Saints in Limbo

Saints in Limbo by River Jordan is a prime example of why I love to read. Every hundred or so perfectly acceptable, entertaining, thrilling, inspirational books - with a half dozen real duds thrown in for good measure - you come upon a true gem. They are the ones you search for, wait for and hold your breath for as you read that first page, those first words, that first chapter. I had this feeling from the beginning paragraphs of Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible. It was the feeling that the words were so perfectly chosen, the descriptions and dialogue so clear and true that I could truly "experience" the book. It's true that certain books will click with certain people based on their background and preferences, however I think show more there is more to it than that. I think there is an art to stringing together the right words so that ink on a page comes alive and almost approaches a kind of poetry. Am I gushing? Well, yeah, I would admit that but I really think this one is worth it. There are strong, sassy women and humor, magic and suspense. This is a sweet story that never approaches saccharine. It has a moral but it does not preach. Although I mentioned The Poisonwood Bible, I can truly say that part of the charm of this work is that I cannot think of any book I have ever read that was quite like it. If you like good storytelling I recommend that you not miss this book.

(Review based on complimentary Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.) show less

Saints in Limbo is the sort of novel where simply telling the premise shortchanges the story. The protagonist is an old small-town widower. The supporting cast includes a lackluster mailman, an everyday bar maid, a teen runaway and a spinster teacher. Not the sort of folks one expects to enthrall a reader. Yet, Saints in Limbo is filled with action, romance, supernatural horror and magic. Categorizing it proves near impossible. Singing its praises seems to simplify its depth.

Velma True, a recent widower, anchors her world with thread. She's afraid to wander very far from her home since her husband’s death notice arrived, nearly claiming her soul right out front at the mailbox. Since then, she uses threads anchored to her porch to get show more the mail or water her yard. But while the shifting sand of Vera True’s life is merely an illusion, the man who appears on Velma’s porch is not. The supernatural fellow comes bearing a birthday present for Velma, a rock with powers that will almost claim Velma’s life - which is something she’s not so certain she values any longer.

Saints in Limbo reveals Velma’s ephiphany not only through reflective, psychological back-story, but also by finding the magic still left in Velma’s everyday life. It's tempting to call Saints in Limbo magical realism, but it swerves too far from the real for that, especially once the supernatural creatures show up. There's a reluctance to assign the romance genre because the romance that evolves within the story is middling. But Velma's romance with her husband, told in flashback supernatural sequence, is bona fide. If a genre must be applied to Saints in Limbo, then sothern Gothic possibly comes closest to fit.

As Velma jumps between past and present, the supporting characters stories begin to emerge. Author River Jordan is a southern character writer, which can serve to slow the pace that the action-inducing magical rock beats forth, but it’s that building of character that grounds the story in realism and invests the reader. And even though the heart-string tugging surprise can be seen coming a mile away, it’s still poignant when the reader likes the recipients.

At story’s end, River Jordan leaves us with a message of hopefulness. Velma learns that there is both a place for remembering the past and a hope for the future, one where new chances abound. Mystical, life affirmative and affecting, Saints in Limbo is recommended for readers who enjoy magical realism, southern Gothic and character-driven stories.

Review first published on Many A Quaint & Curious Volume show less

This review first appeared on my blog: http://jewelknits.blogspot.com/2010/11/saints-in-limbo-by-river-jordan-book.html

I think I'm still high from this book. From the first sentence:

It was the kind of day when even the lost believed.

through the end, I was transported into an everyday world that was somehow more. Marvelous imagery and evocative prose cause you to smell the wisteria and hear the plop of the mullets as they jump up and hit back down into the water of Echo, Florida. A world where a plain, smooth rock suddenly eddies and flows with color, opening the door into a magical place of remembrance, and an evil that feeds on regret comes knocking in whatever face it wants to don that day.

We meet Velma, clinging to threads in her show more front yard to keep from being swept away by the current that gripped her when she opened her mailbox to find her husband Joe's death certificate waiting there.

We meet her best friend Sara Long, a retired teacher whose memories are slowly slipping away.

We meet Rudy, Velma's son, handsome and charming, but never living up to his potential. Drinking and womanizing to keep the bugs that he sometimes feels crawling on his skin at bay.

We meet Annie, a musically-gifted teen being raised by an uncaring and emotionally abusive aunt after the sudden death of her mother from a brain aneurism. She journeys on her own from Texas in search of something that is calling to her in Echo.

There's Rose, owner of the local tavern and pizza joint, who has bailed Rudy out of trouble and been his friend and confidante.

And finally, Mr. Springer, Rudy's retired schoolteacher neighbor, who Rudy enlists to watch his mother one day when he feels an unnamed dread lurking in the trees surrounding his mother's house.

It is difficult to classify this story; a mixture of fantasy, a touch of horror, a drama of friendship and family - it is all of this and more.

I absolutely loved it.

QUOTES:

They sat quietly for a while, a little more shook up than they would like to admit - both of them being strong women in different ways. It's not every day that they tussled and rolled in the dirt and traveled through time.

That night Rudy slept in the old bedroom by the front porch, the one closest to the door. He listened for anything that sounded like it might be hungrily searching for something that now belonged to his mama.

Eddie looked at Rudy and smiled. Rudy saw him then in the light of his mother's front yard. He didn't see his lonely neighbor. He saw the man, the retired teacher from Chicago. Rudy saw that he held his back up straight when he walked and that he had a gentleman's grace that Rudy didn't possess and never would. Not like that. Mr. Eddie Springer had his own magic, but Rudy had been too self-absorbed to see it. show less

One of the most interestingly different novels I've read in a long time is this new release by River Jordan. Taking place in a sleepy southern town in the Florida panhandle, it tells the story of people living with regret and how they deal with it and so much more.

I really didn't know what to expect from this novel, but as soon as I started reading I found myself intrigued by Velma and the ocurrences that happen as a result of the gift she is given by a stranger. You can feel the loneliness she lives with since the death of her husband and immediately get the sense that there are things in her past that still need to be faced.

Along with Velma, we also meet her son, Rudy, who has quite a reputation in their small community. It's many show more people's opinion that Rudy hasn't lived up to the potential his life could have been and we watch as Rudy comes to that realization as well.

We also meet Annie, a young girl making her way to Echo, Florida, to find answers to questions she has about her life. Annie has a feeling she's being followed to Echo, and when she finally arrives, it becomes obvious that she is being followed by someone - or is it something?

I really liked this story. It didn't take long for me to develop a compassion for Velma for the loss of her husband and the fact that she was afraid of so many things. The book also has several supporting characters that are likeable and interesting as well. It becomes clear that the three protagonists are all on a road of discovery that ultimately lead to each other.

This is a very interesting book that has some mystical elements mixed in that make it a unique story of faith and the power of one's mind over regret. It was described to me by the author's publicist as Christian Fiction, but the godly elements are subtle and does not overpower the story at all.

River Jordan is a southern writer with a knack for lyrical prose that keeps the pages turning fluidly while the story unfolds. I had a hard time putting this book down because I was intrigued by the story and had to find out what was going to happen next. show less

Saints in Limbo is a wonderful book. Great writing, very vivid. I couldn't put this book down.

River Jordan writes in a way that captures not only your mind, but your soul. A magical journey through the pages.

Annies story is frightening, while Velmas and Saras are sad tales. You'll want to see this through.

I just finished reading the advanced copy of Saints in Limbo by River Jordan and I am trying to decide what I thought of it. It is not like the usual book that falls into my hands. Described as a Southern Gothic tale, a Christian fiction tale, a magical tale, a bit of surrealism, I didn’t know what I would find. Suffice it to say, the story drew me in and before long I found myself caught up in the story of the widow, Velma True, and her experiences with a magical “memory stone” that is given to her by a mysterious stranger. It is an emotional tale, filled with the longings, the regrets, fears, and hopes of its varied cast of characters. Each of them finds themselves in limbo…”between what was and what is…caught in the show more middle of what (they) have and what (they) want. Of who (they) are and who (they) could be.” Using the technique of time travel, caused by the magical stone, the characters come to reconcile with the past and decide how to move into the future.

River Jordan has a lyrical way with words. From her opening sentence, “It was the kind of day when even the lost believed” I was enchanted by her descriptive prose. While some call it a Christian novel, and I did find a sense of mysticism in the story, I would not call it such. There is a struggle between good and evil but not in an overly religious way. In all, I am glad I read it and the characters will stay with me. show less

Outstanding! Just a wonderful book to read and get lost into the story. The bit of magic is always a plus for me. There were just enough characters and such fine people they are. River Jordan has a fine use of language with words that make pictures such as: "The birds had filled the trees, rumbling from their winter's sleep, and here they were now, glorious and in full sing." "It kept her lonely voice from rusting." "A thythm to his walk as if he were riding the earth."
This is a book I will highly recommend to all my friends who read.