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Title details for The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante - Available

The Patron Saint of Butterflies

by Cecilia Galante
Lydia Rose Shahan
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

Best friends Agnes and Honey live at Mount Blessing, a religious commune. Though the girls have been best friends since they were tiny, differences in faith are beginning to to trouble their relationship. Agnes is striving to be saintly. Honey is desperate to escape the commune and experience the outside world. The commune itself, headed by the charismatic Emmanuel, is orderly, well run. But it's hiding a dark secret, a secret discovered by Agnes's grandmother, Nana Pete, on her annual visit. When a medical emergency forces Nana Pete into action, the girls begin a painful journey of discovery that threatens to sever their bond forever. The fact that the author once lived in a place like Mount Blessing adds powerful authenticity to this moving novel of faith, betrayal, and redemption.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 15, 2011

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781936223190
      • File size: 256822 KB
      • Duration: 08:55:02

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • ATOS Level: 4.5
    • Lexile® Measure: 760
    • Interest Level: 6-12(MG+)
    • Text Difficulty: 3-4

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The story of what happens when a terrible accident threatens to destroy a community is told from two girls' perspectives in alternating chapters, with Lydia Rose Shahan narrating for Agnes and Julie Swenson for Honey. Born just weeks apart at the Mount Blessing religious commune, Honey and Agnes have grown up as close as sisters. But now, at age 14, their lives have begun to diverge as Agnes strives to become saintly and Honey dreams of escape. Additional narrators take on the parts of the secondary characters, and music clips prepare listeners for the changes in point of view. Shahan's and Swenson's well-matched voices smooth the transitions but are different enough that listeners can easily distinguish between Honey and Agnes. C.B.L. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 5, 2008
      Inspired by her childhood in a religious commune, Galante's swift-moving debut novel may hold a ripped-from-the-headlines fascination for readers. But those who take the bait will find more contrivance than substance in the tale of two teenage girls' very different attitudes about the cloistered life they have been born into. Secluded at the Mount Blessing compound under the rule of the manipulative Emmanuel, 14-year-old Agnes strives for sainthood. Her best friend, Honey, however, questions Emmanuel's tactics and authority, and secretly longs for a normal life with TV, fashionable clothes and fast food. An injury to Agnes's younger brother sets in motion a daring escape from Mount Blessing orchestrated by the siblings' grandmother, with Honey along for the ride. As relationships strain and new situations arise, no one is sure what move to make next. The girls' friendship and their respective expressions of doubt in their faith—and in the adults they love—seem mostly convincing, but heavy foreshadowing and too many neatly aligned coincidences detract from the story. Ages 12–up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.5
  • Lexile® Measure:760
  • Interest Level:6-12(MG+)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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