Search This Blog









2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (2)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (2)
- Arkansas (1)
- California (16)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (3)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (2)
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois (1)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (4)
- Maryland (3)
- Massachusetts (4)
- Michigan (4)
- Minnesota (1)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri (1)
- Montana (2)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada (1)
- New Hampshire (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico (1)
- New York (15)
- North Carolina (4)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (1)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee (2)
- Texas (4)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (4)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (6)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (2)
- (1)
- Washington, D.C.* (1)
International:
- Australia (3)
- Barbados (1)
- Canada (9)
- Chile (1)
- England (26)
- France (2)
- Ireland (2)
- Italy (1)
- Nigeria (1)
- Norway (1)
- Scotland (3)
- South Korea (1)
- Sweden (1)
- The Netherlands (2)
- Ukraine (1)
-Vietnam (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Friday, December 20, 2019
YA Cult Novel Poignant and Moving
8:47 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Although they've grown up together and are the same age, Agnes Little and Honey Harper have very different attitudes about life at Mount Blessing. Agnes follows the rules at their religious commune with exactness, wanting to impress not just God but also Emmanuel, their leader. Honey Harper, the only orphan at Mount Blessing, has no such desire. She despises rules, Emmanuel's strict leadership, and the cloistered life they lead. Honey longs for the things she sees on her forbidden t.v.—chic clothes, fast food, and public school.
When Agnes' grandmother makes a surprise visit to Mount Blessing, she witnesses an alarming practice that no one outside the community is supposed to know about. Already shocked, Nana Pete is even more disturbed when Agnes' little brother sustains a serious injury that Emmanuel refuses to have checked by a medical professional. Not able to take anymore, Nana Pete hustles her two grandkids and Honey into her car and makes a run for it. As the three kids leave behind everything they've ever known, they are forced to forge a new future. Honey may crave the experience, but Agnes is scared to death. Can she make a new life away from her family and community?
Having grown up in a religious commune, Cecilia Galante brings an insider's view to The Patron Saint of Butterflies, her first YA novel. Although the book doesn't bring anything really new or different to the cult escapee genre, it still tells a poignant and compelling story. The main characters are sympathetic; I definitely cared about them and wanted good things to happen for them. Although Galante's portrayal of a community of faith is sensitive in many ways, it makes it clear that violent extremism is absolutely not okay. The touching story teaches some valuable lessons about faith, friendship, and finding your way in a new world. I liked it.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale, The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams, Gated by Amy Christine Parker, and The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I bought an e-copy of The Patron Saint of Butterflies from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
2 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)




Reading
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center

Listening
Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
"The Sky Over Rebecca" by Matthew Fox39 minutes ago
-
-
Bookcover Spotlight2 hours ago
-
-
Monthly Round-Up: November 20234 hours ago
-
-
-
November Reading Wrap Up 20237 hours ago
-
-
#ThrowbackThursday. The House of the Mosque11 hours ago
-
-
-
A Review of A Winter’s Night14 hours ago
-
My Tel Aviv Table By Limor Chen15 hours ago
-
-
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill17 hours ago
-
Shades of Death by Angela Ransom17 hours ago
-
November Reflections20 hours ago
-
The Fourth Rule - Jeff Lindsay1 day ago
-
-
-
-
Nonfiction November: New to my TBR1 day ago
-
Grounds for Murder by Tara Lush2 days ago
-
-
-
I have been reading...4 days ago
-
Sunday Salon: November 26, 20234 days ago
-
-
-
2024 Motif Reading Challenge1 week ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?1 month ago
-
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra5 months ago
-
-
Dotty Beanie with Ears6 months ago
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ▼ 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
Wow, this sounds like a tough one but worth reading. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI think readers are always intrigued by cults, religious communities, etc so this one should do well.
ReplyDelete