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Glitter Saints: The Cosmic Art of Forgiveness, a Memoir
My parents both left this planet covered in glitter. Death came for each of them right in the middle of what they were working on. As I held and kissed them for the last time, patches of glitter transferred to my hands and face like tiny passed torches. For as much as the grief burned, there was no getting around it—the light that had been on them was now on me.
In the grand scope of things, glitter may not seem like much. But in a way, it’s a responsibility to infinity, to reflect the spark at the heart of it all.
—Robin Brown
The first book to quilt the spirit of a wildly successful international clothing brand among the scraps of childhood trauma, Glitter Saints is the story of Robin Brown, creator of Magnolia Pearl. It’s a mining of tragedy for the kind of magic that creates and sustains - a sharp-eyed, soft-hearted, stubborn hope that’s the rarest raw material.
In the grand scope of things, glitter may not seem like much. But in a way, it’s a responsibility to infinity, to reflect the spark at the heart of it all.
—Robin Brown
The first book to quilt the spirit of a wildly successful international clothing brand among the scraps of childhood trauma, Glitter Saints is the story of Robin Brown, creator of Magnolia Pearl. It’s a mining of tragedy for the kind of magic that creates and sustains - a sharp-eyed, soft-hearted, stubborn hope that’s the rarest raw material.
301 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 12, 2024
26 people are currently reading
1869 people want to read
About the author
Robin Brown
3 books64 followersRobin Brown is a tightrope artist, fire-juggler, certified clown, and ringleader. She's magic, but she'd be the last to say so. She'd rather see the magic in you and not rest until you see it, too.She's got forty-four bobby pins in her hair, ribbons tied to her wrists, and a tick-tock locket in her chest that's right on time. At home barefoot in the sun, listening to someone-really listening-and telling them what they're feeling is okay. To love anyway.She lives the spirit of the first law of thermodynamics, which states that matter is neither created nor destroyed but transformed. She's a telescopic kaleidoscope, seeing through gravity to point out colorful shards of light. She's a human, a creature. In awe. Forever bewildered.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 25, 2024
This is a gorgeous heart-opening retelling of a childhood that would’ve irreparably damaged another, but not Robin- who transforms truly heinous personal trespasses into wearable art, and words, for all.
What sets this book apart from any other memoir is the soulful and generous spirit in which it is told. I marveled at Robin’s ability to neutrally and compassionately communicate the tragic failings of her upbringing while also being truthful. I won’t sugar coat it- I thought my childhood was hard but listening to this, my jaw dropped several times. However, I was never trauma triggered. I think this has everything to do with Robin. She is a healer through and through.
I first encountered Robin’s revolutionary and unique energy through her clothing line, Magnolia Pearl. Whimsy, a childlike spirit, radiant joy, wisdom, soulful depth… flew off the hanger and into my heart. I was hooked. I wasn’t surprised to find these exact same qualities in this book.
Thank you, Robin for sharing your story with us. Now when I wear the kitten patches, bunny rabbits, strawberries, patchwork, and unfinished hems on my MP clothing, I have the privilege of knowing you!
What sets this book apart from any other memoir is the soulful and generous spirit in which it is told. I marveled at Robin’s ability to neutrally and compassionately communicate the tragic failings of her upbringing while also being truthful. I won’t sugar coat it- I thought my childhood was hard but listening to this, my jaw dropped several times. However, I was never trauma triggered. I think this has everything to do with Robin. She is a healer through and through.
I first encountered Robin’s revolutionary and unique energy through her clothing line, Magnolia Pearl. Whimsy, a childlike spirit, radiant joy, wisdom, soulful depth… flew off the hanger and into my heart. I was hooked. I wasn’t surprised to find these exact same qualities in this book.
Thank you, Robin for sharing your story with us. Now when I wear the kitten patches, bunny rabbits, strawberries, patchwork, and unfinished hems on my MP clothing, I have the privilege of knowing you!
October 7, 2025
Weaponized Healing or Forgiveness
“We are born so raw, and I think part of us always needs to stay that way. Receptive and connected. What we hide is what we share.”
Glitter Saints by Robin Brown is a well written and well constructed book, but it left me conflicted. The prose is gorgeous, textured, and rich. but beneath that, the story felt like a softened version of something that could have gone much deeper. Often times books that touch on traumatic experiences and stories tend to hold back punches to make for a universal book. Many reviewers described it as raw and triggering, yet to me, it read like the “Leave It to Beaver” version of trauma. So tidy and carefully manicured, even when dealing with the abuse and neglect it was as if someone was on standby with the handheld vacuum to get any stay dust that might have the story go too far.
As someone who grew up in a home like this, I recognize the complexity of writing about trauma: what we share, what we hide, and what we sanitize so others can stomach it. But this book seemed to romanticize the pain, turning the parents into near-saints once they dying and especially when they were gone, as though enduring and forgiving them made the protagonist noble. It gave me the sense of Weaponised Healing the idea that healing means being present for the people who broke you, that grace equals to forgetting the depth of harm in lieu of the victim’s safety. It’s a very boomer mentality where things are often swept under the rug to opt for a more rose colored glasses approach to the truth.
That older generational mindset here: grit your teeth, white-knuckle through the pain, smile through it all. Eventually if you do it for long enough you will believe it and feel it. Your body will stop to viscerally reacting to those humans who didn’t show up for you when you were vulnerable allowing yourself to show up for them. That’s not triumph; it’s survival disguised as enlightenment. The narrative seemed to value forgiveness over accountability, presence over self-preservation. For those who haven’t experienced this kind of childhood experience, it might feel moving and profound. But for readers like me for those who’ve lived through similar chaos…it feels incomplete, diluted, almost weaponized in its insistence that reconciliation equals healing.
That said, it’s undeniably well-written. The often lyrical quality carries emotion, even if the emotional honesty feels restrained. I give it a mid rating for the craft alone, but the message didn’t cut it for my heart.
If you’ve never experienced familial trauma, Glitter Saints may feel revelatory. If you have, it may feel like a trickle with bad advice when you were expecting a flood and acceptance.
“We are born so raw, and I think part of us always needs to stay that way. Receptive and connected. What we hide is what we share.”
Glitter Saints by Robin Brown is a well written and well constructed book, but it left me conflicted. The prose is gorgeous, textured, and rich. but beneath that, the story felt like a softened version of something that could have gone much deeper. Often times books that touch on traumatic experiences and stories tend to hold back punches to make for a universal book. Many reviewers described it as raw and triggering, yet to me, it read like the “Leave It to Beaver” version of trauma. So tidy and carefully manicured, even when dealing with the abuse and neglect it was as if someone was on standby with the handheld vacuum to get any stay dust that might have the story go too far.
As someone who grew up in a home like this, I recognize the complexity of writing about trauma: what we share, what we hide, and what we sanitize so others can stomach it. But this book seemed to romanticize the pain, turning the parents into near-saints once they dying and especially when they were gone, as though enduring and forgiving them made the protagonist noble. It gave me the sense of Weaponised Healing the idea that healing means being present for the people who broke you, that grace equals to forgetting the depth of harm in lieu of the victim’s safety. It’s a very boomer mentality where things are often swept under the rug to opt for a more rose colored glasses approach to the truth.
That older generational mindset here: grit your teeth, white-knuckle through the pain, smile through it all. Eventually if you do it for long enough you will believe it and feel it. Your body will stop to viscerally reacting to those humans who didn’t show up for you when you were vulnerable allowing yourself to show up for them. That’s not triumph; it’s survival disguised as enlightenment. The narrative seemed to value forgiveness over accountability, presence over self-preservation. For those who haven’t experienced this kind of childhood experience, it might feel moving and profound. But for readers like me for those who’ve lived through similar chaos…it feels incomplete, diluted, almost weaponized in its insistence that reconciliation equals healing.
That said, it’s undeniably well-written. The often lyrical quality carries emotion, even if the emotional honesty feels restrained. I give it a mid rating for the craft alone, but the message didn’t cut it for my heart.
If you’ve never experienced familial trauma, Glitter Saints may feel revelatory. If you have, it may feel like a trickle with bad advice when you were expecting a flood and acceptance.
August 16, 2024
I love love loved this book. The audiobook with Isabel May is amazing and totally conveys Robin’s words perfectly. As someone who has had the pleasure of knowing Robin, this book brings a tear to my eye. Thank you Jess Brasher in aiding Robin to make such a colorful life come alive through her eyes. It was a *chef’s kiss* display and happy to know both of you ladies 💜 happy that I also now know Preston & Anna so much better than I did before.
Thank you Robin for having the confidence to put so much of yourself and your story out there for all the MP lovers to hear. And thank you for being so rooted in your belief that you exude your LOVE in every possible form everyday. I hope that I can help bring light and love to others and to help them exude their magic to the world. Love you Pearly 💜💜💜💜
Thank you Robin for having the confidence to put so much of yourself and your story out there for all the MP lovers to hear. And thank you for being so rooted in your belief that you exude your LOVE in every possible form everyday. I hope that I can help bring light and love to others and to help them exude their magic to the world. Love you Pearly 💜💜💜💜
June 28, 2024
Honest, raw in-depth look into Robin Browns childhood. As a big fan of Magnolia Pearl jeans I was gifted this book so when I started to reading it wasn’t exactly what I expected. At times the book was extremely difficult to read but I’m glad I did. Robin is a true artist and h has overcome so much…..”There is no disco ball without a broken mirror” Robin Brown 🪩
October 15, 2024
Robin Brown had me captivated from the start, I found it hard to put this book down, I also found it upsetting, confronting, sad and oh so very happy and joyful. I felt ok about my childhood and felt forgiveness was over me. I admire Robin and her bravery, I would like to thank her by being to brutally honest,and unashamedly herself. This is a book I will definitely read again and was sorry to finish it but feel all the better, richer, wiser, kinder and ok with myself after reading it. Thank you Robin 🙏🏽♥️
February 25, 2025
This memoir is by the creator of Magnolia Pearl, which is a clothing line. She shares the story of her life through the time of the death of both of her parents. Her parents both struggled with addiction, and her mother struggled with multiple mental health disorders.
As the author shares the story of her life as she tries to keep her and her younger siblings safe from her parents and their abuse and issues, you see how she developed her talent for clothing design, as art was something that she could always escape to.
This is definitely a difficult story to read, but it's written beautifully and with no holds barred.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
As the author shares the story of her life as she tries to keep her and her younger siblings safe from her parents and their abuse and issues, you see how she developed her talent for clothing design, as art was something that she could always escape to.
This is definitely a difficult story to read, but it's written beautifully and with no holds barred.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 1, 2025
Trigger warnings- child abuse, molestation, addiction
All that said, it is a “truth is stranger than fiction” redemption story that is equally heartbreaking and beautiful. So incredibly sad, while also being full of beauty, love, art and forgiveness. This one will stick with me forever and I will read it again for sure.
All that said, it is a “truth is stranger than fiction” redemption story that is equally heartbreaking and beautiful. So incredibly sad, while also being full of beauty, love, art and forgiveness. This one will stick with me forever and I will read it again for sure.
August 28, 2024
How a child can survive the neglect, abuse and emotional trauma is beyond me. Robin transcends all of the wrongs and blows she suffered and even forgives her parents for all their misguided deeds. Heartfelt and painful, it is a wondrous read.
May 20, 2025
This was one of the most brutal memoirs I have ever read...incredible the resilience that Robin has had to develop through her life experiences.
If you enjoyed Educated or The Glass Castle, you will love this.
If you enjoyed Educated or The Glass Castle, you will love this.
July 26, 2025
Excellent!
This is the first book in a while that I had trouble putting down. There is a certain beauty told from tragedy and the author encapsulates that idea absolutely beautifully.
This is the first book in a while that I had trouble putting down. There is a certain beauty told from tragedy and the author encapsulates that idea absolutely beautifully.
January 3, 2025
Wow! You will have a new appreciation for Magnolia Pearl clothing after reading this book! ✨
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January 12, 2025Oof, very very hard to read.
January 27, 2025
One of the most beautiful and profound books I’ve ever read. My heart was so impacted by her story and the way she sees the world.
April 20, 2025
Heartbreaking tale of childhood, trauma, grace and forgiveness- beautiful
May 19, 2025
My actual rating is 4.5. This is beautifully written for the most part, with amazing personal metaphors and analogies that sing the author's story alive and dive into the reader's heart. Her life is fascinating, but it includes a lot of "needs a big trigger warning" material about the abuse she suffered growing up, her mother's behaviors on drugs, alcohol, and mental health issues uncovered, history of her own abuse, some with her dad, and disasters that befall them all - in graphic details which make it difficult to take in and keep going.
I know I am somewhat sensitive and equally aware of these sorts of issues as a prior teacher in big poor school systems, I ran into it occasionally. I believe it is important to share more stories that uncover abuse and recovery. I am in awe frankly of the model of recovery this author has shared being capable of through her compassion and forgiveness, creating a healthy self love.
But by chapter 11 or 12 I felt so beat up I had o set this aside for a few weeks. Well that was mostly the turning point, but I didn't know. and this is why - more than the level of graphic details - I wan't fully happy with the editing of events. I understand the likelihood is she was sharing what she could in the way our minds dip back into our life library of memories. The stories don't always go in chronological order. but somewhere in this redipping and transformation, I felt there wasn't full clarity on how she transformed. Even though she seems to draw on a religious foundation, and I could understand how she drew on creating things out of discarded things, and this being an amazing legacy from her upbringing, there are moments it feels that holes exist in sharing the process.
Yet there are amazing lessons in here if simply by identifying with this individual creator at her lowest point near giving up, how she refused to allow herself to be destroyed and finally chose herself even while feeling guilty for leaving siblings behind who she'd been substitute-mothering.
I realize also that some events can't be predicted. This being a memoir and not a novel drawn from one's life, some unpredictable downturns after upturns hit hard like a sucker punch - well they did in her life, so the reader gets them too.
So with all the reasons to avoid reading this for some people, I hope having a trigger warning will help those who feel they need to believe survival is possible.. because she somehow went way beyond this to success - financial success beyond most people, but more importantly as she herself stresses, to share who she is, to being a creator, to doing what she can with her success to help others in various ways.
I know I am somewhat sensitive and equally aware of these sorts of issues as a prior teacher in big poor school systems, I ran into it occasionally. I believe it is important to share more stories that uncover abuse and recovery. I am in awe frankly of the model of recovery this author has shared being capable of through her compassion and forgiveness, creating a healthy self love.
But by chapter 11 or 12 I felt so beat up I had o set this aside for a few weeks. Well that was mostly the turning point, but I didn't know. and this is why - more than the level of graphic details - I wan't fully happy with the editing of events. I understand the likelihood is she was sharing what she could in the way our minds dip back into our life library of memories. The stories don't always go in chronological order. but somewhere in this redipping and transformation, I felt there wasn't full clarity on how she transformed. Even though she seems to draw on a religious foundation, and I could understand how she drew on creating things out of discarded things, and this being an amazing legacy from her upbringing, there are moments it feels that holes exist in sharing the process.
Yet there are amazing lessons in here if simply by identifying with this individual creator at her lowest point near giving up, how she refused to allow herself to be destroyed and finally chose herself even while feeling guilty for leaving siblings behind who she'd been substitute-mothering.
I realize also that some events can't be predicted. This being a memoir and not a novel drawn from one's life, some unpredictable downturns after upturns hit hard like a sucker punch - well they did in her life, so the reader gets them too.
So with all the reasons to avoid reading this for some people, I hope having a trigger warning will help those who feel they need to believe survival is possible.. because she somehow went way beyond this to success - financial success beyond most people, but more importantly as she herself stresses, to share who she is, to being a creator, to doing what she can with her success to help others in various ways.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews