Discount Shopping Online :: Books Belong to Me: A Novel : :

Belong to Me: A Novel
by: Marisa De Los Santos

List Price: $24.95

Amazon.com's Price: $16.47

You Save: $8.48 (34%)
Prices subject to change.

Used Price: $5.45
Collectible Price: $31.95
Third Party New Price: $9.50

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780061240270
ISBN: 0061240273
Label: William Morrow
Manufacturer: William Morrow
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: April 01, 2008
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: April 01, 2008
Sales Rank: 14590
Studio: William Morrow

Related Items:

Editorial Review:

Product Description:

Everyone has secrets. Some we keep to protect ourselves, others we keep to protect those we love.

A devoted city dweller, Cornelia Brown surprised no one more than herself when she was gripped by the sudden, inescapable desire to leave urban life behind and head for an idyllic suburb. Though she knows she and her beloved husband, Teo, have made the right move, she approaches her new life with trepidation and struggles to forge friendships in her new home. Cornelia's mettle is quickly tested by judgmental neighbor Piper Truitt. Perfectly manicured, impeccably dressed, and possessing impossible standards, Piper is the embodiment of everything Cornelia feared she would find in suburbia. A saving grace soon appears in the form of Lake. Over a shared love of literature and old movies, Cornelia develops an instant bond with this warm yet elusive woman who has also recently arrived in town, ostensibly to send her perceptive and brilliant son, Dev, to a school for the gifted.

Marisa de los Santos's literary talents shine in the complex interactions she creates between these three women. She deftly explores the life-altering roller coaster of emotions Piper faces as she cares for two households, her own and that of her cancer-stricken best friend, Elizabeth. Skillfully, de los Santos creates an enigmatic and beguiling character in Lake, who draws Cornelia closer even as she harbors a shocking secret. And from the first page until the exhilarating conclusion, de los Santos engages readers with Cornelia, who, while trying to adapt to her new surroundings, must remain true to herself. As their individual stories unfold, the women become entangled in a web of trust, betrayal, love, and loss that challenges them in ways they never imagined, and that ultimately teaches them what it means for one human being to belong to another.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- The flaws are forgiveable
A more-than-transparent bid to hit the jackpot on the book club circuit - pay dirt for any publishing house if they can just strike the right balance of mawkish sentiment and a contrived social issue, while aiming for the lowest common literary denominator. But despite the terribly pretentious title, de los Santos rips the facade off a dirty little secret of women's relationships, in which nurturance and caring become entangled with judgment, control, and the expectations and insecurities of other women. The emotionally awkward climax is forgivable in light of the adorable My-Girl-2 subplot that has a preternaturally intelligent teen loner on a search for his father when he meets a cute girl along the way.

Rating:

- Another beautiful story written by one of our best rising stars.
After reading Love Walked In I couldn't wait to refresh my love with the written words of De los Santos once more. Her character creation is on par with some of the greats in the industry and I must admit that the reappearance of Clare was a surprise (albeit a pleasant one) The book in most forms is a further extension of Teo and his wife Cornelia who left the bright lights of New York and moved to the more tranquil PA in an attempt to be closer to their upbringings (a quiet neighbor hood and white-picked fence) They both hope for the quiet life and make fitting in a top priority - until the character Piper crosses their path.

Piper in every meaning of the word is a conflicting character - the term love/hate fits in well with her. At first she appears to be the snobby neighbor bent on driving Cornelia crazy. That is, until her softer side is shone when we meet her critically ill friend Elizabeth with ... Read More

Rating:

- Smarter than most ChickLit ... but not as good as "Love Walked In"
I absolutely adored "Love Walked In" because it was a bit smarter than most Chick Lit. No, it was a LOT smarter than most chick lit. Marisa de los Santos is a beautifully talented writer. She has a way of stopping the dialogue so that you know why the character thinks/behaves the way she does. Plus, her stories have so much depth.

As I loved her first novel so much I was excited to read "Belong to Me", but it was a bit of a disappointment. It is still a beautifully written novel, however it seemed like de los Santos was trying to fit too much into one story.

I liked Piper's story and would have wanted to hear more about her life. There could have been a novel about Piper and Elizabeth's lives before Elizabeth got sick, and how Piper's life changed so dramatically after Elizabeth died.

There were some disconnects between the first novel and the second, specifically Ollie's relationship ... Read More

Rating:

- Complex personal relationships
Belong to Me was a book I had been looking forward to reading for some time.
It was worth the wait! Human relationships are complex; this author addresses many of them in a way that fills the reader with anticipation. The characters are diverse and the relationships unique.Tolerance,compassion and friendship(where you least expect it)keep the reader fixated on the book. I often stayed in the driveway listening to the book.

Discount Shopping Online Books and Publications

Books : Belong to Me: A Novel
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Search the web for info about Belong to Me: A Novel

Discount Shopping Online Books and Publications

Books : Belong to Me: A NovelBooks and Publications Average Rating:

Search the web for info about Belong to Me: A Novel

Books : Belong to Me: A Novel
Books and Publications Average Rating: