The Patron Saint of Liars: A Novel (P.S.) | Ann Patchett | ....as compelling as her other work!

The Patron Saint of Liars: A Novel (P.S.) | Ann Patchett | A treat...

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The Patron Saint o...

	The Patron Saint of Liars: A Novel (P.S.) Ann Patchett Harper Perennial, 2007 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 55 reviews view larger image
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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.

....as compelling as her other work!

I still have a couple of disks to go, but am as entralled as ever with Ann Patchett's writing. Her descriptive powers are amazing and I have almost instant empathy with her characters. The only piece of hers I have not yet read or listened to is "What Now?" and I have purchased that, too.
I can't wait to get in my car so I can get back into the story.

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A treat...

This book is beautifully written and incredibly thoughtful. I think it's interesting how I was able to go from feeling close to the narrator, Rose, to feeling disdain for her once Cecelia took over the narration. I love most of Ann Patchett's books, but this is my favorite (to date!).

Male Readers Beware

I'm beginning to think that there are novels written by women for women. Ann Patchett's debut novel, "Patron Saint of Liars" must be one of them. I felt nary a whit of sympathy for, nor gained a dram of understanding about protagonist Rose Clinton, whose behavior toward the men who love her defies either.

Patchett does provide an interesting look into the world of homes for unwed mothers (which in itself is an ironic setting), a no doubt declining industry in a world that has become progressively more tolerant toward what are now called single mothers. But even that connection is disappointing after a prelude that implies that the setting may have some ultimately redemptive qualities, which it didn't, at least for Rose.

Two-and-a-half stars, rounded up to three for the look at homes for unwed mothers.

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