The Patron Saint of Liars

The Patron Saint of Liars (1992) by Ann Patchett. Rose Clinton is a pretty young woman, married to Thomas, and three-months pregnant. Unable to live with the situation, she takes the family car and drives east from California to Kentucky, to a home for unwed mothers. The home is located on a site where once flowed a miraculous spring, a spring whose waters had healing powers. But the spring is long dried up, and only the unwed mothers remain. Rose settles in, and contrives somehow to make a life for herself in the new surroundings. It's a beautifully written story, and one that never fails to hold your attention. The people she meets are all indelibly portrayed, and they will stay with you long after you have finished the book. Grade: A