Rating: 
Summary: Family... one generation at a time.
Review: "Yvette had an over-the-shoulder smile like a pinup girl, and when the smile caught him right, it made it hard for Teddy to breathe. She has a chipped tooth on the right, a tiny chip you only noticed up close, and Teddy loved it. Even more, he loved the smile that forgot the chip was there. He wanted to kiss her teeth when he thought of it."
This novel of love and sacrifice, loss and remorse is astonishing. Maile Meloy takes you through 3 generations, a war, marriages, babies, deaths all with love as the solid background.
"Her darling baby brother, the one who had taught her what love was, and he treated her like a prying grown-up, which she guessed she was."
Siblings, spouses, in-laws, nieces, offspring..... family.
"...you had no right to complain about someone you got all the way to the alter with. You made that choice, even if you were a child when you did it, and the marriage vow was sacred."
If you want to gain perspective on your family and the chaos that surrounds you, just take a brief look into this book, into another family, another way of life.
"Some nights he drove up into the mountains and camped under stars so dense he could hardly see between them, and that helped too. It didn't matter whether what was out there was chaos or God: it made his own life seem small enough to handle."
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific
Review: All of the characters in Maile Meloy's excellent Liars and Saints are a little bit of both--they all hid the truth, and some of it devastating--from those that they loved, yet all are saints in their own way. Liars and Saints concerns several generations of the Santerre family, beginning in the 40s, when Yvette, the matriarch is honest with her husband about something that unfortunately has subtle, yet devastating consequences. Yvette's experiences with that one truth cause her to withhold much from her husband, her children and her grandchildren over the years. This is a fabulous novel, in part because it covers so much ground with a marvelous economy of words. Meloy doesn't bore us with the long, drawn out descriptions of every incident, every scene, every setting, yet she gets her point across and then some. This is a terrific read--fast, yet utterly satisfying. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Believe the hype
Review: Although I'd read and enjoyed Maile Meloy's short story collection, Half in Love, I was skeptical that her first novel would live up to the praise lavished on it by reviewers. I was delighted to discover that the reviewers were right. This is a remarkable book. In clear, unadorned prose Meloy offers a compelling family saga that spans more than four generations, three continents and almost sixty years. And she does it all in barely more than 250 pages. If you don't read this book you will say it's impossible, but she pulls it off with grace, empathy for every one of her flawed characters and powerful insight into the human mind and heart. As a writer of fiction myself I am in awe of her talent. Like all great novels, this one has the power to transform the way you look at the world.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptional read
Review: An American friend sent me a copy of LIARS AND SAINTS and I was completely captivated and read it in one sitting. It shows very movingly how the impact of a single action is felt through three generations of a family, sometimes even unconsciously. Although quite a broad sweep of time is covered (1950s - 1990s), the different decades are evoked very skilfully and each character is believably of their time. I think this novel brings together the very best aspects of short story and novel-writing: the characters leave wonderfully clear impressions without the reader being over-burdened with too much detail. The simplicity of Maile Meloy's writing should not be mistaken for a lack of complexity overall; this is a novel which satisfies on many levels and the combination of light prose and compelling plot are exactly what make it such a rewarding read.
Rating:
Summary: Complex entertainment
Review: As a devout Catholic, I was afraid I might be offended by this book. Let me say up front, I was not. There were one or two passages that could be offensive, but they were totally in character, so I was not offended. I found the book to be complex, engaging, entertaining and gratifying. I hope Malie Meloy will write another novel, because I will definitely be reading it. The writing is intelligent and interesting, but not so lofty and cerebral that you have to "work" to get to the end of the story. The characters were so interesting and so real, that I could completely understand their motivations. Though, the story covers fifty years in the life of one family, it goes by far too quickly.
Rating:
Summary: A Catholic Dr. Phil kind of Family on Steroids and Viagra
Review: C'est la vie say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell. Starting with a tempestuous World War II wedding of Canadian Acadian French Yvette to Teddy Santerre, and ending an inbred 4th generation later, Maile Meloy's family saga is a rollicking, roiling ride through the USA in the 20th century - with a pilgrimage to the Vatican and audience with Pope. (Interesting sidebar learned while cruising with the familia Santerre: Teddy Kennedy received his First Communion from the Pope?) Meloy could have drawn out this saga for hundreds of tear-jerking, soul-searching, Catholic- guilt- coated pages, but, thankfully, her style is brisk, bouncing chronologically one step forward and two steps back. It is a fine and gripping foray through many cultural taboos - sex, incest, religion and politics. /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: Secrets and lies affect a family's history...
Review: First time novelist Meloy portrays five generations and the damage wrought by too many secrets, ultimately threatening the foundation of the family itself. Yvette Grenier marries Teddy Santerre, a Marine, during World War II and the young couple anticipate their future with enthusiasm, too much in love to notice the pitfalls that await the careless. They have two daughters, Margot and Clarissa and are content in the life they have fashioned, although Teddy struggles with unfounded jealousy of his beautiful wife. As devout Roman Catholics, the Santerres are deeply committed to the ritual and tradition of their faith, raising their girls with devotion and an awareness of moral obligation. Margot has almost graduated high school when the Santerre's are suddenly parents again, this new baby a boy. Yvette adapts quickly to new motherhood, but Teddy and Jamie's relationship is always strained, never quite comfortable. Jamie often seems at a loss for direction, his one unremitting passion his guitar and a close connection with sister, Clarissa. From the 1950's to the upheavals of the 60' and 70's, like most families, the Santerre's are affected by the changing landscape of social mores. Children break away from the traditional values of the parents, experimenting with a variety of lifestyles, and by the 80's and 90's, must deal with the consequences of their actions. Like most families in America, the parents feel disconnected, unable to control their children. In turn, the children are frustrated by their parents' lack of understanding. Over time, both girls marry, although Clarissa eventually divorces, asking Jamie to come to California to stay with her and her daughter, Abby. For a while, Jamie knows contentment with Abby and Clarissa, but soon drifts back into his nomadic ways. To acknowledge a milestone anniversary, Teddy and Yvette celebrate by renewing their vows at the Mission where they married, in Santa Barbara, California. The special occasion allows the family to reunite after years of geographic and emotional distance. Soon after, they are challenged by tragedy, tested by an unfathomable loss and their inability to make the emotional connections they so desperately need. Long hidden family secrets surface, allowing some family members a measure of relief and the opportunity to heal old wounds. The strength of Meloy's novel is her characters, all of them as familiar as a pair of favorite slippers. The plot is carefully structured, yet never interferes with the flow of the story, where the people dominate the action, their personal struggles defined against a changing world. Yet, in the end, each person's capacity for forgiveness and understanding is enlarged by personal experience, allowing them to reach out to comfort each other and embrace their differences. Once exposed, secrets no longer retain the power to destroy. Luan Gaines/2003.
Rating:
Summary: Five decades of secret Catholic guilt
Review: Haunting, sad, and extraordinarily rich with fine insights into Catholic family life, Liars and Saints is an incredible fiction debut for Maile Meloy. The story opens when a pregnant teenager is sent off to a convent to await the birth of her baby, whom the girl's mother then tries to pass off as her own son. The book is written from the point of view of several of the characters, which lends a sense of interior immediacy to this complex story. An emotional morality tale, this beautiful book should not be missed by readers of serious modern literature.
Rating:
Summary: A beautifully written novel
Review: How terrific it is to read a multi-generational novel that doesn't require 800 pages to tell the story. Meloy succeeds wonderfully. The story centers around one family, in which a secret -- revealed early on -- dictates subsequent actions. The resolution comes over time in which one of the family members refuses to continue on with the secrets and deceptions. If a dysfunctional family can be described as one that keeps secrets from one another, then the Santerre family members have lots of therapy in their future.
Meloy's well-crafted sentences make for a wonderful read. Not a word is wasted. Meloy uses the Catholic church as a background force -- either a guiding or a repelling one, depending upon which family member you are. And given the now well-documented secrets over the past several decades of that great institution, it is a very timely read, indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! the reviews were right
Review: I began reading this book at 6pm and finished it by 9am the
next morning. I loved this book from the storyline to the
writing to just everything about it. The author's style is
succinct and descriptive - going from the 40's to the 90's
in under 300 pages, she writes a page-turner and more importantly, a brilliantly stylish work. Go out and get it
immediately!
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