Love Walked In (Love Walked In, Bk 1)
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Romance
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Romance
Book Type: Paperback
Bre H. reviewed on + 16 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
"My life - my real life - started when a man walked into it, a handsome stranger in a perfectly cut suit, and, yes, I know how that sounds."
At first glance, "Love Walked In" has all the right ingredients for a sappy, conventional love story - at 31 years old, Cornelia Brown is a hopeless romantic, unmarried, yet dreaming wistfully of the kind of love that's fit for the movies and fostering an intense infatuation with Cary Grant. So when a tall, dark and handsome man - one who very much resembles Mr. Grant himself, if you ask her - walks into her Philadelphia cafe one Saturday afternoon, Cornelia psyches herself up for a happily-ever-after relationship with her very own Mr. Right.
In order to make up for a self-described "ordinary" existence, Cornelia uses classic movie references to paint the picture of her life and budding love with the charming Martin Grace, lighting her modern-day fairy tale in a haze of nostalgia. "It was one of those dropped-from-the-sky silvery moments when you stand there believing that every last thing in the world is delicate, lovely and precise, including and especially you," she gushes, describing a scene from one of their first dates.
But Cornelia's life is not a movie and these silver screen moments with Martin never materialize into the kind of love that transcends Hollywood grandeur. No matter how much she longs for the happy ending, Cornelia's Prince Charming comes with some serious baggage and a major character flaw that makes her realize love is not blind after all, but rather the world's most clear-eyed state of being. No, it is not Martin himself who marks the beginning of Cornelia's life - her real life. While his presence is integral to the changes that are to come, his role in the novel ultimately takes a back seat to the real love that walks into Cornelia's cafe in the form of 11-year-old Clare Hobbs.
Though Cornelia and Clare do not cross paths for the first 100 pages or so, the characters are immediately linked as the narration alternates between the two; at times, the similarities are so strong that Clare seems like a younger version of Cornelia herself. Both are compulsive organizers, making lists in attempts to construct a sense of control, and both are dreamers trying to compensate for what they do not have. As Cornelia clings to her movies, particularly "The Philadelphia Story," Clare turns to storybook characters like Anne of Green Gables to fill the voids of her isolated life. When extreme circumstances land the all but orphaned Clare in Cornelia's care, it is not simply a matter of adult rescuing child; rather, they become each other's salvation.
"Holding Clare, whispering soothing words, this seemed to make her feel better. Maybe that's just how children are. But, what was more amazing is that it felt pretty good to me, too. Twelve hours ago, I'd never seen this girl. I could count the number of words we had said to each other. She did not belong to me. But she fit inside my arms; she fit. I didn't love her. But, I suddenly understood, to my bewilderment, it wouldn't take much."
As Cornelia becomes the one steady figure in Clare's upturned world, her maternal instincts for the girl are automatic. And though Clare has been given every reason to mistrust the adults in her life, she clings to Cornelia instinctively as well, until neither adult nor child can imagine life without the other.
With her conversational tone and clever quips, author Marisa de los Santos creates an instant friend in Cornelia, a loveable character who becomes all the more endearing as the story progresses. It is, after all, Cornelia and not Clare who finally grows up along the way.
"My life - my real life - started when a man walked into it, a handsome stranger in a perfectly cut suit, and yes, I know how that sounds. Or I know how it might sound to the kind of person I used to be, one who spent her day skirting around the edges of adulthood, commitment, responsibility, accomplishment - whatever words you use to describe diving into the deepest part of a human being.
Breaking from the traditional mold of boy-meets-girl, "Love Walked In" offers readers a different kind of love story, one that is heartwarming, refreshing and anything but conventional.
At first glance, "Love Walked In" has all the right ingredients for a sappy, conventional love story - at 31 years old, Cornelia Brown is a hopeless romantic, unmarried, yet dreaming wistfully of the kind of love that's fit for the movies and fostering an intense infatuation with Cary Grant. So when a tall, dark and handsome man - one who very much resembles Mr. Grant himself, if you ask her - walks into her Philadelphia cafe one Saturday afternoon, Cornelia psyches herself up for a happily-ever-after relationship with her very own Mr. Right.
In order to make up for a self-described "ordinary" existence, Cornelia uses classic movie references to paint the picture of her life and budding love with the charming Martin Grace, lighting her modern-day fairy tale in a haze of nostalgia. "It was one of those dropped-from-the-sky silvery moments when you stand there believing that every last thing in the world is delicate, lovely and precise, including and especially you," she gushes, describing a scene from one of their first dates.
But Cornelia's life is not a movie and these silver screen moments with Martin never materialize into the kind of love that transcends Hollywood grandeur. No matter how much she longs for the happy ending, Cornelia's Prince Charming comes with some serious baggage and a major character flaw that makes her realize love is not blind after all, but rather the world's most clear-eyed state of being. No, it is not Martin himself who marks the beginning of Cornelia's life - her real life. While his presence is integral to the changes that are to come, his role in the novel ultimately takes a back seat to the real love that walks into Cornelia's cafe in the form of 11-year-old Clare Hobbs.
Though Cornelia and Clare do not cross paths for the first 100 pages or so, the characters are immediately linked as the narration alternates between the two; at times, the similarities are so strong that Clare seems like a younger version of Cornelia herself. Both are compulsive organizers, making lists in attempts to construct a sense of control, and both are dreamers trying to compensate for what they do not have. As Cornelia clings to her movies, particularly "The Philadelphia Story," Clare turns to storybook characters like Anne of Green Gables to fill the voids of her isolated life. When extreme circumstances land the all but orphaned Clare in Cornelia's care, it is not simply a matter of adult rescuing child; rather, they become each other's salvation.
"Holding Clare, whispering soothing words, this seemed to make her feel better. Maybe that's just how children are. But, what was more amazing is that it felt pretty good to me, too. Twelve hours ago, I'd never seen this girl. I could count the number of words we had said to each other. She did not belong to me. But she fit inside my arms; she fit. I didn't love her. But, I suddenly understood, to my bewilderment, it wouldn't take much."
As Cornelia becomes the one steady figure in Clare's upturned world, her maternal instincts for the girl are automatic. And though Clare has been given every reason to mistrust the adults in her life, she clings to Cornelia instinctively as well, until neither adult nor child can imagine life without the other.
With her conversational tone and clever quips, author Marisa de los Santos creates an instant friend in Cornelia, a loveable character who becomes all the more endearing as the story progresses. It is, after all, Cornelia and not Clare who finally grows up along the way.
"My life - my real life - started when a man walked into it, a handsome stranger in a perfectly cut suit, and yes, I know how that sounds. Or I know how it might sound to the kind of person I used to be, one who spent her day skirting around the edges of adulthood, commitment, responsibility, accomplishment - whatever words you use to describe diving into the deepest part of a human being.
Breaking from the traditional mold of boy-meets-girl, "Love Walked In" offers readers a different kind of love story, one that is heartwarming, refreshing and anything but conventional.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
