Customer Reviews: Read 42 more reviews...
 From S. Krishna's Books September 5, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Belong to Me picks up the story of Cornelia Brown from de los Santos's debut bestseller Love Walked In, a book that is still on The New York Times paperback list. The book opens with Cornelia and Teo's recent move to the suburbs, where Cornelia is finding that it may be harder for her to fit in than she first believed. She has several run-ins with the local queen bee, Piper, who takes an instant dislike to Cornelia. But Piper is not as heartless as she first appears - her best friend, Elizabeth, is dying of cancer, and Piper feels like she's dying right along with her. Then there's Dev, an incredibly intelligent, sweet thirteen-year-old who has just relocated from California along with his mother, Lake, who quickly becomes friends with Cornelia. Belong to Me is the story of how these lives intertwine and how trusting someone unexpectedly can lead to great things (and conversely, how lying to someone can lead to ruin).
The most appealing characteristic of de los Santos's writing is its sheer beauty. She was originally a poet, which explains how she can string together such compellingly gorgeous sentences. Even if the subject of the story was horrid, merely her writing would make anything worth reading. Luckily, the story of Belong to Me lives up to the splendor of de los Santos's writing style.
Though many of the characters in Belong to Me were introduced in de los Santos' previous novel, it is not necessary to read Love Walked In first (though I highly recommend it, just for sheer enjoyment). They are two, separate parts of a complete whole. However, reading Love Walked In first does give further depth to Cornelia, Teo, and Clare, if only to be able to see how Cornelia has grown up so much yet stayed exactly the same. This is an accomplishment that seems effortless to de los Santos, and it is repeated throughout Belong to Me. The characters are written superbly and they draw you in from the second you open the novel. The fact that it is told from three different viewpoints (Cornelia, Piper, and Dev) only adds to the pleasure of reading the book. In many cases, when a book is told from multiple perspectives, it seems that at least one is inferior to the others. By the end of the book, the reader dreads these particular perspectives and races through them in order to get to the more interesting stories. However, that is not the case in Belong to Me. Each perspective is unique and interesting, and while the reader may pick a definite favorite (in my case, Cornelia because I am biased by Love Walked In), all three are a delight to read.
The difficult thing about Belong to Me is where to put it with regards to genre. Obviously, it is fiction. But what about subcategories? The most obvious would be chick lit. However, I would argue that Belong to Me runs a deeper than the typical chick lit book. It isn't really women's fiction either. Though the readers of Belong to Me will likely be overwhelmingly female, I would think that a man could pick up this book and be as delighted with it as any woman. Marisa de los Santos' appeal is universal - it is too difficult to define by any genre limits.
In the end, Belong to Me is a story about the connections between people. Why do we connect with some, yet shut ourselves off for others? And why do we seem to depend on the people we least expect? It's all about reaching out to others, trust, love, and what it really means to belong.
A warmhearted book filled with magic and love. September 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
Fantastic August 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a lovely story from an extremely talented writer. This book stands as a testament that writing about domestic issues and about the concerns of contemporary women doesn't necessarily need to seem trite or be accepted as superficial. The author has a lyrical writing style that flows well with the storyline, and her main character has a very strong voice that carries the story.
If you have not yet read this author's two books, I would highly recommend that you do right away.
 Belonged to ME August 18, 2008
I liked this book. I love the dust jacket picture, just love it. I don't know why I do but there is something about that lineup of rainboots that interests me and beckons me to see who fills those rainboots.
I love Marisa de los Santos' writing. Her style somehow draws in the reader compelling you to feel in touch with the story. While the characters are not necessarily likeable or all of them interesting, de los Santos paints them as they are.
Some reviews have said the book was slow, the characters typified the quintessential stay at home mom with successful husbands and no money cares in the world (yawn)and spoiled the most interesting fact about the book (I hate that). I do believe however that the author is writing a story about such lifestyles and portrays them well. If the characters are involved in dilemmas of their making, isn't true of many of us at one time or another? The association the reader may feel with the characters' realities enables them to read on.
Read on you shall. Buy the book, borrow the book, read the book. I was not disappointed and am now a devout reader of works by de los Santos.
I Am in Love August 15, 2008
The writing in this book spoke to my heart. I love the author's writing style--it is warm, personal and poetic. I have always believed that writing is like painting with words and Marisa de los Santos does just that. Her descriptions are so vivid, whether she is writing about the love between a parent and a child or describing the picturesque suburban neighborhood she moves to. When I was immersed in this book, I felt transported to somewhere else. The author made me believe that the characters and the story were real and authentic. Nothing seemed contrived to me, and I grew to love all the characters, even Piper, who at first seems very shallow and superficial. The best part about the book is the way Marisa de los Santos weaves the lives of the characters together like a quilt, and gives you so much insight into their lives that you find yourself rooting for them as they grow and change, and deepen their love for their families and for each other. Cornelia is a fabulous character--very strong, warm, wise and witty--just the kind of person I would like to befriend in real life. The message of this book is fabulous--true love conquers all and connects us to each other. It explores the love between parents and children, siblings, neighbors, and friends who are so close they feel like family. My favorite story line is about Dev, a young teenage boy who is wise beyond his years and incredibly sweet. He is searching for his father who he has never met and who he believes left his mother before he was born. He befriends Cornelia and her "child of heart" Clare, and their lives intertwine and become richer because of the connections they form. I won't give away the surprise, but he finds more than what he is looking for and his heart grows as a result. My heart was touched by the beautiful story and I hope yours will be too.
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