Warning: Contains spoiler. Not recommended unless you have read the book.
She was all that was beautiful and kind in his life.
I haven’t done this for quite some time. Hindi ko alam kung tamang tawagin ko itong review dahil opinyon at opinyon ko lang naman ang laman nito. But I have been calling my book opinions as reviews ever since. And even though a lot of reviewers are currently going around that this one hardly matters, I still want to push it through. Dahil I promise the author that I’ll make one as soon as a new book is out. Dahil sasabog ang utak ko with all the thoughts unless I write them down. Kaya heto ako at nagbabalik loob sa ibang uri ng pagsusulat.
Wandering Thoughts
HEAVEN. Title pa lang, nagbabadya na ng mga emosyon na maari kong maramdaman pag binasa ko na. And true enough, the book is a piece of heaven for people like me who wants to read something different. Some people would probably object, but as far as tagalog romances goes, I’d say this is not your usual romance story. And normal for me meant ending it with ‘and they live happily ever after’. No this is not your usual fairytale romance. Pero ibig sabihin ba noon ay hindi ito happy? Hindi romance? O hindi nag end sa happy ever after? I probably have to leave that for discovery.
Hindi ako mahilig sa Korean dramas. Parang seryeng pinoy lang din kasi. Paulit-ulit-ulit na plot. But I always admire their guts for making a good series without the usual ending. Pag may sakit ang bida nachu-chugi pa rin sa huli at hindi nagmimilagrong biglang gagaling o nagkakaextension ang buhay. They are both fairytale and reality. Pero kahit hindi ako mahilig doon ay nanood pa rin ako. Minsan. Isama na natin ang Japanese dramas and here’s a few of my favorites: A Moment to Remember, Endless Love, A Thousand Days Promise, Door to Door, One Liter of Tears and Maou.
Ano ang koneksyon? Storywise, wala. Pero kapag hinawakan mo ang librong ito, ihanda mo na ang sarili mo na para kang nanood ng mga drama na nabanggit ko sa itaas. It’s like a Japanese and Korean drama with a Pinoy Heart. Yes, drama po ito. Kaya kung iyakin ka, maghanda ka na din ng isang box na tissue.
Let’s talk about the Book
Teaser.Book Summary.
Ang akala ni Vivian, kapag sa wakas ay na-in love siya, iyon ay sa isang ordinaryong paraan, sa isang lalaking hindi nalalayo sa kanya ang personalidad at pananaw. Pero minsan, may mga sorpresa ang tadhana.
One rainy day, she met Zach. Ito ang eksaktong kabaligtaran niya. Isa itong rebelde sa kanyang kumbensiyonal na buhay. Hindi ito marunong bumuo ng koneksiyon, pantapat sa kanya na ang kinasanayang buhay ay binubuo ng koneksiyon sa pamilya at mga kaibigan.
Sa kabila niyon ay nagtiwala at umibig siya kay Zach. At gusto niyang makita kung saan siya dadalhin ng tiwalang iyon…
My Reactions
This book was both an ordinary and extra-ordinary one. Ordinary in the sense na, ordinaryo lang iyong bidang babae. Ni hindi siya magandang maganda. Maganda lang. Tipong hindi mo lilingunin kapag napadaan. Kailangan mo siyang titigan para sabihin mo na maganda syang talaga. But Vivian, our heroine in this story was extra-ordinary by the way her character was made of. Ordinary lang iyong family back ground nila. But thier emotional baggage and sufferrings were far from being ordinary. Hindi rin ako sanay na playboy at brat ang hero. I used to believe that brat should only applly to heroines. Na walang karapatan na mag astang brat ang isang hero dahil hero siya eh! But Zach was like that. Not without a reason but still… Usually, iyong heroine ang hinihintay natin mag grow up mula sa mga ideals and being childish niya habang ung hero eh hinihintay nating magtino from his playboy days. In this story, it’s both on the hero. Pero hindi ibig sabihin ay weak or lame ang character ni Zach. Far from that, he was strong when I almost wanted him to give up.
Vivian on the other hand was already made strong from the very start. Pakiramdam ko tuloy, hinulma sya to be strong para pag dumating na iyong time na ibabato sa kanya ang lahat ng masakit at mahirap eh nakatayo pa rin sya. Parang statue. They are made of stone so that whatever life throws at them, whatever the weather, they remain standing in their glory and splendor. Vivian was no statue though. She was made with a feeling. She love, hurt, cry and get frustrated just like you and I.
Noong una, akala ko pareho lang ito nung ibang kwento na, the heroine get out of her routine, met the hero tapos babaguhin niya iyong buhay ni hero, kaso malayo pa iyong ending so something must come up to break them apart. Then the hero will get angry with her, build his life and once he is on top he’ll extract revenge. It’s kinda like that but not exactly.
Of all the things na pwedeng idahilan ni Angel Bautista, she has to be sick! And she had to hurt him now or else she will just contribute to the bitter past that made our hero the way he was. Hindi ko ma- imagine kung paano niya lulusutan ito para marating niya ang happy ending niya. The thing is, hindi naging madali ang pag abot ng happy ending. Along the way, parang gusto ko ng sumuko para sa isa sa kanila. Tough was not even enough to describe it. It was a really difficult journey. Masakit sa puso, sa isip at sa bulsa.
Minsan, napagusapan namin ng mga taong malapit sa akin ang sitwasyon na tulad nito. Alam mo yon, those kinds of what if it’s me what are you going to do kind of talk. And I always say na mas gusto ko na lang na hayaan akong mamatay agad. Hindi na iyong gagastusan pa at papahirapan ko pa iyong malalapit saken tapos machuchugi din naman ako sa huli nagkabaon baon pa sa utang ang mga mahal ko sa buhay. Pero kung papipilin ako, mas gusto ko pa ring mamatay painlessly. Iyong tipong matutulog lang ako tapos hindi na magigising. But since I’m not here to discuss my kind of death, let’s get back to Vivian. Habang naghihirap siya sa sakit niya, I’ve realize na hindi pala pwedeng ganon lang ung thought ko. Na iyong mga ganong sitwasyon pala, kailangan mo ring isipin iyong choice ng mga tao sa paligid mo. Because it will be selfish to think that to die will make it easy. When you have people around you who love you beyond the depths, you fight for your life even if giving up will be easier. Even if giving up will be easier for them too. Kailangan mong isaalang alang na hindi porke madali iyon para sa lahat eh iyon ang tama. Na hindi dahil mas madali ang buhay sa ganoong paraan ay mas masaya iyon. Because sometimes, those difficulties are what pave ways to greater happiness.
The book didn’t end like a geat perhaps. It’s still romance after all. There’s still miracle. It still didn’t end like I like it to. But then, that’s why it’s called miracle, because it’s far beyond the realm of what’s normally possible. It’s still a fairytale, with a few detour before the happily ever after. There’s still prince charming. But most of all, there’s life and it’s beauty. There’s lesson we normally see everyday but just take for granted. Most importantly, there’s love and what it can conquer.
To Angel Bautista, two thumbs up. Marami pa sana akong gustong sabihin pero hindi ko mahanap ang tamang salita para sa kanila. And oh, I love that Dreamscafé was mentioned.
6/6/13
signed: vs_0609
vs. The Writer 