Contemporary Romance, Filipino Lit
April 17, 2010
Ellie Manuel is a hopeless romantic, stuck in a cubicle all day. She's in her twenties and should be having more fun. But instead of doing what she really wants, like traveling wherever her Philippine passport can take her, she's hung up on the guy who dumped her for not being "ambitious enough." Someone should tell her that there are other cool guys -- who probably even eat at the same office cafeteria! -- who would encourage her just to be her fabulous self.
FAIRY TALE FAIL won the 2012 Filipino Readers' Choice award for Chick Lit. Part of the Chic Manila series, but can be read as a standalone.
"Maybe the only things worth having are the ones you fight for."
"Or maybe," Lucas said, "The person who tests you three times isn't Prince Charming, but the Evil Queen in disguise."
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--Mina V. Esguerra, Fairy Tale Fail (Loc 778)
Places
South Metro Manila, Philippines
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| [This image is actually of Southeast Metro Manila | Image Source] |
The story is set in Manila, where the characters work and live, but the main character Ellie is a wanderlust who travels as often as she can.
Bangkok, Thailand
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| [Image Source] |
Greenbelt, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
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| [Image Source] |
Greenbelt is a shopping mall at the Ayala Center in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Catholic traditions in Philippines
A large part of the Philippines are Catholic, and they practice many of the Catholic traditions. Note: catholic traditions are practiced differently in different parts of the world. This is how it's practiced in Philippines or by Filipino families abroad.
Holy Week
A catholic holiday that starts on Palm Sunday, which people who celebrates go to mass to remember the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Readings of religious texts is a tradition that starts after mass on Palm Sunday and typically ends on Good Friday.
Visita Iglesia
"The Visita Iglesia (church visits during Holy Week) was a family tradition for me; Don and I had that in common."
--Mina V. Esguerra, Fairy Tale Fail (Loc 197)
A catholic tradition that is practiced in different ways in other regions around the world. In Philippines, the general practice is to visit seven churches on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday and recite the Stations of the Cross. The more devout would double it to fourteen church visits carrying a cross, while the elderly would visit one or two. In recent times, most pray only two stations per church.
Maundy Thursday
A catholic holy day that falls on the Thursday before Easter, also (often) called Holy Thursday, and is the fifth day of Holy Week between Holy Wednesday and Good Friday. It commemorates the Maundy and the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the apostles.
Tagalog
Barkada: group of friends; clique; gang; squad
Kuya: older brother
Tita: auntie
Yaya: nanny; caretaker
Ate: sister
Tangina (depends on the context of how it is used): a slang short for "putang ina" which translates to "your mother is a wh*re" or "f*ck you"; or an expression used in surprise or excitement.
Thai
Tuk-tuk: a 3-wheeled motorized vehicle used as a taxi
Filipino food
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| [Bulalo | Image Source] |
Favorite Quotes
"Some people had one large group of friends, and that was all they needed. I, on the other hand, had many small circles of friends. High school friends, college blockmates, college orgmates, cousins, friends from my first job, the barkada from my current job. These groups all had different personalities--and sometimes I was in the mood for one group and not another."
--Mina V. Esguerra, Fairy Tale Fail (Loc 311)
Relatable.
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"What I'm saying," Lucas said, clearing his throat, "is that being friends with someone doesn't mean they'll always be loyal to you. Or that they'll always be the kind of person you knew."
--Mina V. Esguerra, Fairy Tale Fail (Loc 769)
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"Really, people should leave us brokenhearted folk alone and stop trying to fix us. We healed on our own time."
--Mina V. Esguerra, Fairy Tale Fail (Loc 966)
Meet Mina V. Esguerra
Mina V. Esguerra writes contemporary romance novels. Through her blog Publishing in Pajamas (minavesguerra.com), she documents her experiments in publishing.
When not writing romance, she is president of communications firm Bronze Age Media, development communication consultant, publisher, and publishing mentor. She created the workshop series “Author at Once” for writers and publishers, and #romanceclass for aspiring romance writers.
Her young adult/fantasy trilogy Interim Goddess of Love is a college love story featuring gods from Philippine mythology. Her contemporary romance novellas won the Filipino Readers’ Choice awards for Chick Lit in 2012 (Fairy Tale Fail) and 2013 (That Kind of Guy).
Purchase Fairy Tale Fail
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