Capperino’s Romantic Inquiries: “The Longest Ride”

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One of the biggest brand-name authors in the romance book industry is Nicholas Sparks. He’s a superstar in the medium, with his most well-known hit being The Notebook, and a good majority of his work ending up being produced into mainstream movies. The book I’ll be looking at today, The Longest Ride, is set in North Carolina, and it features a smokin’ hot guy, fiery love, and possible death.

Even with these seemingly exciting qualities, the story here is bland. I didn’t feel as though I developed a connection with the characters or really cared about their romance. If this is the first Nicholas Sparks book someone reads, then they might feel differently and actually like this story, but I felt like I was reading any one of his other books. The characters, plot, and even the writing are all similar to his previous work.

Capperino’s Romantic Inquiries: “La La Land”

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You know those people who strongly dislike musicals? Yeah, that’s totally me. It even took a lot of convincing to get me to see Les Misérables. However, I usually also regret the decision to swear off musicals, so I knew I had to go into La La Land with an open mind. And, overall, I did like the movie… because it wasn’t over-saturated with songs.

Honestly, I wasn’t a fan of the music, but the themes of Hollywood and the overall retro feel of the entire film was very unique. The relationship between the main characters, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone), was very realistic. Overall, I feel that realism is a common theme throughout current mainstream film, such as John Green films and Me Before You. I like the way these new movies and books are ending because, as a millennial, I feel a lot of what makes us unique is how we believe there is no true perfect ending.

Capperino’s Romantic Inquiries: “The Secret Life of Bees”

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I chose to watch The Secret Life of Bees after seeing it on a list of available movies on a recent airplane ride. But, to tell the truth, I wasn’t expecting to actually get through the whole movie. In fact, I was mostly hoping to have some white noise to fall asleep to on my plane ride. However, this movie interested me not only due to the fact that it was full of celebrities, but also because of the romance between the two main characters, Lily and Chris.

Lily is our main character, and her father is abusive toward her and her mother. This movie is similar to The Help due to the Southern background, the strong women, and the racial barriers that the innocent main characters do not see. The main theme of innocence allows most of the plot to unravel.

Capperino’s Romantic Inquiries: America’s Little Girl Grows Up

Go Set a Watchman: How does the sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird make America feel?

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Upon opening Go Set a Watchman, I didn’t know what it could be about other than racism. Jean Louise (better known as Scout), the little daughter of the lawyer Atticus Finch, is no longer a little girl. She is now grown up and featured in this sequel to one of the most beloved books of all time. She has not strayed too far from her father or from the character we had all grown accustomed to. Instead, she has grown close to various male friends, engaged in a more masculine profession, and attended college. Of course, it should be expected to anyone who has read To Kill a Mockingbird that Scout would go on to break the stereotypes of a typical Southern woman.

What I was not ready for was the possibility of romance being involved. After all, the book is half-focused on her deciding who to pursue romantically and who society wants her to pursue in that respect. Her main characteristics — playful, daring, and loving — entice many men around her. She is romantically involved with a man whom she consistently rejects, behavior that nowadays would classify Scout as being “a tease.” I rather expected this from a strong woman such as Scout, but I wasn’t ready for romance to play such a big part in the book.