What do readers think of Wayward Saints by Suzzy Roche? Write your own review.

I really enjoyed this book! The 2 main characters were very well developed in both the here and now and in the secrets they were keeping. Having a musician for a husband, I could really relate to Mary's character and I think she got the ups and downs of that life pretty accurately. I enjoyed the developing story lines between the 2 characters.

It seems, when I read other readers' reviews, that mine do not dissect the book the way some do. If it holds my interest and don't want to stop after the first three or four chapters, I will finish it. This is one of those books. I liked it. I would imagine quite a few reviewers might not. However, I loved Suzzy's word choices and enjoyed the story. It let me know that, in many ways, you really can go home again.

Story reminds me of some words in a Harry Chapin folksong "...I'm not going anywhere but somewhere is a better place to be...."

Lonely people can be found in all walks of life. Mary Saint became a lonely person because early in life her father abused her and her mother, who was also abused, could not or would not protect her. When she became a rock star she was an abrasive and cruel person until Anthony Celebrese became part of the band. They quickly became a couple until he died. She left the band and wandered aimlessly and eventually moved to San Francisco where she met a homeless man in church named Thaddeus . He became the person who brought her back to the "living."

Not being familiar with Suzzy Roche's music, I had no idea what to expect going into this novel. Mary Saint was the front person for Sliced Ham, a band which played and wrote controversial songs, clearly meant for angry, young fans. She is now older and wiser and tring to decide what the next chapter of her life holds. I enjoyed the story line, as we see Mary re-enter the world, but the anger in her youth seemed self indulgent, as did her later fragility. Fans more familiar with Suzzy Roche will probably enjoy this book much more.

I enjoyed this book on some level. The mother, Jean Saint, was wholly unsympathetic and I disliked the sections written about her. She was small-minded, petty, selfish and did not protect her daughter from child abuse. For someone who lived with spousal abuse until a much wanted daughter was born, she completely writes off her daughter for most of her adult life, because she fears what her hometown will think. The Mary Saint character on the other hand is well written and believable. I longed for her presence whenever Jean's life and choices were being examined. She is the true star of this novel.

This is a story that started out slowly, built up speed, and then fizzled. Being a recovering Catholic, I found the sub-storyline a bit sacrilegious, but not offensive. If there was a main theme to this book, it was lost on me. In the positive column, coming of age and heading to middle-age is a tough subject, but that was actually handled quite well. The book is worth reading because it will make you think about acceptance for quite a while.

I was so excited to have been selected to read this book, particularly when I discovered that Suzzy Roche is the author. I've been a fan of her music for many years, and particularly love her offbeat arrangements and harmonies. She's a very talented artist. But unfortunately, this book doesn't harmonize nearly as well as Ms. Roche's music and I'm sorry to say that Wayward Saints fell flat for me. I gave it my very best shot, but just couldn't get past the stilted dialogue, contrived situations and names (Garbagio? Really?) and a disjointed plot that doesn't ring true. I give Ms. Roche an A for effort, but sadly, it's just not a very good book.

This book started out with great promise. Interesting premise, engaging characters, and the conflicts and resolution inherent in any family drama. The Saints, Mother and Daughter, just never develop, and the father is a footnote in a drama created by his cruelty. The book just seems to try to hard to make a point that is somehow lost on the reader. As much as I wanted to care about this family I just never felt them come alive.