RATING GUIDE:
5 – A keeper!
4 – Very good
3 – Passable
2 – I’d rather read a telephone book
1 – An absolute bomb.
Read at your own risk!
I’m a sucker for romance, and
especially so when the romance is either laugh-out-loud-funny, or
kill-me-painful. Angel Bautista’s Once
A Princess, a Filipino romance novel published by Precious Pages
Corporation, is an example of the latter.
The story starts out innocently
enough. Erin is a typical campus IT
girl --- beautiful, rich, popular, the envy of many --- who finds herself
inexplicably drawn to a typical nerd, Leonard.
After scheming for a way to interact with him, Erin soon realizes that
Leonard is a very special guy. However,
the pressure to preserve the status quo forces Erin to betray Leonard. This leads to disastrous results, for this
not only breaks Leonard’s heart, but brings him very close to death.
Several years pass, and Erin is a
very different woman. Her family has
gone through a reversal of fortunes, and Erin is almost nothing of the IT girl
she once was. But one thing hasn’t
changed. She still loves Leonard, and
wishes she could undo the pain she caused him.
An opportunity at work gives Erin
the surprise of her life, and the answer to her prayers. She gets to work with Leonard, who’s as
successful as everyone predicted, but unfortunately, also someone who’s very,
very cold and bitter. Can Erin and
Leonard still discover the love for each other, after their very tragic
separation?
Well … of course, we know the
answer is “yes” … what are romances without happy endings, after all? But the best part about this book is getting
to the destination, as we say. It’s
rocky, but as they say, “Walang tiyaga, walang nilaga!”
If you have known the pain of
losing your first love, or if you’re a natural cry-baby, then get ready with
your box of tissues. This book might be
a difficult, painful read for you. But
it’s a good kind of pain … there’s a form of rejoicing that you feel once Erin
and Leonard find each other.
The author, Angel Bautista, has
come up with a romance novel that many Pinoys can relate to. The characters reflect the Pinoys’ general
attraction to anyone who’s tisoy or tisay (Erin is actually
tisay). But the author’s main strength
is in coming up with a deep, mature story that packs an emotional wallop. How many authors can come up with a romance
that’s not all kilig? This book is kilig
with substance. The symbolism in
the story is something that’s particularly touching and beautiful (you have to
buy the book and find out what Leonard’s grand gesture of love is).
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