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Saint
A Yankee living in a small South American village becomes frustrated with her life and decides to take revenge on her unfaithful husband
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1985
11 people want to read
About the author
Christine Bell
3 books2 followersGrievance wins International Thriller Writers 2018 Thriller Award (best original paperback)!
Christine Bell's first novel, Saint, was optioned for a feature film and praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer as "a brilliant first novel, an extraordinary book." The Seven Year Atomic Makeover Guide, a short story.
Christine Bell's first novel, Saint, was optioned for a feature film and praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer as "a brilliant first novel, an extraordinary book." The Seven Year Atomic Makeover Guide, a short story.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 7, 2024
3.5 rounded down.
Funny, winding story kind of about nothing. I like the idea that you can just be an eccentric old woman and everyone thinks you a saint
Funny, winding story kind of about nothing. I like the idea that you can just be an eccentric old woman and everyone thinks you a saint
May 6, 2025
This was a book with a unique plot and well developed characters, it's sometimes serious and often funny.
I've read it twice, 30 years apart and enjoyed it both times.
I've read it twice, 30 years apart and enjoyed it both times.
January 7, 2014
On a Side Note: Heavens, how I wish I had a scanner. The only cover on librarything, or that I can find anywhere online, is pretty average, and not horrible, but the cover of my older edition? It's a drawing of a curly-haired blonde with blue eyes in daisy-duke-short shorts and a lacy negligee style top, a halo over her head (yes, a halo), lounging provocatively under a full moon in the middle of a jungle. The cartoon nature of the cover paired with the angelic face of the center of it makes it surprisingly proper (as opposed to sexy), so you know you're not walking into a porno...but it is incredibly confusing. And hilarious, even moreso once you read the actual book.
Short Review:
A spectacular brilliant read that I absolutely recommend and adore.
Full Review:
Too real to not be funny, and too wonderfully written to not be clever, this is a wonderful read. Though the synopsis makes the book sound incredibly boring, and the most popular cover of the book doesn't really help, Bell's writing is a treasure, and the story is wonderfully hilarious. And in the midst of the poetry of Bell's language, and the humor of the situations spun by an American woman dropped into the middle of an extended South American family, there's also a poignant and worthwhile story of a woman in the middle of her life, unsure of her marriage and her direction, and fighting what seems like absurdity on all fronts.
Bell's protagonist, Rubia, is utterly believable, and hugely entertaining. The backstory: as a college student from New York, she fell in love with a man from South America, and followed him back to his hacienda after they got married. Bell's novel picks up the story fifteen years later when Rubia is smack in the middle of her husband's huge and quirky family, living on the outskirts of a small city in South America, known mostly for its saints. If not for her ill mother-in-law, she might have already left her husband, but then again, maybe not. If not for her business, she'd probably be going crazy, but then again, maybe not. And then, there are those miracles...
Simply, the book jacket synopsis makes this sound mundane at best, boring or absurd at worst, and the primary cover of the book doesn't do much better--though, on a side note, my old used edition has a much more entertaining cover which has an opposite (though no better) effect on potential readers. But, only a page in, I was hooked, and found the whole read unspeakably brilliant. It's possible that readers with no familial connection to large South American families won't be quite so entertained...but I think they will, though readers with some direct exposure to families blended from very different cultures will probably get an added kick from it all.
In any case, I can't recommend this highly enough--consider it the reality-based version of Christopher Moore, or think of Modern Family set in South America, slightly dated and slightly less loving, and with an ironic eye toward religion and progress. All together, this is just a wonderful read.
Highly recommended.
Short Review:
A spectacular brilliant read that I absolutely recommend and adore.
Full Review:
Too real to not be funny, and too wonderfully written to not be clever, this is a wonderful read. Though the synopsis makes the book sound incredibly boring, and the most popular cover of the book doesn't really help, Bell's writing is a treasure, and the story is wonderfully hilarious. And in the midst of the poetry of Bell's language, and the humor of the situations spun by an American woman dropped into the middle of an extended South American family, there's also a poignant and worthwhile story of a woman in the middle of her life, unsure of her marriage and her direction, and fighting what seems like absurdity on all fronts.
Bell's protagonist, Rubia, is utterly believable, and hugely entertaining. The backstory: as a college student from New York, she fell in love with a man from South America, and followed him back to his hacienda after they got married. Bell's novel picks up the story fifteen years later when Rubia is smack in the middle of her husband's huge and quirky family, living on the outskirts of a small city in South America, known mostly for its saints. If not for her ill mother-in-law, she might have already left her husband, but then again, maybe not. If not for her business, she'd probably be going crazy, but then again, maybe not. And then, there are those miracles...
Simply, the book jacket synopsis makes this sound mundane at best, boring or absurd at worst, and the primary cover of the book doesn't do much better--though, on a side note, my old used edition has a much more entertaining cover which has an opposite (though no better) effect on potential readers. But, only a page in, I was hooked, and found the whole read unspeakably brilliant. It's possible that readers with no familial connection to large South American families won't be quite so entertained...but I think they will, though readers with some direct exposure to families blended from very different cultures will probably get an added kick from it all.
In any case, I can't recommend this highly enough--consider it the reality-based version of Christopher Moore, or think of Modern Family set in South America, slightly dated and slightly less loving, and with an ironic eye toward religion and progress. All together, this is just a wonderful read.
Highly recommended.
April 10, 2013
This is not a well known book but it has a special place in my heart. The first time I read this book was about 26 years ago when I was going through a difficult time. This book made me laugh out loud and I identified with Rubia. I liked the unconventional relationship she develops with her dying mother-in-law. I have always liked "fish out of water" characters and Rubia is one of these.
As the book begins, Rubia is still an outsider in her husband's family as they are dealing with the mother-in-law's terminal illness. Her husband's family has several issues and even in the serious issue of the matriarch dying, the author has a humorous way of describing what the rest of the family is doing to cope. I am not going to give details on this book in my review; but I will say I enjoyed the characters. This is the first novel of Christine Bell who went on to write the Perez Family.
Since reading this book the first time, I pull this from the bookshelf for a quick read and to meet an old friend. Over the years, this is one book, I have never allowed to be lent to anyone because I have never seen it in any bookstore and was afraid my copy would be lost. (It is now available on Amazon.)
As the book begins, Rubia is still an outsider in her husband's family as they are dealing with the mother-in-law's terminal illness. Her husband's family has several issues and even in the serious issue of the matriarch dying, the author has a humorous way of describing what the rest of the family is doing to cope. I am not going to give details on this book in my review; but I will say I enjoyed the characters. This is the first novel of Christine Bell who went on to write the Perez Family.
Since reading this book the first time, I pull this from the bookshelf for a quick read and to meet an old friend. Over the years, this is one book, I have never allowed to be lent to anyone because I have never seen it in any bookstore and was afraid my copy would be lost. (It is now available on Amazon.)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews