Belong to Me
by Marisa de los Santos
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Book Reviews of Belong to Me
Book Review: A Testament to Love of All Types
Summary: 4 Stars
An "I am a rock, I am an island" person, I am transformed by de los Santos' novels, stricken by the necessary sustenance of love's many shapes and aspiring to become more like Cornelia, while recognizing elements of my personality in each of the female characters.
As for the main character's joblessness, I see it as authorial choice. Including employment for Cornelia would only multiply the already large cast of characters. Instead, her occupation is to nearly always say and do the right thing, engage in endearing inward thoughts, and demonstrate comfort and ease with being true to herself. This may sound dull or improbable, but de los Santos has a knack with lovable characters whose faults only increase their value.
Piper fascinates me. I recognize her instinct to lash out and say cutting things, as well as clearly seeing how ugly sad it is to give in to such impulses. Her arc is more pronounced than any other character.
Elizabeth's storyline brought me to tears more than once. She also inspired and provided for Piper's welcome evolution.
Clare and Dev are wholly lovable wunderkinds, as are all male characters. Even Kyle is a sympathetic character, thanks to Piper.
Lake is intriguing, and though her character could be explored further, de los Santos deftly implies what we need to know, trusting we readers to understand her.
I was thrilled to recognize characters from the great, uplifting "Love Walked In," but do not think the two books are necessarily interdependent. Give yourself over to the competent Maria de los Santos, and give in to the emotions she delivers. You'll love life, and books, a little more for the experience.
Book Review: Excellent Sequel
Summary: 4 Stars
Belong to Me is the sequel to the book, Love Walked In, which I read quite awhile ago.
This book is a continuation of Cornelia's journey with her husband, Teo, as they have just moved to a Philadelphia suburb. Cornelia has a hard time adjusting to her new neighbourhood and does not fit in well with the other wives there, in particular, Piper Truitt.
Piper is married to Kyle and they have two small children but a strained marriage. Piper constantly worries about outward appearances and presenting to the world the picture of a happy family. When her best friend, Elizabeth, begins the fight of her life against cancer, Piper rallies around her and her family and soon spends less and less time with her own husband. Piper begins to see the error of her ways regarding her own lifestyle and begins to realize that there are more important things in life than just looks and material possessions. Before she knows it, she has also started up a friendship with Cornelia.
Another family moves to town, a single mom, Lake and her very intelligent son, Dev. They soon become friends with Cornelia and Clare but we soon begin to realize that there is more to their story than meets the eye. Lake doesn't want to become too involved with these people and Dev starts to wonder why they're even living in this new area. Their lives quickly unravel with a simple phone call from an older woman. Dev finally puts the pieces together.
All of the characters stories end up coming together nicely and it was the interesting plot that kept me hooked. The writing itself is also captivating.
Book Review: Slow start, Powerful ending
Summary: 4 Stars
At first, I didn't like this book, not feeling connections with any of the three female lead characters. But as we are going to discuss it in a book club meeting, I stuck with it. Glad I did. By the end of the first third of the book, I found myself rooting for the character I initially liked the least. The author did a good job of breaking down her character flaws to reveal a real person who was caught up in the idea of living vs. actually really living. To achieve this goal, the character had to suffer a serious loss in her life, but that situation opens up new possibilities. For the other two women, their lives intertwine in a way I didn't expect yet is completely possible, once the pieces of a puzzle are put together. Sorry if I sound cryptic; I don't want to give away a surprise element that becomes known later in the story.
The supporting characters add a wonderful dimension to the plot, enabling it to move along at a good pace. In writing the chapters from different character's perspectives, the author lets the reader in on feelings and emotions otherwise held in reserve. She also expresses ideas in ways that are eloquent and accurate, when stepping back and thinking about what is on the page. Readers who want a bit more depth to their fiction will likely want to read this book.
Just finished the first book she wrote - and it is a prequel to this novel. Exquisite writing and I really got into the story. Recommend reading it first, as it will shed insight into the main characters.
Book Review: A warmhearted book filled with magic and love.
Summary: 5 Stars
Kudos to the author on an excellent story. This 2nd novel of Marissa de Los Santos is magical, honest, and picturesque.
When I bought Marissa's second book I didn't know the characters from Love Walked In were going to be present but it just made the book more special for me.
The story revolves around Cornelia and Teo's move to the suburbs to change the status quo of things. Cornelia was feeling fed up of the city life and decided to change scenery to see if she could finally get pregnant; after her miscarriage she has been hopeful to get pregnant again but has had no luck on that department so she quits her job and moves to greener pastures.
When they are settled Cornelia meets Piper (housewife extraordinaire) and later on she meets Lake. These two women are absolutely different and have very different motives to befriend Cornelia.
Piper is just such an uptight person she is judgmental and loves to gossip and bring people down and Lake is just strange, she seems to be hiding something only no one would have thought her secret to be Deveroux her only son.
The story is a complex one, the characters are fully developed and rich. I read it slowly, enjoying every single page and not wanting to finish it because it's not easy to find such a gem. I am sure you will love this book, it's deep, relevant, moving, and heartfelt and I can assure you that you will treasure it for many years to come.
I cannot wait for Marissa's 3rd novel. Keep them coming Marissa.
Book Review: Another Marisa de los Santos Great Read
Summary: 5 Stars
There are very few books that I'd rate as excellent and Belong to Me is one of them! After reading Love Walked In, I eagerly awaited for Marisa de los Santos second book and it was worth the wait. I felt a continued kinship to the returning characters from Love Walked In and enjoyed the new characters in Belong to Me. The relationship between the characters was touching and poignant leaving me a bit bereft at the end of the story. As I read this book, I felt drawn into the characters lives just as I did with Love Walked In and was sorry to see the last page of the book come so quickly.
I'n not going to provide a synopsis of the book as there are many others out there to read. There is a freshness between the interplay of the characters, their stories and how Marisa de los Santos brings them together in Belong to Me. She describes the characters, their thoughts and their choices in a manner that draws the reader into their individual stories. Reading her book is like watching a good movie; you don't see words on a page, but a picture that moves thoughout the stories of the characters expertly uniting them. The only thing missing is the music you would find in a movie affecting the interaction of the characters as they move through the story being portrayed. This is an excellent read and I'll keep this one in my library for years to come and revisit over time!