Customer Reviews

The Patron Saint of Butterflies

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Mount Blessing is a secluded commune near Fairfield, Connecticut, and home to about 260 people. Emmanuel, the founder of the commune, leads them in all areas of life. Most of the inhabitants hold him in the highest regard, only one tiny step below Jesus. They trust him to lead them in spiritual lives, and he does so in a strict, perfectionist way --- no television or radios, chanting prayers many hours a day, and restriction to the Mount Blessing grounds, except for the ones who have jobs to earn money for the commune. Emmanuel also handles the discipline.

Fourteen-year-olds Honey and Agnes have lived their entire lives at Mount Blessing. Every child there leaves his or her parents at six months of age and moves to the nursery until the age of seven or so. Then he or she returns to live with mom and dad. Except for Honey. Her father is a complete question mark, and her mother left the commune when Honey was just three weeks old. The only item her mom left behind was a tiny ceramic cat, which Honey carries with her all the time.

Honey and Agnes have been best friends since the cradle. At least up until recently. When Agnes turns 12, Emmanuel presents her with a special book, THE SAINTS' WAY. After that, Agnes strives desperately for perfection and sainthood. She even performs self-mutilation in penance for her mistakes, like starvation (she calls fasting), sleeping on rocks, and tying a string around her waist to cut into her skin. Agnes feels that Mount Blessing is a sacred place and a special home.

Honey, on the other hand, desperately dreams of freedom from Mount Blessing's rigid rules. She sneaks glimpses of the outside world from the tiny black and white TV that her housemate, Winky, a physically and mentally challenged gardener, hides under his bed to secretly watch baseball games. The only happiness Honey finds is helping Winky in the butterfly gardens, her friendship with Agnes before she began straining for sainthood, and the yearly visit of Nana Pete.

Nana Pete is grandmother to Agnes and her little brother Benny, but has always included Honey in everything. She comes for yearly visits, and the three kids enjoy their time with her. However, this year Nana Pete finally learns about Emmanuel's harsh discipline, and she refuses to allow the child abuse to continue. A life-threatening accident offers the opportunity to yank Agnes, Benny and Honey away from the commune. While Honey loves exploring the outside world's freedom, Agnes pleads to return to Mount Blessing. In the frantic chaos that follows their escape, the group of scarred and hurting spirits discovers a few deeply buried secrets.

THE PATRON SAINT OF BUTTERFLIES is Cecilia Galante's debut novel --- and what a truly special, amazing, heart-touching work of art it is! Galante offers a glimpse into one commune's routines, a commune housing people who are so desperate to believe in something, anything, that their clouded judgment refuses to see the truth hiding beneath the fancy words. The story pulls readers through the pages with a persistent urgency to discover what happens to the two main characters. Told in alternating points of view, switching chapters for Agnes and Honey, readers get to see the different effects of this particular commune up close and personal. Galante is a very talented writer, and fans will eagerly look forward to her next book.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND

This is a very timely book, coming out just as 437 children have been taken from a religious commune in Texas, their parents and leaders suspected of abuse. Agnes and Honey, two very different girls who are best friends, live on a very strict commune. Agnes is trying to become a saint, while Honey is trying to escape. Agnes has a family high in the commune's power structure, while Honey, an orphan, lives in a shack with the commune's handyman. Then Agnes's grandmother, while visiting, finds out what happens to the commune's kids when they are disciplined, and Agnes's little brother is badly hurt. The grandmother kidnaps both girls and the boy. It is then that all three kids get a chance to look at their commune and its adults from a distance. The characters are believably real: Agnes is annoying when she tries to be perfect, but she loves her brother and her friend. Honey is a pain because she is always contrary, but she wants to help her friend and the boy. And the book gives a great view of adults as human beings, with both good and bad sides. Seeing the kids react to things like fast food and shopping is fun, and the end kept me on the edge of my seat!

Let me say right from the top that this is a book that MAKES you finish once you open it.

I'm probably most impressed with the way the author handles the dual-voice narrative. The highest compliment I can pay Cecilia Galante in this regard is that I didn't even notice Honey and Agnes's chapters are set in different typefaces until I was probably 200 pages into the story. What I'm saying is, the voices are naturally distinctive enough that I didn't need to use font-switches as a crutch to help me figure out who was doing the talking.

Matter of fact, the girls were so different that I occasionally wondered if the characterizations could have been more subtle. I'm honestly not sure if that's a fair criticism, though. People brought up in such an extreme environment are likely to have extreme views and reactions. And let's not forget that the author herself lived in a religious commune until she was 15. She probably knows a thing or two about how people think and behave in this situation. Agnes in particular makes for an impressive character. Despite the fact that her thinking is...well...warped, she's both believable and likable. That's no small feat for an author to pull off.

This may be a book with something to say something about religion, but Cecilia Galante is smart enough not to turn her story into a pulpit. The plot is quick and intense, and the writing vivid enough that after Honey tasted her fist Big Mac, I just had to do the same. The Big Mac may be tasty, but given the choice, I'd rather devour a book as good as The Patron Saint of Butterflies any day.

I am a 65 year old book store owner/high school English teacher, and this is one of my favorite books ever. It is a book for adolescent girls, but some how it was perfect for me. I have always wondered about the life lead inside a cult. In the novel one sees the fanatically religious cult breaking apart, but at the same time, the book is not against religion. The organization of the novel moves from the view point of one girl to the other, which moves the story quickly forward. I loved the time I spent reading. The book is a treasure.

'The Patron Saint of Butterflies' follows the life, lies, and beliefs of its two main characters, Honey and Anges, and examines many aspects of religion, trust, security, and growth.

This book will give you a deeper and truer understanding of the past, the present, and yourself. A reccomended read.

I have to admit, I may be a bit biased in giving this review. However, despite that, this is easily one of the best books I've ever read. Insightful and frank to the point of being almost too extreme, I found this book hard to put down. After a car accident, I was lying in bed in my cervical collar and STILL couldn't find it in me to put this down. The girls have incredible characterization and their personalities jump out of the page. I felt everything from anger to sympathy at their actions and I was cheering for them the entire way. Also, this book is a great way to allow people living in a "normal" culture to reevaluate. Agnes and Honey have never seen McDonald's and Wal-Mart, let alone television or radios. Viewing our world through their eyes is insightful and well-written, and one can tell that this story comes from someone who's "been there".

Personally, I cannot wait until I get my paycheck this week so I can buy "Hershey Herself", Cecilia Galante's second novel. I'm counting down the days. This book, however, was an incredible first novel, and is one that I know I will keep gaining insight from as I read it many more times. Happy reading!

A nice book which would have its own post if I had reviewed it on time. But I didn't and now the details are a bit hazy. It's a story about two 14-year-old girls Honey and Agnes set in Mount Blessing religious commune. Agnes is devoted to her faith and believes everything that is told to her by her parents and their religious leader. Honey is an orphan who is a little wild at heart and difficult to tie down. As she has no parents to teach her the ways of their religion all the time, she grows up reluctant to follow it blindly. She wants to move out of the commune and experience normal life. There are also things going on in the commune that she knows are wrong. When Agnes's grandmother takes the kids and runs away from the commune, Honey and Agnes have to learn to live their life all over again with a completely new set of rules and beliefs. I loved how opposite the two characters are and I liked both the girls. I liked how they both struggled with what was right and wrong and what was taught to them. In spite of a serious subject it's a pretty light and quick read. I enjoyed reading it and will definitely recommend it.

On the surface, Agnes and Honey are as different as night and day. Inside of the commune walls of Mount Blessing, these two best friends are going through typical teenage rivalry. Honey, an orphaned child who lives with the physically and mentally challenged gardener Winky, is a wild child who chafes at the restrictions she is forced to live under. Her best friend, the pious Agnes, is determined to become a saint and continually chastises Honey for her rebellious behavior.

The one thing that both the girls agree on is Nana Pete, Agnes' paternal grandmother. She lives in the "real world" that is "dangerous to the Mount Blessing way of life," but she is allowed to visit her family at the compound. It is during one of these such visits that Nana Pete discovers Honey, along with other believers, are being physically punished in the Regulation Room by their leader Emmanuel. While this is abhorrent to Nana Pete, it is not until Agnes' little brother Benny is seriously injured and denied adequate medical attention that Nana Pete spirits all three children away. What ensues can only be described as miraculous for all involved.

A truly captivating read, Galante looks at the secretive and mysterious nature of commune living. While the abuse is what media reports like to focus on, there are other aspects that often go unnoticed. This book covers all of these aspects and more. Exploratory and enchanting, this book is a must read!

I think I'll just get straight to the point for this review: I really liked this book. I didn't love it, but I didn't just like it. I liked it a lot.

My favorite thing about the book is that the POV alternated from Honey to Agnes. The girls are so different in their beliefs; Agnes is dedicated to trying to be a saint and has been brainwashed by Emmaunuel, the cult leader, while Honey thinks the teachings at the commune are stupid and ridiculous and that Emmaunel is insane. Agnes did not want to leave the commune for fear of what would happen when she got back, but Honey wanted nothing more than to get out. It was nice to see things from both their prospectives and see how all the events affected them and what they believed in.

My only complaint: I was still wondering what happened to the other Believers at the end. The book only told me what happened to Agnes, Honey, Benny (Agnes's brother), Agnes's parents, and a couple other people. I wanted more.

It's a good thing business was slow at work while I was reading this book - I couldn't put it down. Galante shares a glimpse into the world of a conservative religious commune with the clarity born of personal experience; the remarkable thing is that she keeps opinion out of the narrative, presenting the story without preaching to the reader. The book's chapters alternate between Agnes' and Honey's points-of-view, giving the reader two very different sets of emotions and personalities, and two different private struggles.

This novel is a great find for young adults, highlighting the importance of friendships, honesty, and most importantly standing up for oneself. Galante's writing is crisp and unadorned, perfect for this kind of storytelling. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to reading more from Galante in the future!