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alexaedstrom's review against another edition
4.0
This was a slow read for me because it is so historically dense and Mr. White has interlaced so many cultural references that it is mind blowing to think of the research he did. This book is not for everyone and it is definitely not a light read. It references many dark themes, such as sexual assault, incest, racism, suicide, murder, and abuse. However, I was drawn to this book being from Dallas myself, having dated a French man, having spent many years trying to adjust to a European culture, and now living in Austin. I understood all of Mr. White’s Texan references and he nailed the good, bad, and the ugly sides of the state. He also nailed the attitudes of the French aristocracy and I learned a lot from his writing about their history and general beliefs and lifestyles. This book is fascinating, BUT you have to enjoy history and be a Francophile to fully enjoy it. Again, I am very impressed by the research he did.
mirandags's review against another edition
3.0
Although the book began in a promising manner, it quickly went off the rails. The only thing it had going really was it’s descriptions of cities. Otherwise the characters were unpleasant, the storyline bland, and the ending rushed. Quite a lot of time was spent on the characters’ torrid sex lives, which really isn’t my thing. Not sure why I wasted several hours reading this, except that it was the only book I brought on my trip to Assisi
bianca89279's review against another edition
3.0
It doesn't look like any of my GR friends read this book, so I have no idea why I placed a hold on this novel. I must have read a favourable review somewhere to make me want to read a book about a saint and about Texas, generally speaking, topics of little interest to me.
This was an unusual novel, even though I had no expectations. The writing was charming and it kept things interesting. To a degree. Yvette and Yvonne Crawford are identical twin sisters who grew up in Dallas, Texas. Their mother died when they were young. Their gruff, uneducated father struck it lucky with oil on his property in the 1950s. The two sisters couldn't be more different in temperament. Yvette was studious, pious, obsessive, introverted, anxious and anorexic. Yvonne was the superficial social butterfly, the debutante and sorority joiner type. Both girls were lookers.
Yvette moves to South America and becomes a nun, whereas Yvonne moves to Paris where she marries a poor baron. She gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl.
The title of the novel is deceptive, as most of the novel is written from Yvonne's point of view, with a few letters from Yvette to update us on her goings-on over the years. Yvette's letters didn't feel authentic, as I didn't believe that she would be so forthcoming with certain aspects of her life. I recognised the letters' purpose to give us her perspective. Most of the novel though is about Yvonne.
Initially, her sexual exploits and explorations were intriguing, but then they became, I don't know, kind of tedious.
I kept reading to see where this unpredictable novel was going. The fresh and playful writing style kept the momentum going. Unfortunately, I never cared much for any of the characters.
So in conclusion, A Saint from Texas was fresh and different, although, ultimately, not that rivetting.
This was an unusual novel, even though I had no expectations. The writing was charming and it kept things interesting. To a degree. Yvette and Yvonne Crawford are identical twin sisters who grew up in Dallas, Texas. Their mother died when they were young. Their gruff, uneducated father struck it lucky with oil on his property in the 1950s. The two sisters couldn't be more different in temperament. Yvette was studious, pious, obsessive, introverted, anxious and anorexic. Yvonne was the superficial social butterfly, the debutante and sorority joiner type. Both girls were lookers.
Yvette moves to South America and becomes a nun, whereas Yvonne moves to Paris where she marries a poor baron. She gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl.
The title of the novel is deceptive, as most of the novel is written from Yvonne's point of view, with a few letters from Yvette to update us on her goings-on over the years. Yvette's letters didn't feel authentic, as I didn't believe that she would be so forthcoming with certain aspects of her life. I recognised the letters' purpose to give us her perspective. Most of the novel though is about Yvonne.
Initially, her sexual exploits and explorations were intriguing, but then they became, I don't know, kind of tedious.
I kept reading to see where this unpredictable novel was going. The fresh and playful writing style kept the momentum going. Unfortunately, I never cared much for any of the characters.
So in conclusion, A Saint from Texas was fresh and different, although, ultimately, not that rivetting.
gilmoreguide's review against another edition
1.0
I thought A Saint from Texas would be fun, possibly satirical reading about two rich twins in 1950s Texas whose lives go in opposite directions—one becomes a European socialite and the other becomes a nun. Fun premise and fabulous cover, right?! Unfortunately, the novel was so filled with racist and misogynistic terms that I had to stop reading. I do believe in context and Texas in the 1950s was probably an incredibly racist, woman-hating place to be, but this was gross. It went beyond the story, especially the instances when it was a teenage girl talking. One of the few occasions when I clearly felt a male author was writing his stereotypical version of some kind of woman. Not good.
christinafrancisgilbert's review against another edition
In essence, this novel spans far and wide from its East Texan prairie basepoint. The narrative follows the lives of twin sisters from ‘a ghost town…Ranger – Oil Capital of America’, who move to Dallas and then onwards, seeking to follow their dreams and move away from their past. One sister ‘Why-Vet’ finds herself amongst nuns and serving in a Colombian convent, which we learn from lengthy letters sent to her sister ‘Why-Von’ who in parallel, lives a very different life, having sought cultured French ‘frivole’ and married a baron, thus joining the Parisian elite. We learn through many chapters of her husband’s infidelity and maltreatment, having only taken Yvonne’s father’s oil wealth in exchange for his family name and prestige.
Having bought this book from Hatchards in Picadilly, grabbing it because of its title reference to Texas, I was not disappointed. The novel is packed full of wonderful phonetically spelt Texan phrases, as well as the French corrected English Yvette is taught as she arrives in Europe to better herself. The novels is epic in its charting of decades in America and France from the 1950s to the recent past. There is presentation of the Dallas nouveau riche, references to Houston and its honest confident existence, which is so distanced from the way France, its ancien regime and ‘airless pretension’ is described through Yvette’s eyes.
What you come across in reading this novel all feels a little weird, in its naïve narration and cultural jigsaw of experiences, emotions and thoughts, but it works. Not having read anything by Edmund White before, and not knowing he is considered to be the ‘pater familias of queer literature’, there were some awkward candid moments in White’s narrative, which I wasn’t prepared for! Not all positive, since one of the sisters endured abuse from her father and although the lesbian relationships and feelings for the sisters are described as healthy for them, their treatment by men throughout makes them appear as victims and vulnerable to the demands of others.
A review from Kirkus Reviews, describes the novel as: ‘steeped in both scandal and erudition…Demystifying everything from lesbian love to communion wafers…a gourmand’s feast of earthly delights,’ which I agree sums it up pretty well! There are many fascinating discussion points in relation to religious thinking, family units, relationships, the institution of marriage, class and social systems and so much more.
In this novel, the satire is rife and comical throughout, though my own prim and proper, perhaps prudish personality meant I laughed nervously, especially with references to Catholicism and lesbianism, amongst others. The indirect satire of minor characters, criticised by characters within the novel for their old-fashioned and ignorant ways, such as the ‘most boring man in the whole world’, the father ‘who told endless jokes about colored folks,’ made it difficult to read in places, yet a searing exploration of social class and sexuality.
A ‘bold and sweeping novel’ and the futility of the pitiful female protagonists is explained in the blurb: ‘And yet, even as they remake themselves in their radically different lives, the twins find that the bonds of family and the past are unbreakable.’
Having bought this book from Hatchards in Picadilly, grabbing it because of its title reference to Texas, I was not disappointed. The novel is packed full of wonderful phonetically spelt Texan phrases, as well as the French corrected English Yvette is taught as she arrives in Europe to better herself. The novels is epic in its charting of decades in America and France from the 1950s to the recent past. There is presentation of the Dallas nouveau riche, references to Houston and its honest confident existence, which is so distanced from the way France, its ancien regime and ‘airless pretension’ is described through Yvette’s eyes.
What you come across in reading this novel all feels a little weird, in its naïve narration and cultural jigsaw of experiences, emotions and thoughts, but it works. Not having read anything by Edmund White before, and not knowing he is considered to be the ‘pater familias of queer literature’, there were some awkward candid moments in White’s narrative, which I wasn’t prepared for! Not all positive, since one of the sisters endured abuse from her father and although the lesbian relationships and feelings for the sisters are described as healthy for them, their treatment by men throughout makes them appear as victims and vulnerable to the demands of others.
A review from Kirkus Reviews, describes the novel as: ‘steeped in both scandal and erudition…Demystifying everything from lesbian love to communion wafers…a gourmand’s feast of earthly delights,’ which I agree sums it up pretty well! There are many fascinating discussion points in relation to religious thinking, family units, relationships, the institution of marriage, class and social systems and so much more.
In this novel, the satire is rife and comical throughout, though my own prim and proper, perhaps prudish personality meant I laughed nervously, especially with references to Catholicism and lesbianism, amongst others. The indirect satire of minor characters, criticised by characters within the novel for their old-fashioned and ignorant ways, such as the ‘most boring man in the whole world’, the father ‘who told endless jokes about colored folks,’ made it difficult to read in places, yet a searing exploration of social class and sexuality.
A ‘bold and sweeping novel’ and the futility of the pitiful female protagonists is explained in the blurb: ‘And yet, even as they remake themselves in their radically different lives, the twins find that the bonds of family and the past are unbreakable.’
ispeakbooknerd's review against another edition
2.0
A Saint from Texas is the life story of twins Yvonne and Yvette Crawford. They were born and initially grew up in a tiny Texas town, essentially a ghost town. Their father had become rich from oil money but was extremely frugal. After their mother died, their father remarried a woman who convinced him to relocate the family to Dallas, and from there, the rest of their lives began. While they were identical in appearance, Yvonne and Yvette couldn't have been more different in personality. Yvonne ended up a married baroness in France, and Yvette ended up a nun, serving an order in rural Colombia.
Most of the story is told from Yvonne's point of view. However, there are chapters that are letters from Yvette to Yvonne. Both women had struggles throughout their lives, and we are taken along for those.
The characters in this book are complex and very well-developed. The language is rich. However, I found the story to digress at times, to the point I'd begin to forget what was being talked about or occurring earlier in the same chapter. Perhaps I am just not educated enough to grasp all of the threads being woven throughout?
There were many themes. Among them, sexuality, family ties, abuse and trauma, forgiveness, love, social classes.
I was very saddened by events near the ending, and some of the actions Yvonne took later on in the book just didn't feel genuine to the character, in my opinion.
All-in-all this was an okay book for me. I enjoyed parts of it and really didn't enjoy other parts. I'd recommend to people who enjoy family studies and books with (mostly) strong character development.
Most of the story is told from Yvonne's point of view. However, there are chapters that are letters from Yvette to Yvonne. Both women had struggles throughout their lives, and we are taken along for those.
The characters in this book are complex and very well-developed. The language is rich. However, I found the story to digress at times, to the point I'd begin to forget what was being talked about or occurring earlier in the same chapter. Perhaps I am just not educated enough to grasp all of the threads being woven throughout?
There were many themes. Among them, sexuality, family ties, abuse and trauma, forgiveness, love, social classes.
I was very saddened by events near the ending, and some of the actions Yvonne took later on in the book just didn't feel genuine to the character, in my opinion.
All-in-all this was an okay book for me. I enjoyed parts of it and really didn't enjoy other parts. I'd recommend to people who enjoy family studies and books with (mostly) strong character development.
daisy_marg's review against another edition
I really wanted to be able to finish this book, and maybe one day I will, but it was too dark for me. I wanted to be able to finish it because the darkness of this book is so deeply rooted in reality. These are issues people really face and have to come to terms with everyday, but I eventually realized I was torturing myself. This book is so well written and does offer a lot of great lines and wisdom. I’m interested to see how it would have ended, but it wasn’t worth the toll on my mental health.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Pregnancy, Incest, and Rape
bericson13's review against another edition
2.0
maybe I'm not the target audience for this, but from the description, I should have been? I just...ugh. I didn't like this at all. The writing was drawn out and boring, but the storyline moved so quickly, I was never sure what was happening. Major events and decisions would be one liners, but full descriptions of rooms and houses took up pages. Just not my cup of tea at all.
lola425's review against another edition
3.0
Prepub. Due out August 2020. Recommended for readers who enjoy stories about sisters who couldn't be more different.
tetedump's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, and Incest