MADreads

Listening to read

December 12th, 2008 Mary K. - Central

Listening to an audiobook is a great way to “read” a book. A good audiobook can help a long car trip pass quickly, is a good companion on a walk, or while doing chores. They are great for vacations, especially those that can be downloaded and taken along on a portable device. I downloaded several books on my last vacation and the one I enjoyed the most was Belong to Me by Marisa De Los Santos. This is a sequel to Love Walked In, which I also enjoyed, but it is not necessary to read it first.

Cornelia Brown is newly married to a doctor, Teo, and settling into suburban life and she is finding fitting in harder than she expected. One of the first people she meets is neighbor Piper who is judgmental and difficult. Despite that a friendship slowly forms between them, especially after Piper discovers that her best friend is dying of cancer.

Dev is a young boy who also has trouble fitting in. He is very intelligent, the only child of a single mother, Lake, and at first is an outcast. His life is better after Lake enrolls him in a school for the gifted and after Cornelia comes into his life through her friendship with Lake. Through Cornelia, Dev eventually meets Clare, another troubled teen and they become fast friends as well.

The story is told from three points of view: Cornelia’s, Piper’s and Dev’s. It is about acceptance, friendship, and family ties. The reader, Julia Gibson, does a good and unobtrusive job. De Los Santos is also a poet and it shows in her writing, which is very descriptive.

This is a great book to listen to or to read.

Entry Filed under: Literary Fiction