Friday, June 11, 2010

Love Walked In - Marisa de los Santos (Audio)


"Belong To Me" by Marisa de los Santos has been on my shelves for ages. To ensure I would read it this year, I put it on my list for my TBR Reading Challenge. And right as I was about to pick it up, I learned (gasp) that it has a prequel! That was a close one. Imagine my distress if I found I'd read something out of order!

So I quickly ordered the audio book for "Love Walked In" and dove in head first. Initially, one of the two narrators irritated me a little bit. She had a girlish, prissy, ditsy sound to her. The kind that makes you want to smack her a little. Within two discs, though, it was all forgotten. I was sucked in.

So I've debated on how much to reveal about the plot. I had absolutely zero knowledge of the plot going into the experience, which made everything a delicious surprise. But here is the jist.

The book is narrated by two characters. One is Cornelia, a thirty-something woman who runs an eclectic coffee bar, has had a long-term love affair with old Hollywood movies, and is in love with the idea of being in love. She begins her tale by stating that her life changed when a Carey Grant-ish man walked through the doors of her coffee shop.

The second character is Claire, a very grown-up 12-year-old who lives with her ever-increasingly disturbed mother. As her mother descends into madness, Claire must learn to survive on her own. Even her estranged father won't come to her rescue.

Then there is heartbreak, and joy, and love and charm to spare. That is all you need to know. Trust me, I'm doing you a favor in the long run.

Do you ever want to burrow down inside a book, roll around in it, and lavish in its awesomeness? This is how I felt with "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" and "The School of Essential Ingredients". This is how I felt with "Love Walked In". I will concede that it could be a tad sweet and a tad corny (especially with that one narrator's voice), but Santos presents it in such a way that makes it all go down like...hot chocolate? Creme brulee? A Caymus Cabernet Savignon? Whatever. It is smooth, sweet and makes your tummy feel good. It makes you want to giggle and remember how it felt when you first fell in love.

And I can't listen to "Belong to Me" fast enough.

5 out of 5 stars

21 comments:

Jackie (Farm Lane Books) said...

5/5? Wow! I've made a note of it. Someone else reminded me about The School of Essential Ingredients yesterday. I am going to have to spend some money on audio books soon. I can't miss out on your wonderful suggestions any longer :-)

Julie P. said...

I really liked this one too. I actually did read the book out of order, but like you I prefer to read books in order.

rhapsodyinbooks said...

I just finished Belong to Me and love, love, loved it! I loved the writing, and the characters, and the story, and just can't believe I let it sit on my shelf for ages, as you did also!

S. Krishna said...

I loved, loved, loved this book, so I'm thrilled you did too!

Literary Feline said...

I am so glad you enjoyed this one, Sandy. I have both books sitting in my TBR room waiting their turn. I know what you mean about wanting to roll around in a book--that's such an awesome feeling.

Zibilee said...

Oh, Sandy! This one sounds wonderful! You are always reading the most interesting stuff, and every time I come over here, the wish list grows to alarming proportions! I think I would love this book and despite the cloying sweetness of one of the narrators, I think it sounds like just the book for me. Another on on the list. Just like that!!

caite said...

oh my, what am I going to do now? I looked on Library Thing and it seems I own this book and it is in my TBR pile....somewhere. On the one hand, I am far behind obligations, as usual, but 5 out of 5!

Michele said...

Awwww.....5 Stars? Really? This must be a whopper of a good story!

Beth F said...

Egads! You mean I shouldn't have left this sitting on my MP# player for who knows how many years??

bermudaonion said...

I thought this book was great as well. I've got Belong to Me waiting to be read.

Kathleen said...

Eek...glad you discovered this for me. I have Belong to Me on my shelf at home but will read this one first.

Jenners said...

I'm so glad you got the first one first ... I was so mad when I found out I had read the second one first. I think you'll enjoy "Belong To Me" a lot! And your description of de los Santos's writing is right on the money.

kay - Infinite Shelf said...

Wow, you really loved this book! I heard a lot of rave about it and just can't wait to read it - especially since I already have the following book waiting for me on my shelves!

Elisabeth said...

Just finished Belong To Me after reading Love Walked In. Loved them both, and also loved the book covers on both. This is why I bought Love Walked In at a book sale last year. I too am a stickler about reading books in order. Nice to know there are others out there just like me!

Kritters Ramblings said...

I am a new follower - I love your reviews!! Looking forward to more

Anonymous said...

I loved this book too.

Darlene said...

I really liked Love Walked In too although I haven't read Belong to Me yet. I guess I should.

Alice said...

Thank you, Sandy! After reading your review, I'm glad I have this book in my collection.

Anonymous said...

I'll have to keep this one in mind. I don't usually listen to audio books because the narrators make it or break it for me. My husband was listening to Ravens, and the woman narrator's voice was so annoying, I couldn't stand it anymore!

--Anna

Literate Housewife said...

I haven't read Love Walked In (own it), but I have read Belong to Me. I'll be curious to see if I made the right choice. I had a schedule for reading B2M and I couldn't read both. I really did enjoy B2M, though.

Marg said...

I just read Belong to Me a couple of weeks ago and loved it. I am glad that I had read Love Walked In first, although I am a bit picky about reading books in order.