The book had me from the beginning, and my only reasoning behind 4 stars vs. more was I wanted more. I felt that author started with a great concept, pulled me into caring and then rushed the ending. I loved reading the different points of view through Chester, Sid & Anna, but sadly the author denied me the one first person point of view I wanted... Francesca's.

I'd love to pick the author's brain as to why she withheld what I thought the most important piece of the puzzle. With it, and just a bit more of a push at the end, I would easily have given this book a 4. ( )

A homeless man, Chester, living on the streets in Boulder, Colorado, is an ex-professor and present-day schizophrenic. Ronnie owns a restaurant in Boulder and serves free meals to Chester and many other homeless men and women. Ronnie's next-door neighbors are Anne and Francesca Dunn. Francesca helps out at the restaurant. Anne is recently divorced from Francesca's father who has moved to Italy with his new girlfriend. Francesca, 14, misses him desperately and has been exhibiting some concerning behaviors that land her in a "special" school where she meets Sid. Sid is a "cutter," and Sid's mother is an alcoholic and has poor taste in men, and Sid spends a lot of her time care-taking. Chester has a vivid dream where Francesca is shown to him as the Virgin Mary, pregnant with the Christ child. The story of what follows is told through the eyes of Anne, Francesca, Sid, and Chester. The author did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life, and I came to care about all of them, warts and all. The ending is shocking and mundane all at the same time. Very enjoyable and unique read. ( )

I purchased this book at a library sale. It sounded like something different. It was, but I enjoyed it. She touches on several subjects that give you thought and that is what I enjoy in a book. It says it is a book that explores the seductive and distructive power of belief. That pretty much sums it up. ( )

Heartbreaking and unexpected! I really enjoyed the story about the craziness of fame or rather infamy. The characters were interesting and their views give the story so many different layers. All in all, an interesting coming of age story. ( )

Strong plot, but ultimately unsatisfying. I did not ever connect with any of the characters. I found some of the narrative sections too short, and particularly, the character Anne was there solely to provide a counterpoint to the religious aspect of the book. She was a skeptic with a capital S. The main character, Francesca, was enigmatic. I guess like Mary. Hmmm. All in all, I was interested enough to keep going, but I never was "inside" the book at all. ( )