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The Patron Saint Of Ugly (2014)

by Marie Manilla(Favorite Author)

4.06 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0544146247 (ISBN13: 9780544146242)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Mariner Books

review 1: AudioBook Review: Stars: Overall: 4 Narration: 4 Story: 4A bit of a mixed review on this one I’m afraid: there were just too many characters that devolved into stereotypes for me to find them all believable or sympathetic, although personalities and actions become stereotypical for a reason – they resonate strongly with those who encounter them. Marie Manilla is telling the story of Garnet Ferrari as she introduces us to her life story, trials and tribulations as the “different one” in her rather unusual family. A child born in West Virginia with flame-red hair and port-wine birthmarks that resemble a map of the world all over her body, Garnet was mercilessly teased and set apart from others in the community, and even within her family. A talent for healing has... more her grandmother’s praising and revering her as a mythical saint long gone, but to others she is different and just a little outside of their comfort zone. Garnet’s story is really her search to debunk her ‘powers’, as she searches for what she truly wants and believes, she is presenting us with a story and history of the people important to her, and their reactions and interactions that brought her to now. Hopeful and full of hidden desires, Garnet carefully defines and describes the scenes and settings as she experienced them. While many of the behaviors and characters do take on a stereotypical tone – it is only in hindsight that you discover you are wanting more depth and reason for their behavior. Narration in this book is provided by Laura Hicks, and she presented the characters and events with a smooth and clearly enunciated style, managing to avoid over-reaching in tone, tenor or over-arching emotive emphasis, keeping the characters distinct but not jarring in their depiction. Her narration complements the story, and doesn’t lead the reader to conclusions or insights of the characters beyond the author’s intent. An interesting mix of southern charm, mystical realism, literary and historical fiction, this story travels from the1920’s through the 1970’s, and moves from quiet revelations to repairing damage from a tragedy that rocked the family foundations for years. Full of hope, humor and some striking revelations about one’s ability to define a place in the world.
review 2: I received this book from GoodReads/ First Reads and the publisher,and I thank them in advance for their generosity. However, I was not compensated otherwise and my opinions are my own. Now you know, and knowing's half the battle ;)I alternated between loving and hating this book, and that might be because I'm a minister and there are blatent digs at religious beliefs. Garnet Ferrari is born in Sweetwater West Virginia to an old fashioned Italian traditional family. However, her apperance is a bit startling: she is covered in port wine stains aka:birthmarks described by her as the map of the world....and they are known to morph as the world conflicts effect the globe.And, she hides because she scares people, especially kids who can be cruel when confronted with something "strange". However, skin issues "resolve" around her, and the "nonnas" (grandmothers) begin to circulate the "saint Garnet" stories of hope and healing.The Ferrari family needs a LOT of healing, and in a series of audio tapes, Garnet pours her heart out to a member of the Vatican's commitee on Saints,and in doing so, her attitude seems to also change, as in part, she also heals herself.Full of twists and turns, The Patron Saint of Ugly will both comfort and repel. No matter how you feel about it, it will stay with you less

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