Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The Patron Saint of Butterflies

Meet Agnes and Honey, two very different teenage best friends with very different outlooks on life and religion. Agnes wants nothing more than living the clean, pure life of a saint, and, of course, become a saint when she dies. Honey, on the other hand, is desperate to get away from their religious commune called Mount Blessing. As far as Honey's concerned, it's not a blessing, it's a curse. Honey is the only orphan in Mount Blessing. As a result, Emmanuel, the cruel and manipulative leader, doesn't appear to have as much power over Honey as he does over everyone else. Agnes and Honey can't understand each other at all. Agnes is convinced Honey will become a heathen, while Honey thinks Agnes is ruining her life. When a horrible accident throws Agnes's brother, Benny, into danger, Agnes has to choose between the outside world and safety, or the only world she's ever known, not to mention her dream of becoming a saint. Join Agnes and Honey as they go on an adventure teeming with love, family, and self-discovery.

"The Patron Saint of Butterflies," by Cecilia Galante, is a truly amazing book - I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this one. The writing has a wonderful style and quality, shifting between two teenage best friends - Agnes and Honey - with very different outlooks on life, religion and almost everything. Agnes and Honey's voices, or points of views, will positively throw you right into their drastically different lifestyle and self-discovery. The vocabulary was age appropriate and easy for most people to understand. Though I felt the ending could have been done a bit better, perhaps by going a bit slower there, Galante did a wonderful job and I found the book very moving. You could almost picture certain scenes and the mood flowed perfectly. I have to say, I wouldn't be surprised if this book ends up winning some awards. I know, personally, that Galante's book has fought its way to the top of my favorites, shoving down even Harry Potter and Twilight. The theme of family, love, self-discovery, friendship and adventure is evident throughout, "The Patron Saint of Butterflies." I would DEFINITELY recommend, "The Patron Saint of Butterflies," to other people, as it happens to be the next BIG book - a total MUST read type.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Canton, Michigan United States of America

posted by Flamingnet Book Blog @ 1:45 PM