Customer Reviews

Love Walked In

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

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.

"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.

I don't know what makes a love story feel right. Not many of them do. But this one feels as right as breathing. It's funny and peculiar and brave. And it's written in language so musical and metaphorical, the author could've been a poet. As, according to her biography, she is.

In the book, Cornelia Brown, the main character, asks: "What breaks your heart? Has your heart been broken? Tell me. When has your heart been broken?" She asks twice. The first time, she asks her lover. When she repeats the questions, though, it's as if she's asking the reader. This flourish is how the author signals that, for all her shortcomings, Cornelia is growing bolder. She's realized that before you can love anybody truly, your heart has to be broken, and you have to own that memory completely.

What made "Love Walked In" different, though, wasn't just the writing. It was the love story between Cornelia and Clare.

Cornelia is 31 and she's pretty aimless, although nobody seems to mind, because she's so witty and hilarious. She manages a trendy coffee shop in Philadelphia and has smart, interesting friends, and she's really amusing when she's around them (and a little mean, which always helps the humor). But she's not very courageous, even though she wants to be. And she's lonely.

Clare, the other main character, is 11, and she's incredibly courageous, but what's happening to her is so terrifying, it's hard to tell if she'll make it. Her father is out of the picture, and her mother is suffering a manic break. So Clare is worse than on her own--she's on her own and singlehandedly trying to keep her whole world from deteriorating, literally, into madness. And she's failing.

It's hard to see how anybody could help Clare out of her trouble, much less directionless Cornelia. But that's where the love of "Love Walked In" comes in. When Cornelia and Clare find each other, their love for one another transforms them. They become brave, remarkable characters who will linger in memory for a long, long, time.

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.

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.

I loved this book - so much so that I re-read it as soon as I had finished it. I liked the characters and the feel of the book so much that I just didn't want it to end!
I convinced my mother to give this book a try. She had always been an avid reader. But since she started chemo and dialysis six months ago, she had unfortunately not been able to get through a single book.
Turns out, she was hooked right away on this book and read it pretty much non-stop just like I had! We are both thrilled that she's rediscovered the joys of reading. I am so grateful to Ms. de los Santos for writing such a warm, compelling, beautifully written story that gave both me and my mother such pleasure.

This is book that deserves to be read if for no other reason than the reading of it. The prose is beautifully constructed and the author's poetic roots are evident. The book does have a few problems that mar the beauty of the writing.

As stated in earlier reviews, the chapters alternate between Cornelia's first person narrative and Clare's third person accounts. Cornelia is an odd bird and I had trouble buying into her character. I can see Sarah Jessica Parker playing her in the self-absorbed, coolly detached, uber-urbanite way she plays all her characters and it will serve Cornelia's character well. (I'm not a SJP fan.) Clare's character is a beautifully written and realized but wholly unbelievable 11 year old girl. She is simply too precocious to be believed but she must act and think in this way to further the story. A 16 year old girl, an age that Clare's thoughts and actions could justify, wouldn't need Cornelia or react to her Viviana's illness in the way that the author needed to carry her story. The author had quite a problem - she needed a maturing female voice to carry the book but she also needed the presence of girl who was still a child. Unfortunately you can't have it both ways and the story loses a sense of authenticity because of how Clare's character was written. I did enjoy Clare's voice and character but I did so from an adult perspective - she was unconvincing as a child.

The book has a few surprises and a few plot twists that the reader didn't anticipate which will hold a reader's interest. The biggest problem with the book that its basic premise is very hard to believe. I didn't know that severe mental illness could come on so quickly and with such force and then be resolved so quickly, even with the help of good meds. As a mother I have a hard time buying into the relationship between Clare and Viviana and the relatively easy transition Viviana has back into her child's trust. All that being said, it is worth the time to read this book. This book deserves three stars for characterization and plot and 5 stars for beauty of prose so we will compromise with the four rated here.

i took this book on a girls weekend and had the distinct sensation that there was one more friend in the mix. cornelia's voice and thoughts permeated my whole trip and in the end enhanced it 100%. while cornelia's early chapters had me laughing out loud on the plane ride there; clare's predicament reduced me to tears on the flight back. it is a great read and a real testament to an emerging literary talent.

Have you ever gone to a bookstore and, while browsing through the shelves, you grab a random book and then it captures you with the opening paragraph? Well, that is the purpose of most writers, right? The opening paragraph is supposed to grab the reader. But few of them manage to grab you in the same way throughout the book. Love Walked In isn't one of those books. This beautiful, poignant and memorable gem was readable from beginning to end, so much so that I caught myself reading it while I was supposed to be working. Thirty-one-year-old Cornelia Brown had no idea just how much her life would change the moment Martin Grace walked into the café she works in. He looks like Cary Grant -- her dream man -- which is great, because their conversations and encounters remind her of the old movies she loves so much. She has found true love... or has she? Then there's Clare Hobbs, an eleven-year-old girl who is suddenly abandoned by her manic-depressive mother. With an aloof father and indifferent neighbors, Clare has no one to turn to, until she walks into Cornelia's café. Life has many surprises in store for Cornelia and Clare. Together they learn what love is all about and how life takes unexpected directions; sometimes painful, but sometimes also wonderful.

This is such a great novel, so beautifully written. The characters' voices jump out of the pages and you cannot help but fall in love with these people. Cornelia has a wonderful first-person narrative style. You feel like you are reading about your closest friend. As for Clare, she is a wonderful character, someone every person -- young or old -- could relate to. All of the characters are vivid and wonderful, except for Martin, but I think he is meant to be as he is depicted in the book: handsome and charming, yet mysterious and detached -- like a movie star. Teo, Cornelia's brother-in-law, is my favorite character in the book. I don't know why, but I pictured Gerard Butler in the role. (Must have been the green eyes.) The movie references add a definite charm, making it feel like an old-fashioned film in itself. Sarah Jessica Parker wrote a back-cover blurb, and now I find out that she may play Cornelia in the movie version. I can't picture her as Cornelia. Though petite, Parker is not quite as small as Cornelia. Then again, it would be difficult to find someone who fits the character's description. Anyway, Love Walked In will draw you in, pull at the heartstrings and take you on quite a wonderful journey. My one complaint is that the plot becomes contrived and predictable toward the end, which disappointed me greatly. However, that wasn't a good enough reason to give it less than five stars. This is one of the best reads I've had all year and it has earned a special spot on my bookshelf.

I was really hoping to agree with most of the reviews about this book. But once I got started reading it it got really boring fast. In my opinion the author overused movie actors & actresses, book titles and even songs. The first half of the book consisted of mostly references to them, and while I mostly enjoy a few references this book was flooded with them. The second half of the book was much better than the first half. Even though I found the ending to be predictable and I was very glad to have it end.

I do feel the general sense of genuine true love is evident in this book, and the story itself is heartwarming. However, I don't think I will be reading any other books from this author.