Is Gearr... (Open Door Series)

by Marian Keyes

Tá Lísa marbh - ach ní thuigeann sí é go fóill. Is ait léi é nuair a dhéanann daoine neamhshuim di agus gan uaithi ach beagán tuisceana. Bhí sí i dtimpiste! An lá dár gcionn, agus í istigh ag obair castar beirt spiorad uirthi. Seoladh Siobhán agus Séimí chuici leis an drochscéala. Ach níl Lísa ré le himeacht. Caithfidh sí slán a fhágáil fós. Tá seantaithí ag Siobhán agus Séimí ar a leithéid. Agus cuidíonn siad le Lísa slán is céad a rá sula n-imíonn sí sall.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Short Stories, Romance, Novella, Paranormal, Ireland

96 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

About the author

Marian Keyes (born 10 September 1963) is an Irish novelist and non-fiction writer, best known for her work in women's literature. She is an Irish Book Awards winner. Over 22 million copies of her novels have been sold worldwide and her books have been translated into 32 languages. She became known worldwide for Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, and This Charming Man, with themes including domestic violence and alcoholism.

Reviews

[Aviva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Marian Keyes' books, but this isn't a book. It's more of a short story written in a pamphlet type format. It was 80 or so pages, but the pages were about 4"x3".

I don't know anything about the Open Door Series, and perhaps if I did, I wouldn't have bothered with this "book." I'm guessing that the whole series is about life after death or what happens when we die or something existential with religious overtones to it. Not my thing. I'd probably of not given it any stars at all, but as I mentioned, I'm a Keyes fan, and it was a bit entertaining, at least for a little while.

[Susanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great little book - a 'novella' or long short story, really. I like these quick read type books that are intended to encourage adults to read or improve their reading - they provide a short blast of a good author, just a little something to keep you going. I love Marian Keyes' books and this is a little treasure. It's such a plausible idea - what if you died, but didn't realise that you were dead? Both moving and funny.

[Elaine Kirwan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is gearrscéal é, an scéal seo. Bhain me taitneamh as mar bhí sé an cead leabhear a léamh mé as Gaeilge go dtí seo. Bhí me ag éisteacht leis an leabhar sa charr agus bhí me in ann beagnach gach rud a thuiscint. Ar and drochuair, bhí and scéal beaganín leadránach agus chuir ghúth an scéalaí beaganín isteach orm. Ach, seachas sín bhí an leabhar ceart go leor.

Rinne mé an léirmheas seo gan Google translate a úsáid, agus mar sin tá seans go bhfuil mo chuid gramadach go húfasach. Tá brón orm!

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very cute little book. Funny enough it was a subject very near me. Lately I feel like I am not living as I should. The days are slipping away from me. My reason is bad health but that is not good enough reason for not enjoying life to the fullest. So I have to yet again give myself a kick.

This book is short but sweet.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this very quickly today, in a couple of hours, and really liked this simple, short story. It is a cute little tale about death and what's left behind and the fact that life has no second chances, so one should always make the best of it while they can. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this little tale.

[Déborah F. Muñoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ni siquiera puede considerarse novela. Relato (y corto) más bien. 180 páginas que se quedan en 90 sin la parte en inglés, pero con una letra y un interlineado descaradamente grandes. La historia tampoco es que me haya dicho mucho, aunque resulta más o menos entretenida.

[Zaida Budi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho, aunque más que una novela es un relato. El tema principal de la muerte (se desvela en la primera página) está tratado de una forma "divertida" y recurrente.

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very different sort of idea for a short story and I enjoyed the concept. The fact that Lizzie is dead but does not, at first realise it and then does not want to accept it is a good start to a story. She is provided with some help in the form of two spirits who are sent to explain things to her but she has many regrets at first about what she should have done and what she has missed out on. I think you could take this as a little 'life lesson' on not taking things for granted.

[Alahna O'Brien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ní raibh aon rud thar a bheith speisialta faoin leabhar seo. Tá na coincheap seo déanta arís is arís eile cheana féin i leabhair, scannáin srl. Ní drochscéal é, áfach. Eispéaras measartha a bhí i léamh an leabhair seo ach b’in an méid.

[Hannie]

Uitgave voor mensen die moeite hebben met lezen

[Bingbong · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute little book!!!
Love Marian Keyes way of dealing with serious issues in such a funny way!!!

[cheyanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

mar atá seachtain na gaeilge an tseachtain seo, chinn mé éisteacht leis an leabhar seo

tá mé ag iarraidh mo ghaeilge a fheabhsú

níl a fhios agam cad a bhí ar siúl sa leabhar seo nó má an léirmheas leabhair seo ciall

ach ar a laghad, d’éist mé an leabhar seo as gaeilge

(grma foclóir.ie)

[Goldenwattle · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable little story. Certainly a quick little read 🙂
Some comments. Lizzie was able to pick up things and move them as per normal; she even lit a cigarette and smoked it, so why when she wanted to communicate with someone and they couldn't hear her, didn't she pick up a pen and write them a message?
How are Jan and Jim able to remain, when everyone else fades?
I liked the dream part, for I too many years ago had a dream about my best friend after she died. Things that were said; spooky to put it mildly. Like, "When you wake up, you will think you dreamt this." (😁 By the way, I dreamt the reception area to the next life is a well manicured garden.)

[Olga Garzón · Rating 4 out of 5]

Podríamos hablar de un cuento cuyo mensaje es claro: carpe diem. Es ameno, se lee en una sentada. Hace que reflexiones y te rías.

[Rori Rockman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty basic story, but it was cute and sweet.

[Ángela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entretenido y divertido

[Ainhoa M.G · Rating 1 out of 5]

Un relato corto pero demasiado corto y demasiado rápido, contando todo como con prisas. Esperaba algo más, el toque divertido a la vez que dramático de la escritora. No me ha gustado.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lizzie is dead. She just doesn’t realize it yet. She goes on about her life like she normally would but people are ignoring her and it is ticking her off. Why would they do that? She was not a wallflower when. Lizzie thought herself rather popular. Lizzie has a great boyfriend even if they had been fighting a lot more lately. She had plenty of friends. She didn’t like her job, but she was good at it. Does anyone really like their job? It paid the bills and made living easier. There is so much Lizzie had planned on doing, she can’t be dead. If she had only known she would have done things differently. Wouldn’t you if you knew when you would die?

[Noelia Granda Carrasco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una historia ligera y rápida, perfecta para comenzar a leer en inglés. El vocabulario es bastante sencillo, quizá algunas frases hechas se te pueden atravesar, pero nada del otro mundo, lo bueno de mi edición es que era bilingüe. En cuanto a la historia, bueno es entretenida para pasar un rato por la tarde y sin duda sacas una moraleja: aprovecha el momento.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is quite short, but I think it's fantastic. It does a really good job (quite by accident, I suspect) of describing the idea that the physical world and the spiritual world are actually co-located.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really quick, easy, adult read, and it allowed me to delve further into genres that I am not familiar with. There was definitely a strong message running through the entire book (Live life to the full) which is my life motto.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short story or novella for a series of books that teach adults how to read. It is a pretty good story about a girl who is dead and does not know it. It is not scary but it is sad.

[Michelle Kampmeier · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was short and to the point. It contained a lesson that I wish everyone embraced. This world would be a whole lot different if we were living like tomorrow might never come.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super short read. Definitely food for thought. Emma doesn't realize she's dead and then wishes she had lived better.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reviewing my "to read" list and decided to perhaps purge some of the lesser rated books that I added back in 2013 when I first joined Goodreads. I saw this one by Marian Keyes, who is one of my absolute favorite authors, but it had a fairly low rating for her. I read a review that this was a very small book, like a pamphlet, and I discovered I could download it from the library so I gave it a chance.

I literally read it here and there over the course of an hour while sitting at my desk. My thoughts while reading this were "what it the heck, this is awful. It's like a high school writing class or something". I was all set to give it two stars. I had to skim some parts because it was just too simple.

Then I saw it was part of an "Open Door" series and I looked that up. From Wikipedia: The Open Door series, an adult literacy series of novellas by well-known Irish authors, was launched in the mid-1990s by Irish publisher New Island and author Patricia Scanlan. Scanlan had worked in public libraries in Dublin before becoming a full-time writer and was acutely aware of the literacy problems facing a large segment of the adult population and the dearth of appropriate reading material available to them. The Open Door texts are subject to specific editorial guidelines, which help participating authors create novels for the purpose intended. These include: a discernible plot; a few, well-developed characters; simple language with the occasional challenging word; and short chapters, to create the feel and structure of "regular" novels. All the texts are 10,000 words or less and sentences are kept short.

Ah ha! Boy did that make me feel better because she is usually such a smart, witty writer. So I added an extra star for the good deed. Still only 3 stars because, regardless of the good deed, the story was not that great. (Sorry Marian...I think you could have done better) :)

[Juliana Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very short little book, written as part of the Open Door series, the Irish equivalent of Quick Reads in the UK - for adults who are emerging readers. I think this is a great scheme, to give adults who have perhaps struggled with literacy the opportunity to read "proper" books, with interesting plots and adult characters.

Obviously it's hard for the book to cover much in so few pages, but it does a good job. The book focuses on Lizzie, who dies right at the start on the way to work! The only problem is, Lizzie doesn't know that she has died and is so confused as to why her friends and family are ignoring her. After a couple of days, what seems to be a pair of heavenly social workers help guide Lizzie to make sense of what has happened.

Ultimately the book is quite uplifting despite the subject matter and the overall message is, as the title would suggest, there's no dress rehearsal for life - we need to seize the day!

[Lyn Duclos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story re the concept of a spiritual life and being able to spend some time with those you've left behind. I hope I can attend my own funeral! Wouldn't that be fun.
I agree with most of the other reviewers that Lizzie recognises (some of) her failings and regrets that she didn't have the chance to change her life before it was cut short. The fact that her friend decides to change her life for the better leaves the reader with a positive ending.
The story could act as a scaffolding for a novel.

[Book_Worm_Jim.83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lizzie has had an argument with her boyfriend last night, she gets up leaves for work and thinks it'll all blow over. After a busy day at the office Lizzie rides her bike home but gets hit by a car. As passers by rush to assist her Lizzie gets up and inform them she's fine, but is she?

When Lizzie gets home all she wants is some sympathy from her boyfriend, but all she's gets is the cold shoulder as he completely ignores her. Lizzie goes to bed hoping that the ill feelings she's experiencing will pass.

The next day at the office, all he colleagues are off with her and she can not work out what everyone's problem is, that is until she reaches her office where two spirits await her arrival. The inform Lizzie she dies yesterday and she's infarct dead!

Another great ODS and by an author who's work I always love to read. I didn't find this gripping but it was more intriguing.

[Ann Mat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one for the books for Marian Keyes. The story is familiar but it is not a cliché. I really admire the storyline and how it was framed to tie the loose ends in a short story. I certainly observed the female friendships in her stories outweighs the romance. In my age, I sometimes feel like that. There is a timelessness to friendships that are different from romantic relationships. It might be the intensity. I liked how she frequently incorporate it in her books.

[Upendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this after I got the job and the recruiter rejected it later because I didn't qualify for the visa they were looking for. I felt nothing, took a bus and went directly to the library in galway, sat down in a chair besides the bookshelf. I wished whatever I read should distract me from my otherwise thoughts and I prayed it should be good. It pretty much did. It's very short so I read it in one sitting.The situation I had made this a fun read. It's a cute novel that talks about death, very basic in depth but it's good in that way.