The Precious One audiobook

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of this book and I raced through it in a couple of days. In fact, it was the first time in a while that I had been completely engrossed in a book. Marisa de los Santos' books are always effortless reads and this is no exception. A unique family story about two very different sisters who begin as strangers and end up saving one another. Highly recommend.

A well written story, with sensitively drawn point of view characters, about relationships of every kind--parent/child, siblings, first love, lost lost, and a creepy one I won't describe so I don't spoil it. Thirty-something Eustacia aka "Taisy" yearns for her brilliant, self-centered father's love even though he abandoned her, her twin brother, Marcus, and their Mom years ago. Wilson, was a cold, critical, jerk of a father to Marcus and Taisy. He is totally different with his new family, clearly worshipping his sheltered, home-schooled, teenage daughter, Willow. After, a serious heart attack, Wilson sends for Taisy. Even though he has ignored her for years, she can't resist his invitation, hoping he finally realizes he loves her, too. Told from Taisy and Willow's alternating points of view, the story that unfolds reveals heartbreaking family secrets and the healing power of family bonds.

I’m a big fan of novels told in varying voices, from varying perspectives. “The Precious One” uses this format to tell the tale of two families with the same formidable patriarch. Two sisters, Taisy and Willow, regard their father, Wilson, in diverse fashion. Willow sees him as a supreme being, while Taisy views him as a pompous bully.Marisa de los Santos is skilled in her character development. Each sister is witty and likeable and both have good reason for their ideas of their father. In each narrative, the reader learns of their respective upbringing. Taisy is in her mid thirties and Wilson left her family when she was 18 after a harsh childhood. Willow is 16, and the delight of her father(therefore the precious one). But the reader learns that being the delight isn’t necessarily healthy or wonderful. Second families are fodder for much speculation, and all too common in this era. De Los Santos does a great job imagining a story of half sisters and their tale.“The Precious One” is enjoyable book candy; the perfect beach read. It’s engaging, funny, and absorbing. I highly recommend it for a fun summer read.

I wanted to take my time writing this review to do the book justice and to think about all of the things Marisa and The Precious One gave me. I was given an Advanced Reader's Edition which arrived Christmas Eve ( I know... A gift right?) and it was indeed. Even with all of the craziness of Christmas I couldn't put it down. Written in 2 voices similar to Love Walked In, one older sister Taisy and one younger, a teen of 16 Willow, it flipped back and forth between them softly and effortlessly. Willow was my favorite character and I loved her from the minute I met her. The story itself doesn't disappoint and flies by in sad and tragic ways right up until the ending, which you think is all coming together in a nice neat happy package, and then it doesn't.The book is full of soft and gentle words and sentences that are warm and cover you like a blanket. Marisa de los Santos's writing fills my heart in this way. "I remember being hot, hot in that rosy cheeked, hair stuck to your forehead, baked bread way that you get in winter, when you're 6". Or, "I wondered what it would be like to do something so well, to carry that around in your body like a secret, every day, all the time." There are so many quotes that I loved but you have to read the book to really appreciate them.For anyone who hasn't read any other of Marisa de los Santos's books, read them all. They are all wonderful. The Precious One comes out in March 2015. Mark the day and buy yourself a gift to read, enjoy and pass on to someone you love. I guarantee you will be reading them all because "Yeah well it's true that once you've had wonder, it's hard to get used to not having it." 5 Stars!! xxoo

I loved this book! Marisa's writing is like no one else's, and the characters leap off the page. A poignant, funny, beautifully told story about the ties that bind—and sometimes fray and break. It's a story about siblings, and parents and children, and lovers, and the odd ways families fall apart and come together. Willow, who's 16, is brilliant but so sheltered that she has little idea how to cope with a real world filled with delight and danger in equal measure. Her once-estranged sister Taisy is solving puzzles of her own, from the mystery of her aloof father's past to the tangled puzzle of feelings she has for her former boyfriend, Ben. I was sorry to turn the last page so I couldn't live with Taisy and Willow a little longer.

When a willfull, overbearing father feels he's failed with his first family--or they've failed him--he makes a choice. Start over. This is a story about two very different sisters, a generation apart, and the unusual way they face a family crisis--and the past. Poignant, funny, quirky, and full of voice. I loved every page of this novel, and can't remember a time that I smiled more while reading a book. Wonderful characters, structure, and voice. The Precious One will definitely be at home on my Keeper Shelf.

The book blew. my. socks. off. I wish I could say it more eloquently - as a writer, I should be able to, but I read it with breathless wonder, amazed at de los Santos's gift for beautiful prose, damaged but lovable characters, and dizzy, spinning plots. Honestly, I loved every last page and nearly every last sentence. Certainly, one of my favorite books to come along in recent memory, one that I couldn't wait to finish and yet regretted finishing all the same.

Let the gushing commence. This is the first book I have read by Marissa de los Santos and I absolutely had no idea going in what an experience her writing would be. I adored the long sentences of conversation (much the way I myself may talk) and the funny little comments in parenthesis … but it was

This is a book about healing, forgiveness, families and love--all themes that I find essential. At the heart of the story are two half-sisters who've been separated by an egotistical father and his somewhat myopic new wife. The novel is about what happens when the Taisy and Willow are forced to get to know each other. The characters are written with care and love. These are people I'd like to know even outside these pages. A lovely book.

Favorite Quotes:“Don’t go thinking I wasn’t angry about all this. I was. In fact, I would say that I was at least as angry as Marcus, whose anger stayed red-hot for years before it cooled to something hard and shiny and black.”“He went back to his work, leaving me feeling like I’d failed, mightily. I wasn’t sure what I had been tested on; but I knew in my bones that I had gotten a great, big, red ‘F’”. “I stole a glance at Willow who had spent her life so cherished, so boxed up and restrained and watched over in her pretty, tiny, high-walled world. What would happen when she let her feelings loose upon that world? I imagined them running rampant, trampling the garden, jumping the walls or burning them to the ground. Heaven help you too, Willow, I thought.”“High school girls made fascist dictators look like dewy-eyed cocker spaniels; everyone knew that.”“Boys your age have terrible judgement and lack empathy. It is not their fault, necessarily; their frontal lobes are still developing and are connected to the rest of their brains by the flimsiest of circuitry.”“Luka’s car is a health hazard, a science experiment, a graveyard for banana peels. It’s like the Amazon rain forest; anything could be in there.”My Review:The Precious One is my first Marisa de los Santos read, but it certainly won’t be my last, as I am her newest fan-girl, despite it being far from my typical genre. Her writing was stellar, stunning, heart squeezing, and achingly clever. From her literary references and marvelous word choices, as well as the way she so casually selects and strings them together – it is obvious that she is nothing short of brilliant. I adore her humor, keen observations, wit and banter. The dual point of view of the half-sisters was genius and I thoroughly enjoyed how each personally evolved and carried the story line, as well as how they unraveled and exposed the mystery of their odious father. The plot and writing style were both exceptional and well-paced; full of metaphor, scenarios, humor, personal fantasies/anxieties, angst, resentment, intrigue, and dread. From one end of the emotional spectrum to the other, several times, in each chapter, and I couldn’t get enough.

I was one of the lucky readers that got an advanced copy of this book - although mine arrived at my house while I was gone over the holidays so I had to wait until I got home to get the best present of the year!I have been a huge fan of Marisa de los Santos since I picked up Belong to Me at a book sale and fell head over heels with language again. I had almost forgotten how beautiful words can be woven together. I am so thankful for Marisa for reminding me again with her newest story.I read The Precious One in less than 24 hours...but before I reviewed it, I just went back and re-read it, savoring every nuance, phrase and idea. It is my favorite of the ones she has written so far! You will fall in love with the characters - even if you want to pick sides at the beginning of the story. Like the characters, you find you are caring and opening yourself more than you thought you ever would. Many of these other reviews explain a little about the story, so if you want a summary, you can look to those. I will conclude by saying that I am sure it was challenging to write a story from the viewpoints of two different ages. Yet, I could open to any chapter without looking and know who was speaking - the voices were so different and unique. Marisa de los Santos has outdone herself with this one (again!) and I just hope she is spending the long winter months curled up with her puppies writing the next one.

I am so excited. Marisa de los Santos has written a new book and it will be out in March 2015. HarperCollins was kind enough to share The Precious One with library staff through their Library Love Fest. I don’t get to keep the e-book they shared with me, but now I can let our patrons know that de los Santos has another wonderful story to share with them.Taisy Cleary is a wonderful young woman in love with three men – her twin brother, her high school sweetheart and her jerk of a father. She also knows next to nothing about her step-sister and Taisy has always wondered about the girl who displaced her.Because it is ultimately a romance, this novel takes Taisy from a place where she is only in touch with one of those three men to happily ever after. Of course her step-sister is important to the happy resolution. I enjoyed every moment of the trip as Taisy figures out what is most important in her life.de los Santos writes the kind of novel that I like to relax with. Like Barbara O’Neal, she creates tension by presenting a woman with problems and writes so she draws her readers into the solution. By the time the book is finished, I at least, feel like the characters are part of my life.I recommend de los Santos to readers of Jennifer Weiner, Maeve Binchy and other authors who write heart-warming, character-driven books.

I just finished THE PRECIOUS ONE, and I was so happy with it, all of it. Characters so real. All of them, the many people whose lives had fallen down into ellipses with others. And yet, by the end, each and all a new reckoning. (Semicolons to mark a new start in that line of thought?) All these brought together by a very precious one character, connecting all the strands despite it seeming impossible.And, in the midst of all things, love. I have declared Marisa de los Santos my favorite author, and that stands. I always love to be in among the characters. In a drama class once, I was taught about the actor's choices with characters. I am so thrilled to be just offstage in the hearts of Marisa's characters.