There’s a kind of holiness to love, requited or not, and those people who don’t receive it with gratitude are arrogant beyond saving…I held fast to that fact too, held fast and then, in the last seconds, let it go. I released my thanks into the air like birds, with the hope that, if they didn’t find Martin, they’d at least add themselves to whatever accumulation of goodness might be out there.Love Walked In wasn’t what I was expecting, I was expecting something sweet and cute, and it was, but it was so much more. This is the type of book that you read for a light read, that has fluff and sweetness, but you come away with so much depth. It was achingly beautiful, smile inducing, thought provoking, with beautiful messages that delved into my mind. I just loved this book! It was such a beautiful treat, scrumptious and elegant, inquisitive, mouthwatering in its grace and beauty soaking the pages, infused in the characters minds that just bled onto me, melting my heart.This book wouldn’t have made such an impact if not for the endearing, lovely characters. They were all so superb, with so much emotion and depth and feelings that I felt so acutely. I loved Cornelia for her look on life, for her love for the people around her, for her spunk, for her big heart inside her little body. I loved Teo for his, hmm, swoon worthiness, for his shyness, for his quality of listening to people and not saying what is expected, but letting them know that what they feel is right, because it’s what they feel, and to not be afraid to show it. And I loved Clare, for her sweetness, for her childlike nature, yet her adult like look on life. She see’s deeper than other eleven year olds, but her heart still cries out for her mother like any other child, despite what the mother does to them. Such a natural, binding feeling and instinct between any mother and daughter. I ached for Clare for her loneliness and pain, but I smiled at her for her strength and determination and love. This book slowed me down markedly. Because I found the captivating need to savor every single word Marisa wrote. Each carefully constructed word chosen with such care. The prose was beautiful, strung into an oh so beautiful story that captured my heart. The writing was just so incredible, stellar, shining like a star in the bleak trials of life, shedding light into the characters lives, giving them something to love, to look forward to, to have a reason to not give up. Marisa has a round about way of getting to the point she’s trying to show, but she does it skillfully, amazingly. I didn’t mind one bit her veering off course a little because of the added information. I became engrossed with these little details and stories, I lingered on every word, and when she finally got back to what she had started talking about before she went off on a tangent, the added details made the point she was getting to more meaningful, giving the point some background, supplying the reader with information that the character knew that we would have to know to really understand the point.This book is just beautiful. It’s lovely, and sweet, and heartbreaking. It isn’t a stunningly brilliant read, nor does it have incredibly deep messages that will change your life. But it does have it’s moments of inspiration and depth, and so much love. It really is based on love, and that is partly what made the book so endearing to me. The love the characters felt and showed, the love they already had and knew, and the love that grew in their hearts as they met someone new. Hence the title. Love Walked In. Because love does walk in, several times in the course of the book, in different ways. Each character is affected by it, and made stronger and better because of the love walking into their life.Content warning- There is swearing (almost to the point of taking the enchantment out of the story for me, as incessive swearing usually does when I read it in any book), and some talk of sex, but nothing explicit.
What I found enjoyable about Love Walked In is the crispness and clarity of the voices employed in storytelling (although the initial Cornelia chapters felt too long winded). And the alternating narratives of Claire and Cornelia indicated that this isn't your usual romance novel, you know, the one where they trace the path from meet cute to falling in love to happily ever after. The focal point isn't even romantic love, not entirely, no. But the love you get from friendship and family. And I thought, that was a pretty nice deviation. The book is not without tropes though.Adorkable Trope - Cornelia (She has been described as piquant, pixie-ish, a face girl, and she's PETITE.)Every Girl Wants Him / Most Beautiful Man in the World Trope - Teo Sandoval (He glows they say. Like Edward Cullen! He might be a vampyr!)Quirky Best Friend Trope - Linny (On one occasion wears a scarf, striped engineer's overalls and embroidered Chinese slippers, all at the same time. BFFs are are either quirky or gay. Or both.) Love Epiphany Trope - TransubstansmahshamalalalanOkay I am nitpicking because there will always be tropes, but it does get a little wearisome if you've had them over and over. And I am usually okay with most of them if done to my liking, or obscured by other things like engaging writing, which was actually the case for Love Walked In.But I was a little less amenable about these things which felt like contrivances, or what I ended up calling as KABLAM-Y Moments.KABLAM! Dead!KABLAM! Transubstansmahshamalalalan!KABLAM! Turns out I am having marriage issues and I have feelings for you too! KABLAM! Divorce papyrs on the way! We can be together! Happily Ever After!Overall though, the writing makes it stand out. Great prose. It's the plot and the characterization that I am not completely into. That and I probably am just a Romance Grinch. Or as one of the oldest and most standard tropes go: It's not you, (Love Walked In,) it's me.See original post here: Rabbitin
What do You think about Love Walked In (2006)?
For the first two-thirds of this book, I was in love. The prose was so taut and engaging, I didn’t want to put the darn book down (even though I am technically supposed to be reading Emma). The cultural references alone (books, movies, music) were enough to keep me riveted. I loved the pert and unique language of the adult heroine: Cornelia. Also, the author was very adept at creating very different, very believable voices for the two protagonists: Cornelia and Clare.So, when the last act came around, I was disappointed. I think the author had so much to accomplish in those last few chapters (especially with making the plot conform to the romance formula) that the writing was focused on accomplishing the end, rather than telling the end. Plot twists and turns abound in that third act, some, even, that I felt weren’t true to the characters.Some other minor complaints: (1) The chapters alternated between Cornelia (in first person) and Clare (in third person). While I generally liked the technique, it was disarming to have to switch from first to third person every few pages. (2) All of the characters were unrealistically beautiful. (3) This isn’t related to the book, but I think Sarah Jessica Parker is all wrong to play Cornelia in the movie. Cornelia is described as five feet tall with dark, pixie-cut hair, with a face resembling that of Audrey Hepburn. Come on.
—Jessica
I would look at this book and read the back cover everytime I went to Borders. So, I recieved a gift card for Barnes & Noble so I went ahead and purchased this book. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I was a little disappointed with the development of the story of Cornelia and Claire. I found the frequent references to old romanticized movies and actors lame and completely over done. As someone who has a few film courses under her belt (but generally dislikes all romantic comedies with v
—Sherese
"But in the months that followed Martin's gracing of Cafe Dora's doorway, I'd figured out that a real life didn't mean attaining my heart's desire, but knowing it, meant not the satisfaction, but the longing."This is a sweet, sweet book with a great story about love in all of its forms, redemption, knowing what you want...and the privledge of having things that you're passionate about.To re-tell any of the story would be to spoil its surprises. Anyone who's heart is warmed by a cup of hot chocolate, a front porch, an old house full of antiques, friends, family...who considers a childhood book a childhood friend...or has shaped their life around any of the following movies: Now, Voyager, The Philadelphia Story, Casablanca.....look no further. Read it, then pass it on to a friend.
—Alison
