A fun read with an interesting array of characters. Easy to follow but with an extra layer of depth beyond typical chick lit. ( )

I didn't really like this book very much. The main character is Markie (a jarring name), a newly divorced woman who flees her marriage to a flaky man whose flaws she did not recognize until he'd ruined her life and publicly humiliated her, and moves to an anonymous town with her teenage son, away from the dominating clutches of her unsympathetic parents. All she wants is to hide from the world and wallow in her bitterness, trying to maintain a relationship with her son, and going about it all the wrong ways. She unwittingly moves in next door to Mrs Saint, an apparently and mysteriously wealthy old woman who keeps a household of lost souls and seems determined to make Markie one of her collection. Markie resentfully resists, though gradually she is worn down, and by the time the story unravels into tragedy she comes to an epiphany of self awareness. On the surface this is a perfectly good, relatable story. I'm not sure what is is that bugged me about it-- I know I did not like the protagonist, who is blind and selfish through most of the story. The big reveal felt contrived and gratuitous, making true horror seem almost like an afterthought, like the author wanted to find the best explanation for a whole bunch of secrecy, and just used the biggest thing she could think of, even though there was no real clue about what was really going on. Maybe the writer just isn't that skilled, and the climactic events just needed to be built up better for true emotional impact. I was happy to get through this one. ( )

Quirky and thought provoking. ( )

This is a Kindle book, and I don't know/remember when and where I got it.

Markie had it all; the beautiful home, stylish wardrobe, a handsome and charming husband named Kyle, and a teen sone named Jesse who attended a posh private school. But it all came apart when she found out her husband was cheating on her, the house was in foreclosure, Kyle had pretty much run through all their money and couldn't seem to keep a job, and it seemed the mothers of the students at Jesse's school knew too much about all of it. Markie decided divorce was the only solution.

Markie packed up all she could, pulled Jesse out of school and moved in wither her parents. After about a month of her parents' constant criticism and pushing to get Markie to reconcile with her ex, Markie decided to move away from her parents to someplace she wasn't known. She'd find a place to live, some sort of job and put Jesse in public school. She'd start over.

She found a small bungalow and managed to cram all her furniture into it. She also finds her neighbour is an old lady, who dresses well and seems to be poking her nose into Markie's business.
The woman is Mrs. St. Denis, pronounced San Duh-nee. When people see the name written they tend to pronounce it as Saint Den-iss, so she goes by Mrs. Sainte. Mrs. Sainte is a tiny, white haired woman with a heavy French accent and dresses in expensive clothes, complete with proper jewellery and accessories.

As the story progresses, Markie learns about the people she sees at Mrs. Sainte's house; their back stories and reason for being there. Markie also finds herself changing from the stubborn, bitter and at times self-critical person she had become from the divorce.

I found it an interesting read but didn't really get into it till over half way through. Markie's stubbornness and attitude sort of put me off. I was glad I did read it, though. In fact I was a little sad about part of the ending, but I am glad I read it completely. The theme seems to be that sometimes stubbornness and forgiveness may be hard attributes and everyone seems to have them somewhere in their make-up. Some of it can be good, but some of it can become roadblocks in life. ( )

I feel like I read two different books. The first part of Mrs. Saint is about a whiny divorcee, Markie, whose husband cheated on her repeatedly and took all her money before she kicked him out. Markie only left him once everyone else found out that he was a cheater. She moves into a cozy little neighborhood with the nosy Mrs. Saint next door. Then comes all the whining about just wanting to be left alone - although clearly, her neighbors are doing everything they can to help the now-single-mother out.

The second part, and the best part, of the book happens after a tragedy occurs next door to Markie. If the story that was told in this second part of the book was the actual story of the book, and not just a memory retold by a character, this book would have been so amazing. Since this is not the case, I can only tell you that the end of the book is pretty good and ties up all the little mysteries that accumulated throughout.

I did listen to this book, so some of my reactions about Markie may be colored by the narration of her character. But she does seem overly uptight and spoiled, even for what she has gone through with the divorce, and oftentimes her anger seemed unjustified, ridiculous and forced. So, if you enjoy books with a completely unlikable main character, albeit with a pretty good payoff at the end, you will probably like this book. ( )