The Patron Saint of Butterflies

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

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.