The Patron Saint of Liars: A Novel (P.S.)
by Ann Patchett
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Book Summary Information
Author: Ann PatchettEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-01
ISBN: 0061339210
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of The Patron Saint of Liars: A Novel (P.S.)
Book Review: Confusing
Summary: 2 Stars
The only reason why I picked this book up was to read it for a book club. I have "Bel Canto" in one of my boxes and have tried to read it before but just could never get into it. After reading "Patron Saint of Liars" ~~ I am not so inclined to pick it up. I probably will read it ~~ it just won't be anytime soon.
The writing itself is lyrical. The story is not. It is very confusing and to be honest, I don't like people like Rose in real life so reading about her and her "secrets" didn't really enthrall me. Rose is probably one of the most selfish and least conflicted character I can think of at the moment. She finds out she's pregnant and drives away from her husband and her mother without a word. She ends up at St. Elizabeth, a home for girls who got pregnant in the day when having a baby out of wedlock was taboo. She stays even after her baby was born, married the caretaker, Son, and together they raised Cecilia. Sounds like a great story, right? It's not. It is one of the most tedious stories out there. Rose is loved by all but she loves no one.
Son's story was mentioned too and he is a weak character in spite of his height and weight. The only redeeming factor I can see in him is that he loves Cecilia whom he raised as his own child but isn't. He was the one who took care of Cecilia when she cried or needed a hug. Helplessly in love with Rose, he took care of her daughter. Though he betrayed Cecilia at the end and ensared her with lies to keep her close.
Cecilia is the only honest character in this novel. She is also the most realistic one as well. Her story is the one that lingers in my mind after the last page has been turned. Her story is regrettable as well as unforgetable. After reading about Rose and Son, the reader can't help but feel anger and pity for Cecilia's life and how it turned out. After all, the very people who are supposed to love her the best turn out to be liars.
I know this novel got a lot of rave reviews and I am disappointed that I am not one of them. It is written well with the stories of three characters entertwined together in a way that keeps the reader reading, but it is so incomplete and shallow. There is something missing from this book and I want to say it's the plot but it's not that simple. The stories are sad and depressing. I am not a fan of liars and reading about how people make a mess of their lives doesn't make me want to read it ~~ there's enough drama in my own life to make me want to escape into something else. And that something else is definitely not this novel.
11-19-07
Summary of The Patron Saint of Liars: A Novel (P.S.)
St. Elizabeth's is a home for unwed mothers in the 1960s. Life there is not unpleasant, and for most, it is temporary. Not so for Rose, a beautiful, mysterious woman who comes to the home pregnant but not unwed. She plans to give up her baby because she knows she cannot be the mother it needs. But St. Elizabeth's is near a healing spring, and when Rose's time draws near, she cannot go through with her plans, not all of them. And she cannot remain forever untouched by what she has left behind . . . and who she has become in the leaving.
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