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There are currently 33 member reviews
for Wayward Saints
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Brenda S. (Grand Rapids, MN)
And then what happened?
This is a story that started out slowly, built up speed, and then fizzled. Being a recovering Catholic, I found the sub-storyline a bit sacrilegious, but not offensive. If there was a main theme to this book, it was lost on me. In the positive column, coming of age and heading to middle-age is a tough subject, but that was actually handled quite well. The book is worth reading because it will make you think about acceptance for quite a while.
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Eileen L. (Danvers, MA)
Great premise, not so great book
This book started out with great promise. Interesting premise, engaging characters, and the conflicts and resolution inherent in any family drama. The Saints, Mother and Daughter, just never develop, and the father is a footnote in a drama created by his cruelty. The book just seems to try to hard to make a point that is somehow lost on the reader. As much as I wanted to care about this family I just never felt them come alive.
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Beth T. (Savannah, GA)
The Harmony's Just Not There
I was so excited to have been selected to read this book, particularly when I discovered that Suzzy Roche is the author. I've been a fan of her music for many years, and particularly love her offbeat arrangements and harmonies. She's a very talented artist. But unfortunately, this book doesn't harmonize nearly as well as Ms. Roche's music and I'm sorry to say that Wayward Saints fell flat for me. I gave it my very best shot, but just couldn't get past the stilted dialogue, contrived situations and names (Garbagio? Really?) and a disjointed plot that doesn't ring true. I give Ms. Roche an A for effort, but sadly, it's just not a very good book.
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Susan B. (Rutledge, MO)
wish I liked it more
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. The writer’s voice is interesting, but uneven in ways that don't seem to be stylistic choices: the language is sometimes formal, almost stilted, and other times gut-punchingly in-your-face. Although a few characters were memorable in themselves, I found most of their actions to be inexplicable, and struggled to feel much sympathy for them. As a first outing it’s worth a read if you really like the Roches and want some insight into the mind of Suzzy, or to learn about some people who are most likely not like you or anyone you know. I do hope she writes a second novel for adults.
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Molinda C. (suffolk, VA)
Quirky but rewarding
This is a good story about a mother and daughter finding themselves and each other after long years of estrangement. The writing is somewhat heavy handed with a few too many extraneous adjectives that got in the way of the plot for me. I appreciate that the author avoided a cliched feel good ending and left it up to the reader's own imagination.
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Linda N. (Dallas, TX)
Wayward Saints
Mary Saint, the wayward-has-been rock singer and Jeanne,her mother, are both victims of family violence. Mary acts out in drugs and sings angry lyrics, and her mother tries to quietly put her past behind her. Both have a lot to swallow when an invitation to sing in the small town high school brings Mary's and her mother's reunites the two. I had difficulty connecting with Mary as a believable character. Jeanne, while more credible, did not get my sympathy. I found the book casually interesting.
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Daveann (Eureka, MO)
Slow start
I must say that I wasn't very interested in the beginning. I was curious enough to finish, it was an easy, fast read and I would rate it as average.
