Items related to Liars and Saints
Synopsis
Liars And Saints is an utterly compelling portrait of a family, the twists and turns of their lives unravelled with extraordinary sensitivity and understanding. By turns laugh aloud funny and unbearably moving, it marks the beginning of a stunning literary carrer. Set in California, the narrative follows four generations of the Santerre family from World War II to the present, as they navigate a succession of life-changing events. It is guaranteed to be loved by all those who devoured The Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
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Review
Opening with a wedding and ending with a funeral, Maile Meloy stuffs everything imaginable in between, and manages to maintain a cool, elegant prose style throughout. Liars and Saints, Meloy's debut novel, following her story collection Half in Love, chronicles the life of the Santerre family, who sin with the gusto of true Catholics. Written in a series of short story-like vignettes, the family's saga is told in turn by every member, from Yvette the matriarch down to T.J., her great-grandson. We start out with a relatively run of the mill family secret, when in the 1950s Yvette sends daughter Margot off to a French convent for the duration of her teenage pregnancy. As the decades pass, the transgressions become wilder and more melodramatic, as if the Santerres are trying to keep up with the times by way of their naughty acts. What makes the novel work is that all the while, Meloy maintains a quiet, slightly wry tone: illicit lovemaking and bloody mary mixing are recounted with the same equanimity. She also gets just right the tone of each era. When Yvette's other daughter Clarissa marries a jolly lawyer in the early 60s, he sends a telegram to Yvette: "HITCHED. THANKS FOR BEAUTIFUL DAUGHER. PROGENY PROMISED TO POPE." Likewise, in the 1970s the characters talk just groovy enough, and the 80s have a wised-up ring to them. Most multi-generational sagas are dull forays into sentimentalism, but in the aptly titled Liars and Saints, Meloy has written a corker. --Claire Dederer
About the Author
Maile Meloy lives in California. On publication in the US, LIARS AND SAINTS drew acclaim from readers and reviewers across the country. Her second novel, A FAMILY DAUGHTER, was published in February 2006, and her collection of short stories, HALF IN LOVE, in March 2005, both by John Murray.
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- PublisherJohn Murray Publishers Ltd
- ISBN 10 0719566444
- ISBN 13 9780719566448
- BindingHardcover
- Rating
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Liars and Saints
Published by
John Murray Publishers Ltd, 2004
ISBN 10: 0719566444
ISBN 13: 9780719566448
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Liars And Saints
Published by
John Murray, London, 2004
ISBN 10: 0719566444
ISBN 13: 9780719566448
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First Edition
Seller: Darkwood Online T/A BooksinBulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
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Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First British Edition; First Printing. Brown cloth boards with gilt lettering to spine. Nice tight copy, no names or marks inside, appears unread. ; 260 pages; Half a century of American life, showing one family's disappointed expectations, seen through the eyes of a Catholic child. Seller Inventory # 16727
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Liars and Saints: A Novel
Published by
John Murray, London, England, 2004
ISBN 10: 0719566444
ISBN 13: 9780719566448
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Black Cat Hill Books, Oregon City, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition UK; First Printing. First Edition UK (2004) ; so stated. First Printing Thus indicated by a complete numerical sequence. Very Near Fine in Fine DJ: The book shows only a single page miscut by the publisher so that it is shorter by about a 1/16" at the fore-edge and protrudes about a 1/64th of an inch at the bottom edge; else flawless; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Free of any creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of any ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, plates, or labels. A handsome, nearly-new copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing a single minor, unobtrusive imperfection. Bright and clean. Corners sharp. Very close to "As New". The DJ is flawless; the price is intact. Virtually 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (8.85 x 5.65 x 1.1 inches). Language: English. Weight: 16 ounces. Hardcover with DJ. With a matter-of-fact, curt style of writing, Maile Meloy succintly tells the story of four generations of a catholic family from California. Despite the brevity with which she writes the novel, Meloy still manages to explore the fears, thoughts, and emotions of her characters in an insightful and intelligent manner. By covering so many generations and telling the story from each person's perspective, she allows for the reader to gain an understanding of the overall dynamic between the characters. It is an extremely engaging, easy to read story that thoughtfully explores the lives of a superficially normal but deeply complex family. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 260 pages. Seller Inventory # 58031
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