Goodreads Synopsis: When Martin Grace walks into the hip Philadelphia coffee shop Cornelia Brown manages, her life changes forever. Charming and debonair, the spitting image of Cary Grant, Martin sweeps Cornelia off her feet, but, as it turns out, Martin Grace is more the harbinger of change than the change itself. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, eleven-year-old Clare Hobbes must learn to fend for herself after her increasingly unstable mother has a breakdown and disappears. Taking inspiration from famous orphans (Anne Shirley, Sara Crewe, Mary Lennox, and even Harry Potter) Clare musters the courage to seek out her estranged father. When the two of them show up at Cornelia's cafe, Cornelia and Clare form a bond as unlikely as it is deep. Together, they face difficult choices and discover that knowing what you love and why is as real as life gets.
My Confession: I almost didn't finish this book. And I say that about close to no books. Ever. That's how slow this story started off. At one point, probably around page 100, I closed the cover, flopped back on my bed, and exasperatingly exclaimed to my roommate, "I just can't get into this book. It's disappointing." She, also a reader, had the good sense to make sympathetic clucking noises. However, being the bookaholic I am, I refused to totally give up on this book. I stuck it back on my shelf and resolved to come back to it. Which I did, of course. And the middle-to-end of the book was significantly better than the beginning. I could appreciate all the references to Philadelphia, seeing as how that's where I'm from, and not nearly enough books take place in the City of Brotherly Love. I also really like the name Cornelia. The character, on the whole, had a strong voice throughout, breaking out of her narration often to address her readers directly. However, this didn't totally work for me. Even though her voice is there, I was left feeling rather muddled about her character. Maybe she was too strong. But I had a hard time identifying and understanding this tiny person, who I couldn't picture to save my life and whose personality seemed so contrasting at times.
And don't even get me started on Martin. Or their relationship. Not real. Not even close. I never believed it, never liked it, never felt it. As the book and plot progressed, you'd believe that perhaps their wooden interactions were purposeful, but my gut tells me they weren't. I had a hard time picturing him too, even though Cornelia kept likening him to Cary Grant. Considering their relationship pretty much opened the book, perhaps that's why I couldn't get into the story. Something about it seemed off. Not genuine.
Skirting Issues: While I finally felt invested close to the end of the book, I noticed that a few major issues were being brought up: alcoholism, abuse, child abandonment, bipolar disorder, and death. I appreciated the different dimension these problems brought to what would have been a saccharine love story otherwise. But I was disappointed that these issues were never investigated or explored more. They were introduced and then swept away just as quickly. It was almost like they were added to give the story depth, but the author didn't really want to get into the stickiness of what they entailed. I was left with the feeling that those harder-hitting plotlines were a supporting cast instead of a lead. In the end, the story felt disjointed between hopeless romanticism and sad uncertainty. Blend them, and you've got a fantastic and moving book. Run them parallel to each other, never intersecting, and you've got a recipe for confusion and disjointedness.
My Recommendation: I don't know. A part of me liked the book. I felt pleasant after reading it. I believed the second love story more than the first (you'll know what I mean when/if you read this). The character of Clare may be the best reason I have for recommending this book. She was the most consistent voice throughout, and I enjoyed her perspective on the more adult things going on around her; half the book is told from her perspective, a smart move, especially since I found Cornelia a tad annoying, even shrill, at times. Is it a cute story? Sure. Will it take you a while to get invested? Yup. But I'm not sorry I stuck it out. There are a few sweet moments in here that just might make the whole read worth it.
Rating: 3/5
307 pages, published by Plume (Dec. 29, 2005)
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