Where Rainbows End

Reviewed by Veronica Vivian Estrop, Sabah State Library, Headquarters.

“Where Rainbow Ends” by Cecelia Ahern is about Rosie Dunne and Alex Stewart who have been best friends since they were four years old. Rosie’s dream is to become the owner of a hotel while Alex’s is to become a doctor. Rosie was supposed to go to Boston with Alex after graduating high school, but she got pregnant instead. This changes their whole future and Rosie ended up staying at Dublin, giving birth to Katie. It’s fairly obvious that the both of them will eventually wind up together but the intrigue lies in how they arrived at the inevitable fate. Now separated by the Atlantic Ocean, their long distance relationship unfold entirely through written dialogue of which their everyday conversation is described within letters and emails including sending and receiving of postcards. A very clever way of Ahern describing the passing of time indeed.

Before I started this novel, I thought it was just a typical romantic story and told myself “Guess I’ll just swoon with the love and romance like most romantic stories”, but suprisingly this is much more than that. I learned about the value of friendship, sacrifices and love of parents, hardships of marriage, having faith in God and the importance to pursue your dreams no matter how long it takes. This book is so hauntingly beautiful that it will make you sad, happy, excited, hurt, frustrated and cry. It’s a roller coaster of emotions! Just as Rosie and Alex finally have the chance to be together, things began to go south. I mean, how unlucky can they be? You bet I was frustrated!

I would recommend this book to everyone who believe in fate, hope, love, and giving unlimited chances at life. You never know when things will finally begin to turn around for you. Sometimes, all you need is a best friend to pick you up and offer encouragement and support. Oh, and a little bit of advice, read this book first before watching the movie, Love Rosie because the movie does not translate the book well. You might miss a lot of important details. I hope you’ll enjoy reading this book as much as I did.