Manilla's book is a tale sprinkled with lore and "old religion" and the clash with mid-20th century ideals. The language is lively and the characters jump off the page as they should in a tale. Manilla creates the world of Sweetwater, WV and it was great to read a book set in West Virginia that doesn't take place in a coal mine. Her greatest strength is building this world and using vivid descriptions to take the reader to another time and place.Manilla gets a lot of information in, basically Garnet's entire life. She does this by using a device - Garnet records her story onto tapes and sends them to a Vatican representative who has been sent to investigate whether Garnet is a saint. I did not like this device and I think Manilla would have been better off just telling Garnet's story. But instead, I was not only hearing Garnet's story but as a reader, I was analyzing: is Garnett just telling this to the Vatican because this is the story she wants told? However, it is clear that Garnet is not censoring herself (as she would if she really were telling her story to the Vatican). Instead, she communicates that she doesn't think she is a saint and continually states this on the tape. This is confusing. Would Garnet really be so open about every detail and then just offer her interpretation? I think humans are more complex than that, especially when telling their own stories. So I had to forget the device, just pretend that Garnet was telling me the story. Otherwise, I don't know if I would have been able to finish the book. Manilla is skilled in weaving her tale but perhaps this one device took it just a little too far.Also, since most of Garnett's story is about her life growing up, this feels like a tale for children, not adults. This hunch of mine was reinforced by the end when every conceivable loose end was tied up in a nice bow. Also, there is a character, Ray-Ray, who is definitely tagged as 'evil.' He is never explained and it seems as if Manilla is teaching us a lesson: people who look normal on the outside could be very ugly on the inside. This seemed geared toward a younger audience.Yet Manilla does a great job of describing the characters so that they come alive and the language she uses to characterize Italians living in West Virginia added flavor although I did wonder if it was a cliché to have Nonna speaking in that manner. Regardless, Manilla has created an interesting book and world. I won this book from Goodreads, thank you!I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The more I read, the more I wanted to keep reading to find out what happens. The story is told mostly by Garnet, the girl born with stains all over her body. This book will make you laugh at times, but will also break your heart. It is so well-written, the characters are great and the story is wonderful!Would highly recommend to anyone!
Do You like book Patron Saint Of Ugly (2014)?
I really don't like it when I pick out a library book and I just can't get into it.
—Chyephon
Just a fantastically written, emotionally rich and satisfying book in every way.
—peachy_pnk
A very quirkly story about growing up Italian and the family drama involved.
—carmencita128
I loved all the characters- even the bad ones! It made me want a Nona.
—Nitzan
