Love Walked In [Paperback]

Marisa de los Santos (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 28, 2006

When Martin Grace enters the hip Philadelphia coffee shop Cornelia Brown manages, her life changes forever. But little does she know that her newfound love is only the harbinger of greater changes to come. Meanwhile, across town, Clare Hobbs—eleven years old and abandoned by her erratic mother—goes looking for her lost father. She crosses paths with Cornelia while meeting with him at the café, and the two women form an improbable friendship that carries them through the unpredictable currents of love and life.

Love Walked In, the first novel by award-winning poet Marisa de los Santos, is bursting with keen insight and beautifully rendered prose. Invoking classic movies to illuminate the mystery and wonder of love in all its permutations, Love Walked In is an uplifting debut that marks the entrance of an enchanting literary voice.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Philadelphia cafe manager Cornelia Brown drifts effortlessly through her unattached life, unapologetic for idealizing romance and breathlessly recommending The Philadelphia Story—to the reader and everyone else. Eleven-year-old Clare is a child of divorce whose mother, a successful party planner, is quickly going to pieces. In alternating chapters of Cornelia's first person and Clare's free and direct third, poet de los Santos, making her novel debut, tells the story of their finding each other. That Cornelia, early on, immediately falls for Cary Grant doppelgänger Martin Grace is no surprise; his relation to Clare, revealed a third of the way in, isn't really either. As she discovers maternal instincts she wasn't sure she had, Cornelia works up the courage to face her own feelings for Clare with honesty. As Martin exits, Cornelia's childhood friend Teo enters, but neither makes much impact, and Clare's rather serious issues get reduced to Clare-did-this, Clare-thought-that episodes. The two main characters exist for one purpose: to enact a cross-generational, strong-but-vulnerable-and-loving, screenplay-ready femininity. Chick lit? You bet: with rights sold in at least eight countries, and, indeed, to Paramount—Sarah Jessica Parker will star and coproduce with Sideways's Michael London. The book is fine, but for this property, it's a case of waiting for Carrie to walk in. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Cornelia is a single thirtysomething who lives her life like a series of movie moments. She's a manager of a cafe because she hasn't figured out anything better to do. Her ideal man is Cary Grant. And just when she thinks he'll never show up, he does, in the form of Martin Grace. What she doesn't know is that Martin, with his cool charm and debonair demeanor, has a daughter, Clare. And she never would have known that except that Martin, in a state of panic, shows up with the girl at the cafe after her mother had a breakdown and left Clare to fend for herself. Estranged from his daughter for years, Martin doesn't know what to do with her. Both women's stories are told in alternating chapters, Cornelia's in first person, Clare's in third. This is a first novel with some wonderful and heartbreaking moments scattered throughout, along with some moments that are purely contrived for the forward movement of the plot. Overall, it is a sweet story about knowing what you love and why. Carolyn Kubisz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 307 pages
• Publisher: Plume; 1ST edition (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452287898
• ISBN-13: 978-0452287891
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (195 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I became a writer because I love the sound and texture of words (current favorite consonant sounds: Ls and hard Cs) and love to hear what happens when they bump up against each other. I was a poet for a long time (my first book is a collection of poetry called FROM THE BONES OUT), and then, one day, unexpectedly, I found that I had a voice inside my head. As you might imagine, this was a bit alarming. However, in time, I discovered that the voice belonged to a character named Cornelia Brown, so I wrote a novel called LOVE WALKED IN about her and an eleven-year old girl named Clare. After that, I became addicted to writing novels. I wrote a second one called BELONG TO ME, and my third, FALLING TOGETHER, came out on October 4th, 2011. I'm now working on a fourth, tentatively titled THE PRECIOUS ONE. I live with my husband, children's book author David Teague, and our two kids, Charles and Annabel, in lovely Wilmington, Delaware, home of Vice President Biden and tax-free shopping.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book January 2, 2006

By Susan Davis

Format:Hardcover

As a writer, reader, lover of all things literary AND popular, I've waited a long, long, long time for a novel like this one. Cornelia and Clare and their intersecting narratives manage to blend the quick wit and charm of the classic movies Cornelia loves with the heartbreak and family dysfunction of our very real times. And Cornelia is someone I want to know, someone I do know, someone who reminds me a bit of myself and of every other smart woman who loves a great book AND a great pair of shoes, who understands that love is the most important thing, but that laughing helps, as does a room with an excellent view and a place to come home to that truly feels like home. This is the best book for our generation. I loved it. Read it and you'll love it too.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Touching and off-beat love story...but was thrown off by the contrived dialogue.... April 29, 2008

By Frank N. Beans

Format:Paperback

"Love Walked In" is not your typical love story. Cornelia is a 30-something, well-educated woman who works in a Philadelphia coffee shop (the type of coffee shop where artists and academics lounge around, playing chess and engaging in witty repartee all day). Cornelia is a petite, peppy, hopeless romantic who is anxiously awaiting a Cary Grant-type to walk in the door and sweep her off her tiny feet. That moment does in fact happen when handsome, charismatic Martin Grace breezes in the door and leaves Cornelia feeling more than breathless.

Cornelia and Martin embark on a whirlwind romance and Martin seems to be everything that Cornelia is looking for in a man, until he shows up one day at the coffee shop with his young daughter whom he neglected to ever mention. It quickly becomes evident to Cornelia that Clare has no fuzzy feelings for her dapper dad due to his serious apathy for fatherhood. Cornelia soon begins to see that Martin may not be the man of her dreams...

Clare's glamorous mother, Viviana, abandons Clare and Martin and Cornelia are left to tend to her broken heart. Cornelia becomes Clare's main care-taker and the two develop a deep attachment for one another. The relationship between Clare and Cornelia is the main focus of the novel and their story is told from both points of view.

I did enjoy the novel because it's a nice story and it is an easy, relaxing read. However, I was completely thrown off by what I felt was often forced dialogue and a few very unbelievable characters. For example, the author wanted to convey that Cornelia is a huge classic movie fan (which ties into her being a romantic) but the manner in which she chose to do this did not work very well, in my opinion.... It just seemed very unnatural and contrived and, on more than one occasion, I found myself thinking, "real people do not talk or think this way!" I felt the same way about Cornelia's friend "Linney" who seemed one-dimensional and more like a caricature than a real person.

On the other hand, I thought Ms. de los Santos did a nice job developing the characters of Clare and Viviana and I was able to feel a connection with both.

So, in the end, I'd say my feelings in regard to this novel are mixed. I do not regret reading it and am happy to recommend it to others, however, I was disappointed that the above-mentioned flaws (or what I consider to be flaws) detracted from what was an otherwise good story. Read more ›

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing, warm, and wonderful December 29, 2005

By Avid Reader

Format:Hardcover

There are a few books in my collection that I finished, gave away to a friend, then bought again. I gave them away because they were too beautiful and rich not to be shared, but I acquired them again because I knew that I would want to go back and reread the best parts and because my shelf seemed incomplete without them. "Love Walked In" is that kind of book; I relished every page and continued to think about the characters and the story long after I'd put it down. Cornelia, Clare, Teo and the rest of the cast quickly drew me in... like the best movie stars, they're warm, witty and charming enough to make you fall in love, but with enough quirkiness and substance to make them accessible and real. The glue that holds it all together is the author's extraordinary prose- her writing reads effortlessly, but on closer examination is far richer than it has any right to be, full of keen observation and unexpected metaphor. "Love Walked In" is an amazing, warm, and wonderful book- I highly recommend it.

30 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Year's Best New Novels! May 4, 2006

By JJ Stark VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I knew before I even started reading this book that it had already been picked up as a movie starring Sarah Jessica Parker. She will be absolutely perfect as the main character, Cornelia. I just hope that they start shooting soon, because there's absolutely no one better than Dakota Fanning to play 11-year-old Claire (if they wait too long, she will be too old to play the part!) I just can't imagine any other young actor mature enough to play this role (convincingly). I also think that Robin Wright Penn would be the perfect Vivienne - with just enough edginess & confidence to pull this character off, without losing the vulnerability that is necessary for the role of Claire's mom. Robin just sprang to mind as I read the pages featuring Vivienne & I can't think of anyone who could do a better job! Now that I've stated who I think would make the perfect stars of the film, let me give you my opinion of the book!

The chapters are alternately told by Claire and Cornelia, a style used quite often in novels, which can grow tiresome and/or confusing after a while. It works wonderfully for this book though. Claire & Cornelia are similar characters with age-appropriate crises. Cornelia is looking for a handsome Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. She sees herself as a romantic heroine straight out of the movies from the 30s and 40s, which she just can't seem to watch enough and recommends to everyone she knows. She's looking for her own Cary Grant and believes she's found him in Martin. Claire sees herself and identifies with the orphans of classic novels, such as Anne of Green Gables, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden and Heidi, and finds herself in similar predicaments.... Both characters fantasize and dream of finding their "Happily Ever After" just like their favorite heroines of the films and books they both cherish so much, but they never loose their grip on reality and always seem to find themselves with their feet firmly planted on the ground.

Scared and alone, each in their own way, Claire and Cornelia are drawn together finding the strength and love that both are looking and yearning for. Just when they start to believe that their lives just couldn't get any better, life throws them several "curve balls" testing the love, strength, courage and trust they've come to depend on from one another and those close to them.

Such a moving story that will tug at all the right heartstrings, the characters are written with such feeling & emotion that you can't help but fall in love with Claire & Cornelia and their close circle of family and friends. Even the "underdog" character of Vivienne is written so perfectly that no matter how wrong you think she may have been, you'll find a place in your heart for her too.

Readers will want to jump right into the pages and put themselves right in the middle of this story, and befriend these characters and share their hopes & dreams. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the movie. Although it does appear that it was written with the "Big Screen" in mind, it doesn't take away from the heart & soul of this story - one that will stay with the reader long after you've turned the last page! I'm looking forward to future novels from Ms. Santos and hope they are all as beautifully written. Read more ›