Book Review: The Drake Equation by Heather Walsh

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The Drake Equation 
By:  Heather Walsh
Published:  August 28, 2013
Source:  Author

GR's Summary:

She’s a Democrat, he’s a Republican. She spends her days fighting global warming at an environmental non-profit, he makes his living doing PR for Bell Motors and their fleet of SUVs. But as soon as they meet, Emily Crossley and Robert Drake realize they have encountered their intellectual match. You’re never challenged, he tells her. You’ve surrounded yourself in a cocoon of people who think exactly the same way you do. She hurls the same accusation back at him, and the fiery debates begin. Despite both of their attempts to derail it, there is no denying that they are falling in love. But their relationship is threatened by political differences, Robert’s excessive work hours, and Emily’s fear of losing her identity as she falls deeper in love. Can their love survive? The Drake Equation is a tale of modern love and all its complexities

My Take on this Journey:

The Drake equation, by Heather Walsh, attracted me from the second I saw the beautiful cover.  This is a story about romance and so much more.  There are a trifecta of situations going on in this fast paced novel.  It has a political arena, activism for the rights to have a clean environment, and a romance with two people who have political views that are on opposite sides of the spectrum.

Emily Crossley, is a carefree, Liberal Democrat, independent young woman, who works for a non-profit organization that delves in politics, global warming, and ridding the world of gas guzzling SUV's.  She is worried about the pollution, how it affects the world we live in, and wants to fix all things wrong with her activism and make the environment a safe place to live in for all.

Emily runs a rally for her company in which she comes face to face with Robert Drake.  Robert is a conservative Republican who thinks black and white, and only thinks of things that are tangible.  He works for a vehicle company that produces the vehicles Emily is trying to get people to give up for a day, and eventually for good.  These two are immediately drawn to each other and this begins a whirlwind of emotions and dates. 

The debates began immediately, as these two characters both feel that their views on real life issues, are the correct views.  Though their debates become quite boisterous, they don't seem to cross certain lines.  Each states their views convincingly, with conviction, and frankly will make the reader think.  Emily thinks with her emotions and her heart on her shoulder, and Robert thinks in black and white with his fact-o-meter. 

These two debate with the meeting of their minds.  They are well developed characters who respect each others views, even if they don't buy  into them. The secondary characters were interesting, to say the least. Emily and Robert's romance becomes formed through an array of colorful ideas and Emily sways Robert just enough, and he realizes they come from a good place, though his realism has always ruled his views. 

This novel was so much more than a romantic interlude.  It was a multi-layered story of politics, day to day life, humorous and interesting banter with life lessons, and serious dialogue about realistic subjects that effect each and everyone of us in this world.  This was non-formulated, fast paced, easy flow of prose, unpredictable, and no insta-love, though their was instant attraction.

I think everyone will learn something from this novel.  There are important facts that we can all take in, things for everyone to think about seriously about the environment and the world we live in, and want to live in in the near future.  There is a lot more to this story than a frilly romance, though that is definitely an important part of the story.   Opposites attract, but will love be enough?! 

I give, The Drake Equation, by Heather Walsh, 4 Fireworks Flying, Two Minds Meet at the Summit, Love Prevailing Stars!!!  

 

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About Heather Walsh:

Heather Walsh grew up in North Haven, CT, fantastically close to Pepe’s pizza.
She received a B.A. in English at Mary Washington College, which has been renamed to, drum roll please… the University of Mary Washington. This was after a failed attempt to name it Washington & Monroe University, because there aren’t enough schools honoring dead Virginian men already. Heather graduated Phi Betta Kappa and summa cum laude, which sounds kind of fancy but really means she took easy classes.

She taught high school English in Brooklyn for one year, where she loved the students but not the system. She then joined corporate America and worked there for too many years as an IT trainer, project manager, business analyst, and SQL dabbler (select * from Drake_Equation).
Her favorite writer is Alice Munro, her favorite movie is The Godfather Parts I & II (tied for first), and her favorite TV show is The Wire. She has lived in some pretty neat places, including Brooklyn (kind of before it was hipster-cool to do so), Manhattan, and San Francisco. The unfortunate result of living in these locations is that she has become an obnoxious foodie.
She currently lives in Brookline, MA with her husband, Mike DeLucia, and her two children. Her first novel, Dented Cans, has sold over 5,000 copies.

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