets have probably nested about, where that Pokemon book I was dying to read when I was eleven had got teleported to, and where my white Converse shirt has now has now found home in Bobby's stock.
The book was flawless. Not in the rhetoric sense maybe, but somewhere deep down, it hits us bare and faultlessly. Ahern knows how to appeal to sentiments, especially the thoughts of losing, the pain of coping, and the agony of waiting.
I rate it a bold five stars out of five. The book hit closer to eight years ago when finding my lost toys was everything I had to my name. And I wouldn't call that 'sentimental bias' or anything. I treasure everything that I have a hundred times more when it's missing.
Thank you, Cecelia Ahern.
****Now Barbara Langley and the rest of the world had one person more to bear their pain with.T______________T
"Here" is where my small, blue, fragile toy kangaroo has now found shelter in, where those pens I've previously thought just went inside somewhere deep in my pants' pockets have probably nested about, where that Pokemon book I was dying to read when I was eleven had got teleported to, and where my white Converse shirt has now has now found home in Bobby's stock.
The book was flawless. Not in the rhetoric sense maybe, but somewhere deep down, it hits us bare and faultlessly. Ahern knows how to appeal to sentiments, especially the thoughts of losing, the pain of coping, and the agony of waiting.
I rate it a bold five stars out of five. The book hit closer to eight years ago when finding my lost toys was everything I had to my name. And I wouldn't call that 'sentimental bias' or anything. I treasure everything that I have a hundred times more when it's missing.
Thank you, Cecelia Ahern.
****Now Barbara Langley and the rest of the world had one person more to bear their pain with.T______________T
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