Gifted!

Advantages: Just brilliant in every way
Disadvantages: None

...a joy to read from start to finish, and really had me sitting and thinking as I turned the final few pages. It is really a moral story, with a bit of magic thrown in to cheer it up, but come the ending everything comes together in a quite shocking ending which really made me sit up and reread what I had just read! Ahern seems to have the ability to create a magical world on paper which you can visualise yourself so deeply that you are thrown so deeply into the story, you want to keep reading right until the end all in one go! The shiny snowflake cover allows this book to be a great Christmas gift as well as a book that is going to be great to bring out for Christmas again and again. I borrowed by copy from the library but will getting myself a copy as soon as its out in paperback. Highly recommended, I absolutely loved it - this is one book...

mummy2harry 15.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Gift - Cecelia Ahern

Finally, a good, quality card & gift shop!

Advantages: Quality, Unique, different selection of items.
Disadvantages: Can be pricey/not many shops.

...Paperchase are a large stationery store which sell a wide range of different things. Their shops are noticeably different as they are bright and colour-full, well lit and are easily shoppable. This review is based on the Guildford store! ***WHAT DO THEY SELL?*** Paperchase sell a wide range of items including greeting cards, art papers and materials, stationery, gift packaging, gifts and novelty items. They do sell some strange bits including coloured devil ducks and pirate plasters and other novelty items. They also have a very large range of Christmas items such as cards, gifts, decorations and greeting cards. As well as Christmas they all sell items for Mother's, Fathers and Valentines day. ***THE CARDS*** Paperchase sell a large range of cards and they are displayed in their relevant section. At the front of the store...

kiss_me2070 16.03.2007 (30.10.2008) · Read review
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Review of Paperchase (Shop)

A great gift of a book

Advantages: An adventure from start to finish.
Disadvantages: Lots of description and detail.

...THE GIFT *************** The Gift is the first book in Alison Croggon's Pellinor series, which begins with The Gift and ends with The Singing. This tetralogy (or quartet, as Croggon herself refers to the books), is aimed at young adults, and is a very descriptive account of the adventures of a young girl called Maerad. The story takes place in the world of Edil-Amarandh, and the books are based on ?The Riddle of the Treesong?, or ?Naraudh Lar-Chanë? in Annaren, the language spoken in Annar, which is a region in Edil-Amarandh. THE AUTHOR ************** Alison Croggon was born in the Transvaal in South Africa, and her parents moved to England before settling down in Australia when Alison was seven years old. Alison was a poet and playwright before she became a fantasy author, publishing The Gift in 2003. On her website (see below) you...

Nienke 26.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Gift - Alison Croggon

Avoid the shops and still get the gifts

Advantages: Quick easy ordering
Disadvantages: None that I can think of

...me). Personalised items and heavy goods take up to 21 days. Orders can be made by posting the order form, by telephone or now by email. If you think you?d like to get a catalogue ? the telephone number is 08706 033443 ? or the website is www.24ace.co.uk. If you?re stuck on a gift for someone ? or just don?t want to brave the shops near Christmas ? its worth a look in the catalogue ? there seems to be something for everyone in there....

tazza72 09.11.2003 · Read review
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Review of Ace Gifts & Cards Catolgue URL: www.24ace.co.uk

Everything For Gifts In One Shop

Advantages: everything available in one shop, wide variety available
Disadvantages: often quite expensive

...To me, WH Smith is a dream shop, with all the things I could possibly want to buy as gifts - for myself or family and friends - in one shop. It has a wonderful book selection, including all the latest bestsellers in the fiction and non-fiction categories, as well as a large range of older books. They are arranged in sections too, so it is easy to find what you are looking for. It is a shame that books are so expensive now though, as a novel can cost around £10, with some hardback autobiographies (which I love) costing almost £20 ! Thankfully though, WH Smith often have special deals on or a few pound off certain books, so it is worth keeping an eye out for these offers. WH Smith also has a very good selection of CDs and videos, which is another department I enjoy visiting. They have offers on too. At the moment, you can buy...

KarenUK 06.01.2001 · Read review
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Review of WHSmith High Street (Shop)

Unusual cards & gifts

Advantages: Beautiful items
Disadvantages: A little pricey

...Last year I was looking for a nice diary to buy as I like something different that others probably won't have and discovered this website. It doesn't have a large array of products but has some really nice gifts and beautiful cards for that 'something different' present. *** GENERAL OVERVIEW *** Through buying from UNICEF, you're able to provide support for children throughout the world and get a nice keepsake too. Some of the examples currently on the website are specifically linked to buying cards: 10 cards can provide Vitamin A Capsules to help protect 80 young children against blindness for 6 months. 20 cards could allow UNICEF to provide vaccines to immunise 40 children against measles, which kills almost 800,000 children each year. 60 cards could provide 4 insecticide-treated mosquito nets to protect families from...

RClure 22.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of www.unicef.org.uk/shop, online gift store

Looking a Gift Horse...

Advantages: Good acting by Mr Reeves and Cate Blanchet
Disadvantages: Story line a bit flat

...I often wondered if I was missing something after seeing this film and having read all the reviews and heard all the exclamations of wonder that seemed to be directed at this 2002 film. It was okay, I suppose, but I felt it had been done many times before and that I was wise to everything that was going to happen. Directed by Sam Raimi, of Spiderman and Evil Dead fame, The Gift tell the story of a woman with ESP who is requested to search for a young lady who has gone missing. Annie (the lady in question), who is played well by the lovely Cate Blanchett, is one of these village fortune-tellers, loved by many and hated by others. One of these people who hate her is the wife-beating Donnie Barksdale (Keanu Reaves). Mother of three, and a widow, Annie is menaced by Reaves. During her investigation and her consequent 'visions...

Borg 02.10.2001 (25.11.2007) · Read review
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Review of Gift, The

The Best Gift From Cecelia Ahern So Far!!

Advantages: Brill book
Disadvantages: it ended

...The Gift by Cecelia AHurn??. The Gift is the latest novel from Cecelia Ahurn and I do believe one of her best. I have read all of Ahurns works to date but felt that P.S I Love You, her first novel, was always the best. However since reading this latest edition to her collection have quickly changed my mind. The book is on sale now for around the £7 region in Woolworths or Tesco and it looks just like a little Christmas present as it comes with a detachable red ribbon and the front and back covers of the book are printed just like silver Christmas wrapping paper. Just looking at the book makes you want to buy it!!! The story is of a hardworking businessman called Lou and his everyday struggle to get to one meeting in time for the next. He was such a hard worker and wanted people to see him as someone fit for promotion! He...

newby2 18.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Gift - Cecelia Ahern

Sam Raimi's The Gift

Advantages: see review
Disadvantages: see review

...If you have seen Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of movies then you might be expecting something a little different than what The Gift has to offer you. This shows a more mature Raimi, showing that he can indeed cut it in the world of 'serious' film-making, as opposed to hilarious schlock horror. The Gift however benefits from his directorial talents but unfortunately even he can not pull it up from being a simple painting by numbers thriller. The wonderful Cate Blanchett plays Annie, a psychic in a small southern town. Her husband died a few years previously and the only money she has to survive on is the small amount she gets from his life insurance and the money she gets from offering psychic readings to the townsfolk. Amongst her clientel is Valerie Barksdale(Hilary swank), wife of abusive husband Donnie(Keanu Reeves) who frequently...

wampyrii 06.10.2001 · Read review
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Review of Gift, The

not the perfect gift

Advantages: good acting by well-known stars
Disadvantages: poor plot line that drags on a little too long

.... Although she does not have a huge part, she does bare more of her flesh than usual. There are no real twists in the film, and the ending is pretty predictable. Overall, my opinon of the film is that it is not right cracking. With all the acting ability available, it does not make the most of it. The film is boring in more parts than one and drags on alot, with little excitment. If you like exciting and tense thrillers - you should give 'The Gift' a miss. Some could call it a psychological thriller, not sure if I would agree or notIt is neither tense or exciting. The film overall is a real miss and I believe it does not live up to my expectations. Thanks for reading my op and all comments and reviews are welcome. Thanks. Rob :)...

RobStead 06.11.2002 · Read review
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Review of Gift, The