Review - Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
I confess. I loved this book. I fell in love with the characters and didn't want to say goodbye to them. It felt like one of those guilty pleasures. There are two POV's: Cornelia, a thirtysomething manager of a cafe who fell into the job because after college and a short foray into grad school (quickly ended), she didn't know what else to do. She's passionate about old movies and old objects that look like they have stories attached (do you see why I love her?). Then she meets Cary Grant. Well, not exactly. She meets her Cary Grant. Martin Grace is his name.
Then there's little Clare, an eleven-yr-old who, after realizing that her mother is getting sick (mentally), arranges life to continue existing without anyone suspecting what's going on with her mom. She finds comfort in the stories of orphans: Anne of Green Gables (yup, folks, now you must see why I love it, even it if it is on the cliche side), Pippy Longstocking, and the like.
The two stories connect about a third of the way through it, and the relationship between Cornelia, who, for the first time, has to really open up her life and be responsible for someone else, and Clare, who has to learn how to trust grown-ups again, is beautiful.
Now, a warning: the plot is made up of convienient coincidences. Oh, look at what just happened. Well, that allows this other thing to proceed that otherwise would have been backed into a corner. It's annoying, yes, but when you love characters so much, you ignore it. Or at least I did.
Somewhere I saw the book referred to as literary chick lit. It is about a 31-yr-old who doesn't know what to make of her life, and it does start off with a romantic relationship, but it didn't feel like chick lit to me (not that I've read much of it - one book, to be exact). There's no shopping (Vera Wang's not even mentioned, not once). Cornelia's not full of angst but is pretty content. Does this mean that every book about an unmarried 31-yr-old senza murder is chick lit? I don't know about that. But what do I know?
Apparently they're making a movie of it. Sarah Jessica Parker is starring as Cornelia, which doesn't fit in the least for two reasons: Cornelia is supposedly a petite girl of 90 lbs. Very, very short. It's part of who she is. Tallness doesn't fit her. And, no offense, Sarah, but you no longer look like a 31-yr-old. Sorry. I could see Goldie Hawn's daughter what's-her-name playing this possibly, but even she's too tall. Ooh, or Claire Danes. She would fit.
Then there's little Clare, an eleven-yr-old who, after realizing that her mother is getting sick (mentally), arranges life to continue existing without anyone suspecting what's going on with her mom. She finds comfort in the stories of orphans: Anne of Green Gables (yup, folks, now you must see why I love it, even it if it is on the cliche side), Pippy Longstocking, and the like.
The two stories connect about a third of the way through it, and the relationship between Cornelia, who, for the first time, has to really open up her life and be responsible for someone else, and Clare, who has to learn how to trust grown-ups again, is beautiful.
Now, a warning: the plot is made up of convienient coincidences. Oh, look at what just happened. Well, that allows this other thing to proceed that otherwise would have been backed into a corner. It's annoying, yes, but when you love characters so much, you ignore it. Or at least I did.
Somewhere I saw the book referred to as literary chick lit. It is about a 31-yr-old who doesn't know what to make of her life, and it does start off with a romantic relationship, but it didn't feel like chick lit to me (not that I've read much of it - one book, to be exact). There's no shopping (Vera Wang's not even mentioned, not once). Cornelia's not full of angst but is pretty content. Does this mean that every book about an unmarried 31-yr-old senza murder is chick lit? I don't know about that. But what do I know?
Apparently they're making a movie of it. Sarah Jessica Parker is starring as Cornelia, which doesn't fit in the least for two reasons: Cornelia is supposedly a petite girl of 90 lbs. Very, very short. It's part of who she is. Tallness doesn't fit her. And, no offense, Sarah, but you no longer look like a 31-yr-old. Sorry. I could see Goldie Hawn's daughter what's-her-name playing this possibly, but even she's too tall. Ooh, or Claire Danes. She would fit.
1 comment:
kate hudson.
your review convinced me -- I need to go to the book $tore.
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