What do you think?
The Possibilities of Sainthood
Antonia Lucia Labella has two secrets: at fifteen, she’s still waiting for her first kiss, and she wants to be a saint. An official one. Unfortunately, the two events Antonia’s prayed for seem equally unlikely to happen...
Antonia Lucia Labella has two secrets: at fifteen, she’s still waiting for her first kiss, and she wants to be a saint. An official one. Seem strange? Well, to Antonia, saints are royalty, and she wants her chance at being a princess. All her life she’s kept company with these kings and queens of small favors, knowing exactly whom to pray to on every occasion. Unfortunately, the two events Antonia’s prayed for seem equally unlikely to happen. It’s not for lack of trying. For how long has she been hoping to gain the attention of the love of her life – the tall, dark, andso good-looking Andy Rotellini? Too long to mention. And every month for the last eight years, Antonia has sent a petition to the Vatican proposing a new patron saint and bravely offering herself for the post. So what if she’s not dead?
But as Antonia learns, in matters of the heart and sainthood, things are about as straightforward as wound-up linguini, and sometimes you need to recognize the signs.
Antonia Lucia Labella has two secrets: at fifteen, she’s still waiting for her first kiss, and she wants to be a saint. An official one. Seem strange? Well, to Antonia, saints are royalty, and she wants her chance at being a princess. All her life she’s kept company with these kings and queens of small favors, knowing exactly whom to pray to on every occasion. Unfortunately, the two events Antonia’s prayed for seem equally unlikely to happen. It’s not for lack of trying. For how long has she been hoping to gain the attention of the love of her life – the tall, dark, andso good-looking Andy Rotellini? Too long to mention. And every month for the last eight years, Antonia has sent a petition to the Vatican proposing a new patron saint and bravely offering herself for the post. So what if she’s not dead?
But as Antonia learns, in matters of the heart and sainthood, things are about as straightforward as wound-up linguini, and sometimes you need to recognize the signs.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2008
About the author
Donna Freitas
31 books688 followersDonna Freitas is the author of The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention, and many other novels and nonfiction books for adults, children, and young adults. Her latest YA novel is a rom-com that takes place in her favorite city, Barcelona: Stefi and the Spanish Prince. She has been featured on NPR and The Today Show, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The LA Times, among many other places. Donna currently serves on the faculty at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s MFA program. She also lives half the year in Barcelona where she loves partaking of its many bakeries and delicious restaurants galore. Learn more about Donna at www.donnafreitas.com and on Substack: https://donnafreitas.substack.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
March 1, 2010
I read this book a looooong time ago. But I do remember this: the main character drove me NUTS. She was my least favorite kind of Catholic - the kind who knows about Catholic traditions, but who has warped ideas about what the traditions actually MEAN, and therefore goes around confusing others. Primarily, Antonia's issue was her weird perception of Saints. She had this idea, never really explained, that Saints were really cool people who were made Saints by the Vatican as a reward for being so cool. It was like she thought the Pope said to newly canonized Saints, "Okay, I've decided to put you in charge of icey roads. Here's a magical fairy wand; whenever anybody prays to you about icey roads you can just wave this and all their troubles will disappear! Have fun! Ta-ta!"
Theology lesson time! Okay, I'm no expert, but the real deal about Saints is this. A saint (note the lowercase "s") is any person who has died and gone to heaven. A Saint (note the uppercase "s") is somebody who has died and gone to heaven, and we on earth are absolutely sure that they are, in fact, in heaven. There is a long process before a deceased person can be declared a Saint - it's not just that you put in your 200 hours of community service, and then when you kick the bucket the Vatican tacks a "St" onto your name. There's a committee that has to decide whether you had "heroic virtue", and then you have to have a few miracles attributed to you. There's probably more too, but like I said, I'm no expert. And when we pray to Saints, it's not because they have magical fairy wands and can fix all our problems. It's because they are in heaven - with God. Example: whenever you're going through a rough time, you ask your friends on earth to pray for you. They have no power on their own, but they can pray for the power of God to intervene. Praying to the Saints is exactly the same - except that they're right up there with God, so their prayers mean that much more. Make sense? Cool. Any questions, please comment. I don't want people running around with fallacious ideas about Catholicism because of a fluffy YA novel.
In conclusion, I would not recommend this book to anybody. Truly Catholic people will just be annoyed by the mistakes, and non-Catholics will walk away with false conceptions of what it means to be a saint!
Note: here's an article about what makes a person a saint, written by somebody who probably has a theology degree! So now you don't have to take my word for it, and anything I explained badly will hopefully be cleared up. http://www.lifeteen.com/default.aspx?...
Theology lesson time! Okay, I'm no expert, but the real deal about Saints is this. A saint (note the lowercase "s") is any person who has died and gone to heaven. A Saint (note the uppercase "s") is somebody who has died and gone to heaven, and we on earth are absolutely sure that they are, in fact, in heaven. There is a long process before a deceased person can be declared a Saint - it's not just that you put in your 200 hours of community service, and then when you kick the bucket the Vatican tacks a "St" onto your name. There's a committee that has to decide whether you had "heroic virtue", and then you have to have a few miracles attributed to you. There's probably more too, but like I said, I'm no expert. And when we pray to Saints, it's not because they have magical fairy wands and can fix all our problems. It's because they are in heaven - with God. Example: whenever you're going through a rough time, you ask your friends on earth to pray for you. They have no power on their own, but they can pray for the power of God to intervene. Praying to the Saints is exactly the same - except that they're right up there with God, so their prayers mean that much more. Make sense? Cool. Any questions, please comment. I don't want people running around with fallacious ideas about Catholicism because of a fluffy YA novel.
In conclusion, I would not recommend this book to anybody. Truly Catholic people will just be annoyed by the mistakes, and non-Catholics will walk away with false conceptions of what it means to be a saint!
Note: here's an article about what makes a person a saint, written by somebody who probably has a theology degree! So now you don't have to take my word for it, and anything I explained badly will hopefully be cleared up. http://www.lifeteen.com/default.aspx?...
November 29, 2009
I picked up this YA audio novel because I thought it looked like a fun, fluffy, likeable teen romance and was intrigued by the quirkiness of the main character being incredibly in touch with the Catholic saints. I listened to the book on audio, and from the very beginning was put off by the... "valley girl" voice that the reader had, although as I continued to listen I discovered that as much as I wanted to like the main character, I found her to be incredibly shallow and a little misguided about reality, and the voice kind of fit.
I have nothing against fluffy romances, but this book really let me down in three areas. One, all the characters in the book is incredibly stereotypical: the "overprotective Italian mother", the "stalwart best friend", the "Catholic schoolgirl", the "bitchy cousin", etc, and none of the characters seem to grow or change at all, causing the ending to be predictable and boring.
Two, the plotlines that could have made this book more meaningful and a little deeper were completely discarded at the conclusion of the story. The grandmother developing dementia, the mother who may get back into the dating scene, the new Pope, the sudden death of Antonia's father when she was a child, her fairly recent falling out with her cousin (who in childhood had been a close friend), dating an Irish boy when her family is Italian... I could go on. Of all of those issue Freitas brings up, none are resolved.
Three, I did not find Antonia's pleas to the vatican "cute" or "quirky". I thought that her applying to be the first living saint every month for 8 years was incredibly vain and self centered, and not at all charming or entertaining.
While this book would be great for readers who are looking for something very light and a little different in the world of teen romance, be forwarned that it probably won't meet the needs of a reader who is looking for something more to sink their teeth into.
I have nothing against fluffy romances, but this book really let me down in three areas. One, all the characters in the book is incredibly stereotypical: the "overprotective Italian mother", the "stalwart best friend", the "Catholic schoolgirl", the "bitchy cousin", etc, and none of the characters seem to grow or change at all, causing the ending to be predictable and boring.
Two, the plotlines that could have made this book more meaningful and a little deeper were completely discarded at the conclusion of the story. The grandmother developing dementia, the mother who may get back into the dating scene, the new Pope, the sudden death of Antonia's father when she was a child, her fairly recent falling out with her cousin (who in childhood had been a close friend), dating an Irish boy when her family is Italian... I could go on. Of all of those issue Freitas brings up, none are resolved.
Three, I did not find Antonia's pleas to the vatican "cute" or "quirky". I thought that her applying to be the first living saint every month for 8 years was incredibly vain and self centered, and not at all charming or entertaining.
While this book would be great for readers who are looking for something very light and a little different in the world of teen romance, be forwarned that it probably won't meet the needs of a reader who is looking for something more to sink their teeth into.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2008
There’s this girl, Antonia Lucia. She’s fifteen, though it never feels like it—instead, it feels like she’s a supposed fifteen-year-old a thirteen-year-old who reads up can easily step into and relate and feel more mature. Which is actually what I think is this book’s selling quality—tons of girls want to read up nowadays (I was only eleven when I read Gossip Girl: A Novel) and this book, by portraying a main character who’s older than the audience will probably be, and is relatively innocent, provides a tame and—dare I say it?—productive read.
Actually, I found some parallels between this book and the Jessica Darling books, the first two (Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings) to be specific.
Jessica is in perpetual freak out mode over the prospect of staying a virgin forever.
Antonia is worried she’ll never get kissed.
Jessica’s conflicted love interest is male-slut Marcus, who’s been with countless girls.
One of Antonia’s prospects is Michael, a guy who’s known to kiss lots of girls.
Jessica and Marcus became friends and right when she was about to lose her virginity to him in the first book, she got freaked out and cut off all contact with him for the next year and a half (which are covered in the second book) because she didn’t want to be “just another donut”.
Antonia and Michael develop a relationship in the summer after seventh grade (if I remember correctly). Right when school’s about to start, Michael, despite his public playboy tendencies over the summer, wants to take their relationship to another level. She cuts him off right when they’re about to kiss (this all in a flashback sequence) because she didn’t want to be “just another girl he’s kissed”.
Suffice it to say, I’m a big Jessica Darling fan and don’t mind at all seeing similar traces of it in other books, given you don’t go all Kaavya Viswanathan on Ms McCafferty’s idea. That said, while it was heartwarming seeing Michael still try to win Antonia over whereas Marcus didn’t Jessica, the male slut aspect to his personality was unfounded. I mean, with Marcus, it worked well—we could see the before and after.
Now, with Michael, I as the reader was constantly told he’d made his way around the block. But through the entire progression of the story, he never so much as looked at another girl—he only sort of hinted at making moves on Antonia’s cousin when Antonia herself would get all up on Andy, her dream boy’s, face. It was so obvious a jealousy ploy that Antonia had to be, like, twelve to fall for it. (See, she is depicted as younger than her established age.)
Oh, and Andy. Jesus, whatever the girl saw in that boy goes right over my head. He’s hot—but that’s it. People who like and dislike Edward Cullen alike would have a problem understanding why Antonia was hung up on him. Nothing to do with him made any sense either: He up and started groping Antonia for god knows what reason we’re never explained at six AM on her family’s store’s storage closet when she goes down there to fetch her mom some flour. Boys are horny, I’ll give them that, but stealing second when her nun of a mother is upstairs? A boy brought up in an Italian family himself? Not even kissing her properly first before going for the glands? And we get no reasons for this later on, did I mention that?!
This is why I submit he was a useless character—a plot device to elongate the Antonia and Michael subplot further. And this is this novel’s the deserved C-grade WTF.
Oh, and for people worried this is too religious or whatnot: it’s not. If anything, it’s the opposite. Antonia’s Catholic but she’s really only fascinated by the saints—everything else is your typical my-mom-and-her-crazy-holier-than-thou-ideas disdain. I mean, she’s not nasty about it—but she kind of dismisses the whole YOU MUST BE HOLY PURE CHASTE idea her mom pushes upon her as you would expect a normal teenage girl.
So, yeah, there are flaws. But I enjoyed the novel, and I really do think parents or librarians or teachers or even teens looking for a good read-up novel should give this a shot—everything revolves around kissing, as benign as that is, when many other novels tweenies pick up will fixate on sex and all that good stuff.
(Not that I think it’s beneficial to deny them novels that touch on those subjects. But, like, Gossip Girl doesn’t do it productively—picking something more sensible and tasteful would do the trick. AND reading a tame novel once in a while *eyes tweens and teens knowingly* doesn’t hurt, either.)
Edited to add: I do not mean to say this novel is immature. While it is definitely not super serious, I think it serves as a nice middle ground chameleon for teens both young and upper-age.
Blog review link: http://reviewerx.blogspot.com/2008/09...
Actually, I found some parallels between this book and the Jessica Darling books, the first two (Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings) to be specific.
Jessica is in perpetual freak out mode over the prospect of staying a virgin forever.
Antonia is worried she’ll never get kissed.
Jessica’s conflicted love interest is male-slut Marcus, who’s been with countless girls.
One of Antonia’s prospects is Michael, a guy who’s known to kiss lots of girls.
Jessica and Marcus became friends and right when she was about to lose her virginity to him in the first book, she got freaked out and cut off all contact with him for the next year and a half (which are covered in the second book) because she didn’t want to be “just another donut”.
Antonia and Michael develop a relationship in the summer after seventh grade (if I remember correctly). Right when school’s about to start, Michael, despite his public playboy tendencies over the summer, wants to take their relationship to another level. She cuts him off right when they’re about to kiss (this all in a flashback sequence) because she didn’t want to be “just another girl he’s kissed”.
Suffice it to say, I’m a big Jessica Darling fan and don’t mind at all seeing similar traces of it in other books, given you don’t go all Kaavya Viswanathan on Ms McCafferty’s idea. That said, while it was heartwarming seeing Michael still try to win Antonia over whereas Marcus didn’t Jessica, the male slut aspect to his personality was unfounded. I mean, with Marcus, it worked well—we could see the before and after.
Now, with Michael, I as the reader was constantly told he’d made his way around the block. But through the entire progression of the story, he never so much as looked at another girl—he only sort of hinted at making moves on Antonia’s cousin when Antonia herself would get all up on Andy, her dream boy’s, face. It was so obvious a jealousy ploy that Antonia had to be, like, twelve to fall for it. (See, she is depicted as younger than her established age.)
Oh, and Andy. Jesus, whatever the girl saw in that boy goes right over my head. He’s hot—but that’s it. People who like and dislike Edward Cullen alike would have a problem understanding why Antonia was hung up on him. Nothing to do with him made any sense either: He up and started groping Antonia for god knows what reason we’re never explained at six AM on her family’s store’s storage closet when she goes down there to fetch her mom some flour. Boys are horny, I’ll give them that, but stealing second when her nun of a mother is upstairs? A boy brought up in an Italian family himself? Not even kissing her properly first before going for the glands? And we get no reasons for this later on, did I mention that?!
This is why I submit he was a useless character—a plot device to elongate the Antonia and Michael subplot further. And this is this novel’s the deserved C-grade WTF.
Oh, and for people worried this is too religious or whatnot: it’s not. If anything, it’s the opposite. Antonia’s Catholic but she’s really only fascinated by the saints—everything else is your typical my-mom-and-her-crazy-holier-than-thou-ideas disdain. I mean, she’s not nasty about it—but she kind of dismisses the whole YOU MUST BE HOLY PURE CHASTE idea her mom pushes upon her as you would expect a normal teenage girl.
So, yeah, there are flaws. But I enjoyed the novel, and I really do think parents or librarians or teachers or even teens looking for a good read-up novel should give this a shot—everything revolves around kissing, as benign as that is, when many other novels tweenies pick up will fixate on sex and all that good stuff.
(Not that I think it’s beneficial to deny them novels that touch on those subjects. But, like, Gossip Girl doesn’t do it productively—picking something more sensible and tasteful would do the trick. AND reading a tame novel once in a while *eyes tweens and teens knowingly* doesn’t hurt, either.)
Edited to add: I do not mean to say this novel is immature. While it is definitely not super serious, I think it serves as a nice middle ground chameleon for teens both young and upper-age.
Blog review link: http://reviewerx.blogspot.com/2008/09...
December 6, 2008
It wasn't bad, by any means, but it wasn't particularly good, either.
Antonia was entertaining, certainly, and her obsession with saints was something new, but... If she was really a believer, wouldn't the rules of sainthood have been much more important to her? There's a reason there's no living saints. (Not to get into a whole theological discussion or anything, but there are lots of reasons, some more cynical than others.) Her desire to be the first living saint seemed naive, while Freitas' insistence on this particular character trait seemed forced.
I was less than thrilled with the conclusion. Michael was sweet (and in the tradition of young adult romances, was clearly the more appealing option from about page 3), and the way they got together was actually pretty realistic. But I'm bothered by the fact that getting a boyfriend seemed to solve all of Antonia's problems - especially when they were very legitimate issues centering on her father's sudden death.
Freitas was close, because she was clearly making the connection between Antonia's obsessions with saints and her grief over her father's death - the saint diary, her conversation with Michael - but somehow getting her first kiss erased all of it, with a bonus side effect of having her give up her (unrealistic) goal of achieving sainthood. Which means that either there's a poorly written moral about growing up and becoming realistic at 16, or there are some weird anti-feminist vibes. (To be fair, her mother and grandmother were both fairly strong women, though it was strange how the "does her grandmother have Alzheimer's?" subplot never went anywhere.)
Or I'm reading too much into a pretty basic young adult romance.
Antonia was entertaining, certainly, and her obsession with saints was something new, but... If she was really a believer, wouldn't the rules of sainthood have been much more important to her? There's a reason there's no living saints. (Not to get into a whole theological discussion or anything, but there are lots of reasons, some more cynical than others.) Her desire to be the first living saint seemed naive, while Freitas' insistence on this particular character trait seemed forced.
I was less than thrilled with the conclusion. Michael was sweet (and in the tradition of young adult romances, was clearly the more appealing option from about page 3), and the way they got together was actually pretty realistic. But I'm bothered by the fact that getting a boyfriend seemed to solve all of Antonia's problems - especially when they were very legitimate issues centering on her father's sudden death.
Freitas was close, because she was clearly making the connection between Antonia's obsessions with saints and her grief over her father's death - the saint diary, her conversation with Michael - but somehow getting her first kiss erased all of it, with a bonus side effect of having her give up her (unrealistic) goal of achieving sainthood. Which means that either there's a poorly written moral about growing up and becoming realistic at 16, or there are some weird anti-feminist vibes. (To be fair, her mother and grandmother were both fairly strong women, though it was strange how the "does her grandmother have Alzheimer's?" subplot never went anywhere.)
Or I'm reading too much into a pretty basic young adult romance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2008
As a reviewer, I hardly ever get to read just for fun so it was a lot of fun to pick up the advanced copy of this book (due out in August, I think) and just read for fun. And it was a great deal of fun. It's a slice of life I never lived, but was always curious about, that of a teen-aged Catholic school girl. She is obsessed with the saints and has a letter-writing campaign with the Vatican to add some saints...and she volunteers to be the first living saint! Filled with details of Providence, (Rhode Island...and the other kind as well!) Italian groceries, a mother's love, and an unforgettable First Kiss, this is one to leave out for any junior high or high school girl, especially the more innocent ones finding their way.
June 20, 2009
When I first read about this book, I thought "hmm, sounds cute, but how interesting can a story about a girl obsessed with saints be?" But I was wonderfully surprised! This story has heart and a wonderfully cohesive family that you don't see often in teen fiction.
I loved spending time with Antonia and her big Italian family and Antonia's side comments about being a Catholic School Girl always made me laugh out loud. I also give big cheers to Maria, who is a great example of a true best friend.
Overall, this is a fun story that is a great feel good read. I would recommend to anyone looking for a smart romance with a great cast of characters.
I loved spending time with Antonia and her big Italian family and Antonia's side comments about being a Catholic School Girl always made me laugh out loud. I also give big cheers to Maria, who is a great example of a true best friend.
Overall, this is a fun story that is a great feel good read. I would recommend to anyone looking for a smart romance with a great cast of characters.
October 28, 2022
3.5🌟 a chaste YA story. I grew up Italian and Catholic, so I may have had a higher relatability to the protagonist.
August 22, 2011
Antonia Lucia Labella has one main ambition in life—to be a saint. Since before her father passed away, Antonia has kept a collection of saints, so that she knows exactly whom to pray to for small favors. And she knows better than almost anyone that there are areas in dire need of patron saints. That’s why every month for the past eight years, she has written the Vatican proposing a new patron saint. That’s where Antonia’s ambitions come in—she thinks she could be the first living saint in history, so with every petition, she offers herself up for the job. And although the Vatican hasn’t been the most receptive, Antonia hasn’t given up yet—just like she hasn’t given up on getting her first kiss from the gorgeous Andy Rotellini. But as Antonia is going to learn, things get a little complicated when it comes to sainthood and first kisses, and that sometimes, what actually happens can be even better than what you hoped for.
Freitas first novel, The Possibilities of Sainthood, is a very sweet and innocent look at personal faith and a young girl’s everyday struggles. Antonia is a very likable protagonist who will win the hearts of all readers with her fresh take on growing up in a religious family and quiet dedication to her patron saints. The plot itself is somewhat predictable, especially with regards to Antonia’s romantic life, but the real reason I enjoyed the story was from watching Antonia and those around her grow. Having read Freitas second and upcoming third novel prior to reading her debut YA, I can say that Freitas has definitely grown as a writer and transformed cute into real sophistication. I enjoyed The Possibilities of Sainthood, but I liked This Gorgeous Game and The Survival Kit even more, and though her debut did not affect me as deeply as her later books, I continue to be a fan of Freitas.
The Possibilities of Sainthood will be enjoyed by readers who also liked Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker and It’s All About Us by Shelley Adina.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
Freitas first novel, The Possibilities of Sainthood, is a very sweet and innocent look at personal faith and a young girl’s everyday struggles. Antonia is a very likable protagonist who will win the hearts of all readers with her fresh take on growing up in a religious family and quiet dedication to her patron saints. The plot itself is somewhat predictable, especially with regards to Antonia’s romantic life, but the real reason I enjoyed the story was from watching Antonia and those around her grow. Having read Freitas second and upcoming third novel prior to reading her debut YA, I can say that Freitas has definitely grown as a writer and transformed cute into real sophistication. I enjoyed The Possibilities of Sainthood, but I liked This Gorgeous Game and The Survival Kit even more, and though her debut did not affect me as deeply as her later books, I continue to be a fan of Freitas.
The Possibilities of Sainthood will be enjoyed by readers who also liked Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker and It’s All About Us by Shelley Adina.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
August 3, 2014
Antonia is 15, she is Catholic and for the past 8 years has had an obsession with Saints. She has studied the existing Saints and it is Antonia's dream to become the first ever living Saint. And shes tries to achieve her dream by writing to the Vatican about needing Saints for Figs, Kissing and more. And of course, nominating herself to be the Saint of whatever she writes the Vatican about.
But besides her obsession with Saints, Antonia wonders if she will ever be kissed. No boys seem interested in her, except for Michael, but he is just her friend. Andy, the boy she has been in love with for 2 years, doesn't even seem to know she exists. Antonia wonders if she will end up like the Saint she was named after, being pure forever.
I can't say this has become a favorite book of mine, but after reading the whole thing I found that it was fairly enjoyable. Maybe not at first and honestly took reading a number of pages for it to get better.
I don't think that it is a bad story or that Antonia is a bad character. It sort of reminded me of The Confessions of Georgia Nicholson in that at times it could be over-dramatic or silly.
Antonia's reason for wanting to be a Saint isn't really a good one. She thinks Saints are cool and are basically royalty. But I feel like maybe that wasn't her only reason for wanting to be a Saint, since after all it was her father that got her into Saints. But if there was another reason, it was never explored, which is a bit sad. Like I said, Antonia is not a bad character, but exploring more of why she wanted to be a Saint and loved them so much would have been nice.
I do have to give the author credit though because I think her idea for this story was a unique one. This is the only young adult book that I have read where the main character is interested and prays to Saints.
So the book was enjoyable, but I think more exploring of Antonia's reason for wanting to be a Saint and developing the characters would have made this book better.
But besides her obsession with Saints, Antonia wonders if she will ever be kissed. No boys seem interested in her, except for Michael, but he is just her friend. Andy, the boy she has been in love with for 2 years, doesn't even seem to know she exists. Antonia wonders if she will end up like the Saint she was named after, being pure forever.
I can't say this has become a favorite book of mine, but after reading the whole thing I found that it was fairly enjoyable. Maybe not at first and honestly took reading a number of pages for it to get better.
I don't think that it is a bad story or that Antonia is a bad character. It sort of reminded me of The Confessions of Georgia Nicholson in that at times it could be over-dramatic or silly.
Antonia's reason for wanting to be a Saint isn't really a good one. She thinks Saints are cool and are basically royalty. But I feel like maybe that wasn't her only reason for wanting to be a Saint, since after all it was her father that got her into Saints. But if there was another reason, it was never explored, which is a bit sad. Like I said, Antonia is not a bad character, but exploring more of why she wanted to be a Saint and loved them so much would have been nice.
I do have to give the author credit though because I think her idea for this story was a unique one. This is the only young adult book that I have read where the main character is interested and prays to Saints.
So the book was enjoyable, but I think more exploring of Antonia's reason for wanting to be a Saint and developing the characters would have made this book better.
June 5, 2009
Antonia's family is like my family....Italian, loud, and has the oddest way of expressing love-as Antonia puts it-"being totally honest with each other" (i.e. fighting).
Naturally, I enjoyed reading about all her greasy-headed-pasta-eating Italino family and her optimistic opinion on boys. (Constantly reminded me of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding though in this case, it should be "My Big Fat Italian Life" instead) What about all those saints, you ask? Silly, I repeat silly. Of course the story wouldn't be the same without Antonia's obsessions over Catholic saints; though the idea of literally praying to all those people seems a bit time consuming if you ask me.
Antonia's character was quite humorous and Freitas description of the Italian families made me laugh out load. The Possibilities of Sainthood's main focus point was Antonia's quest to become the first living saint and the rest was about Antonia's search for the perfect boy to kiss. In my humble opinion, this book was composed pretty well for a first-timer and I would defiantly be on the lookout for any future books by Donna Freitas.
If you're looking for a book with a little comedy, a little romance, and with just a dash of, er, a lot of saints, then The Possibilities of Sainthood is just for you! And now for a nice bowl of pasta......have a great serata guys!
Courtesy of BLT reviews: booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com
Naturally, I enjoyed reading about all her greasy-headed-pasta-eating Italino family and her optimistic opinion on boys. (Constantly reminded me of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding though in this case, it should be "My Big Fat Italian Life" instead) What about all those saints, you ask? Silly, I repeat silly. Of course the story wouldn't be the same without Antonia's obsessions over Catholic saints; though the idea of literally praying to all those people seems a bit time consuming if you ask me.
Antonia's character was quite humorous and Freitas description of the Italian families made me laugh out load. The Possibilities of Sainthood's main focus point was Antonia's quest to become the first living saint and the rest was about Antonia's search for the perfect boy to kiss. In my humble opinion, this book was composed pretty well for a first-timer and I would defiantly be on the lookout for any future books by Donna Freitas.
If you're looking for a book with a little comedy, a little romance, and with just a dash of, er, a lot of saints, then The Possibilities of Sainthood is just for you! And now for a nice bowl of pasta......have a great serata guys!
Courtesy of BLT reviews: booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com
January 8, 2009
This was a cute story, with generally likable characters and lots of nice food-family stuff. I enjoyed the patron saints quite a bit too. But I thought Antonia's letters to the Vatican were a bit unlikely, given her age.
The only minor thing that annoyed me was the fact that her obnoxious cousins were all fat, as was their horrible mother (whose behaviour towards Antonia's mother was also obnoxious), while Antonia herself wasn't, despite all the wonderful food... If the characters weight had been unconnected to their nastiness it wouldn't have been a problem, but this way wasn't good.
The only minor thing that annoyed me was the fact that her obnoxious cousins were all fat, as was their horrible mother (whose behaviour towards Antonia's mother was also obnoxious), while Antonia herself wasn't, despite all the wonderful food... If the characters weight had been unconnected to their nastiness it wouldn't have been a problem, but this way wasn't good.
February 24, 2009
Ages 11+ (lots of obsession with KISSING and NOT DYING A VIRGIN)
Fifteen year old Antonia Lucia La Bella is obsessed with two things: becoming the first living saint in the history of the Catholic church and getting her first kiss. Preferably from hottie fellow Italian-American Andy, who she's been crushing on for two years. Fun for teens at the younger end of the spectrum (11-15). Also filled with lots of minutae about the saints that Antonia is constantly praying to to intercede on her behalf. A bit of depth, but still totally chick litty.
Fifteen year old Antonia Lucia La Bella is obsessed with two things: becoming the first living saint in the history of the Catholic church and getting her first kiss. Preferably from hottie fellow Italian-American Andy, who she's been crushing on for two years. Fun for teens at the younger end of the spectrum (11-15). Also filled with lots of minutae about the saints that Antonia is constantly praying to to intercede on her behalf. A bit of depth, but still totally chick litty.
February 27, 2020
Hello lovely readers! If you’re a fan of the new show “Derry Girls” on Netflix, you might also enjoy “The Possibilities of Sainthood” by Donna Freitas. It is a fun read, following the story of Antonia, a teenage girl who is determined to become the first living saint. Antonia and her sharp wit and positivity make this book hilarious yet touching.
June 8, 2009
Audio good.
Cute story about 15 year old Antonia and her infatuation with becoming the first living saint in the catholic church...and also her infatuation with a neighborhood boy as she saves her first kiss for him.
Cute story about 15 year old Antonia and her infatuation with becoming the first living saint in the catholic church...and also her infatuation with a neighborhood boy as she saves her first kiss for him.
Read
January 22, 2010I gave up on the book because it was not to my liking. Not even close.
October 25, 2015
Actual rating: 3.5
Well this was a fun book! It's not perfect, most of the time I felt like the main character is acting younger than she's supposed to be but I had fun reading it.
Well this was a fun book! It's not perfect, most of the time I felt like the main character is acting younger than she's supposed to be but I had fun reading it.
August 4, 2009
Waste of time. Don't bother.
May 23, 2026
Saints, in my opinion, are simply the height of Catholic sophistication. Catholics are lucky to have a virtual Rolodex of thousands of men and women to call upon for help in very specific situations, and not just Jesus, who I see as basically an abyss of possibilities.
^ honestly, yeah.
---------------
I've read all her other contemporary YA plus the memoir Consent, so it's finally time to pick up her debut from 2008.
Pretty typical example of the genre for the younger end of the demographic -- some family drama, some will-I-ever-be-kissed-by-a-boy drama (including a side of "well certainly I can't like THAT boy!") -- with some more unique elements in terms of her admittedly-juvenile dream to become the first living saint, ideally the Patron Saint of Figs, and the amount of information splashed out about various existing saints in every chapter. She talks a big game about the embarrassment of being an almost-16-year-old virgin, but actually comes nowhere near crossing that line.
It probably resonates best with those of a similar Italian and/or Catholic background (after reading the memoir, it's clear just how much Donna drew from her own upbringing for this character and her family), especially if they also went to Catholic school. Or if you're just really craving a throwback to the mid-2000s era of the genre.
Side note: I did love the old-school style of each chapter heading being a short description of what happens in said chapter ("Sister Mary Margaret fails to teach us anything, and Veronica and I have a public spat")
Not my favorite of her books, but nice enough that I will be keeping for a while because I found a signed copy in great condition for $2.
February 18, 2018
Freitas, Donna The Possibilities of Sainthood, pgs. 272. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008. Language- PG-13; Sexual Content- G; Violence- G.
Antonia, 15, wishes to be the first living saint. She prays to all of the saints, from something as small as not wanting to look like a fool, to something bigger - her first kiss. She writes to the Vatican Committee of Sainthood every month proposing different ideas for new saints. She sneaks out and goes to a dance with her best friend, which she is not allowed to do until she is 16 There, she gets her first kiss and her cousin ruining the best day of her life by calling her mom.
I loved this book! I think it was interesting how Antonia memorized all of the saint information.
MS, HS - ADVISABLE. Student Reviewer: SH
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
Antonia, 15, wishes to be the first living saint. She prays to all of the saints, from something as small as not wanting to look like a fool, to something bigger - her first kiss. She writes to the Vatican Committee of Sainthood every month proposing different ideas for new saints. She sneaks out and goes to a dance with her best friend, which she is not allowed to do until she is 16 There, she gets her first kiss and her cousin ruining the best day of her life by calling her mom.
I loved this book! I think it was interesting how Antonia memorized all of the saint information.
MS, HS - ADVISABLE. Student Reviewer: SH
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
July 28, 2020
It was ok, but I had some conflicts with some of the writing. Probably closer to 2.5 stars, rounding up to be nice (and also as a nod to the shortage of teen Catholic MCs).
June 13, 2021
Krótka i urocza książeczka z charyzmatyczną główną bohaterką. Nie doszukiwałabym się w niej głębi, ale myślę, że w ramach popołudniowego relaksu spełnia swoje zadanie.
October 18, 2011
GOODREADS: Antonia Lucia Labella has two secrets: at fifteen, she’s still waiting for her first kiss, and she wants to be a saint. An official one. Seem strange? Well, to Antonia, saints are royalty, and she wants her chance at being a princess. All her life she’s kept company with these kings and queens of small favors, knowing exactly whom to pray to on every occasion. Unfortunately, the two events Antonia’s prayed for seem equally unlikely to happen. It’s not for lack of trying. For how long has she been hoping to gain the attention of the love of her life – the tall, dark, and so good-looking Andy Rotellini? Too long to mention. And every month for the last eight years, Antonia has sent a petition to the Vatican proposing a new patron saint and bravely offering herself for the post. So what if she’s not dead?
But as Antonia learns, in matters of the heart and sainthood, things are about as straightforward as wound-up linguini, and sometimes you need to recognize the signs.
ME: I knew the moment I ran into this book on Goodreads that I would LOVE IT! This is such a great, cute book! I think what attracted me most to this book was the fact that Antonia is a 15 year old in love with saints. Antonia is an Italian American who's family is very old school and have managed to hold on to their Italian culture/traditions. I LOVE THIS! Antonia is such a good kid. She helps out with the family owned market, goes to school, maintains good grades, spends time with elderly neighbors, and deals with her over protective mom. Antonia has two major obsessions in life, the boy from down the street Andy and her saints. She has memorized every saint and their petition specialty. She spends the majority of the book praying and petitioning to different saints as she deals with different situations. Oh and she writes to the Vatican monthly trying to make herself the next living saint.
I am not a religious person but I am spiritual and I find saints fascinating as well. This book is light, cute, innocent and beautiful in its own right. The writing was nice but... There was a point in the book where Antonia kisses a neighbor on the cheek who has been wheelchair ridden for twenty years. She kisses her and tells her everything will be ok. Later that day the neighbor is up and walking for the first time in twenty years! The neighbor keeps saying that Antonia is the miracle worker. She also kisses a booboo that two different kids got and they both healed quickly after receiving these kisses. These small miracles became background noise so to speak and I would have liked the author to have written more about it or shine more light upon it. I also noticed that some of the saint's specialties aren't exactly what they should be but I wasn't sure if the author did this on purpose. For example: St. Anne is the patron saint of women and pregnant women in labor. In the book she is the patron saint of Grandmothers. St Anne was the Jesus' grandmother and it would make sense to make her the saint of grandmothers but I just didn't learn it that way. At any rate it could just be that I didn't know this side of St. Anne because St. Anthony, Antonia's tomayo and favorite (also my favorite) was described accurately as the saint of lost things.
Again I can't rave enough about this book because of its innocence. It reminded me of what I want for the children in my life which is simply to enjoy being a kid and not be in a hurry to be an adult or do adult things. It also spoke to me because the love of saints is not normal teenage activity and it is quite ok not to be normal or doing what everyone else is into. Individuality is so beautiful and some of our kids lack it.
Love love love this book and so happy I ended the year with this book!
But as Antonia learns, in matters of the heart and sainthood, things are about as straightforward as wound-up linguini, and sometimes you need to recognize the signs.
ME: I knew the moment I ran into this book on Goodreads that I would LOVE IT! This is such a great, cute book! I think what attracted me most to this book was the fact that Antonia is a 15 year old in love with saints. Antonia is an Italian American who's family is very old school and have managed to hold on to their Italian culture/traditions. I LOVE THIS! Antonia is such a good kid. She helps out with the family owned market, goes to school, maintains good grades, spends time with elderly neighbors, and deals with her over protective mom. Antonia has two major obsessions in life, the boy from down the street Andy and her saints. She has memorized every saint and their petition specialty. She spends the majority of the book praying and petitioning to different saints as she deals with different situations. Oh and she writes to the Vatican monthly trying to make herself the next living saint.
I am not a religious person but I am spiritual and I find saints fascinating as well. This book is light, cute, innocent and beautiful in its own right. The writing was nice but... There was a point in the book where Antonia kisses a neighbor on the cheek who has been wheelchair ridden for twenty years. She kisses her and tells her everything will be ok. Later that day the neighbor is up and walking for the first time in twenty years! The neighbor keeps saying that Antonia is the miracle worker. She also kisses a booboo that two different kids got and they both healed quickly after receiving these kisses. These small miracles became background noise so to speak and I would have liked the author to have written more about it or shine more light upon it. I also noticed that some of the saint's specialties aren't exactly what they should be but I wasn't sure if the author did this on purpose. For example: St. Anne is the patron saint of women and pregnant women in labor. In the book she is the patron saint of Grandmothers. St Anne was the Jesus' grandmother and it would make sense to make her the saint of grandmothers but I just didn't learn it that way. At any rate it could just be that I didn't know this side of St. Anne because St. Anthony, Antonia's tomayo and favorite (also my favorite) was described accurately as the saint of lost things.
Again I can't rave enough about this book because of its innocence. It reminded me of what I want for the children in my life which is simply to enjoy being a kid and not be in a hurry to be an adult or do adult things. It also spoke to me because the love of saints is not normal teenage activity and it is quite ok not to be normal or doing what everyone else is into. Individuality is so beautiful and some of our kids lack it.
Love love love this book and so happy I ended the year with this book!
July 23, 2010
Very few current novels for children and young adults include faith and church-going as a normal part of the growing up experience. Yet may children grow up attending services. I will admit my bias upfront. As a church-going Catholic who made the pews into a library with a Missalette as a little girl, was an altar server for my liberal congregation, and still wear the cross necklace I got for Confirmation, I was often disappointed that the books I loved didn't celebrate the types of experiences I had, much less acknowledge that they could even exist. Donna Freitas brings Catholicism to the fore in this book. Which, incidentally, was a problem for me!
I think I read one scene in which Antonia went to Mass. Her faith was comprised of the little-practiced (at least in the modern perception) devotion to the saints. Every month for the past 8 years since her father's death, Antonia has written to the Vatican effusive girlish letters imploring to be made the first living patron saint of a certain cause. She has received only form letters rejecting her propositions. In the midst of this faith drama, Antonia longs for the perfect first kiss from the perfect guy. Of course, Mr. perfect is not all that he seems. Antonia must then discover the difference between perfection and who's perfect for her. The problem is that Antonia's obsession with kissing is never reconciled with any explanation of Catholic teaching on chastity.
Freitas takes an inch of Catholicism and drags it out into a ridiculous mile. Antonia's world is very isolated -all she knows are church and Catholic-school attending Catholics. I found myself gritting my teeth through the mother's scenes, thinking she was an over-the-top caricature of an Italian widow. During the climax, the pope (an alternate reality pope) dies, and the entire community hunkers down - school even stops! Yet this world is in the age of cell phones and e-mails. I didn't find the exaggeration comedic. But at least it was a novel that for the most part respected devout, faithful Catholics. Freitas drew her strongest characters to represent any teen or her friends - that what we religious types feel and think as teens is pretty much universal.
The girlish desire for traditional romance is what Freitas gets right. Antonia is not a Mary Sue. She has a strong voice and growing complexity. Her imploring missals to the Vatican and diary entries are at times funny. But I was just smiling, not laughing. The vibrancy and fullness of her character made everyone else pale in comparison.
The mother's character arc seems to do a 180 in one scene thanks to a deus-ex-grandma. For 100 pages, the mother refers to her daughter as a "whore" in Italian for wearing short skirts, but then ultimately relents after a speech from her own mother. Grandma's progressing dementia could offer points for rich development, but just seems a side story to Antonia's mental longings. Finally, we're just told why Mr. Perfect-for-Antonia is so great and wonderful, instead of being shown.
The conclusion is pretty much expected, but in keeping with Catholic tradition about the concept of living saints. (except for that whole part about the newly elected pope going to upend teaching on gay marriage, female priests, etc. with nary a comment or context. NARY!)
From a purely literary perspective, this novel doesn't outshine any others or stand out from the typical YA romance trope with the exception of the unique lens of viewing it through a religious perspective. You'll learn a lot about well known and obscure saints and why some of us find it fun and enriching to believe some of what we do.
I think I read one scene in which Antonia went to Mass. Her faith was comprised of the little-practiced (at least in the modern perception) devotion to the saints. Every month for the past 8 years since her father's death, Antonia has written to the Vatican effusive girlish letters imploring to be made the first living patron saint of a certain cause. She has received only form letters rejecting her propositions. In the midst of this faith drama, Antonia longs for the perfect first kiss from the perfect guy. Of course, Mr. perfect is not all that he seems. Antonia must then discover the difference between perfection and who's perfect for her. The problem is that Antonia's obsession with kissing is never reconciled with any explanation of Catholic teaching on chastity.
Freitas takes an inch of Catholicism and drags it out into a ridiculous mile. Antonia's world is very isolated -all she knows are church and Catholic-school attending Catholics. I found myself gritting my teeth through the mother's scenes, thinking she was an over-the-top caricature of an Italian widow. During the climax, the pope (an alternate reality pope) dies, and the entire community hunkers down - school even stops! Yet this world is in the age of cell phones and e-mails. I didn't find the exaggeration comedic. But at least it was a novel that for the most part respected devout, faithful Catholics. Freitas drew her strongest characters to represent any teen or her friends - that what we religious types feel and think as teens is pretty much universal.
The girlish desire for traditional romance is what Freitas gets right. Antonia is not a Mary Sue. She has a strong voice and growing complexity. Her imploring missals to the Vatican and diary entries are at times funny. But I was just smiling, not laughing. The vibrancy and fullness of her character made everyone else pale in comparison.
The mother's character arc seems to do a 180 in one scene thanks to a deus-ex-grandma. For 100 pages, the mother refers to her daughter as a "whore" in Italian for wearing short skirts, but then ultimately relents after a speech from her own mother. Grandma's progressing dementia could offer points for rich development, but just seems a side story to Antonia's mental longings. Finally, we're just told why Mr. Perfect-for-Antonia is so great and wonderful, instead of being shown.
The conclusion is pretty much expected, but in keeping with Catholic tradition about the concept of living saints. (except for that whole part about the newly elected pope going to upend teaching on gay marriage, female priests, etc. with nary a comment or context. NARY!)
From a purely literary perspective, this novel doesn't outshine any others or stand out from the typical YA romance trope with the exception of the unique lens of viewing it through a religious perspective. You'll learn a lot about well known and obscure saints and why some of us find it fun and enriching to believe some of what we do.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2024
i think it was pretty good, very descriptive and a good story and plot overall. i didnt really finish this one because it did end up being a bit predictable, but i think im fine with that because it was very enjoyable. i liked the theme and aesthetic and i can tell a lot of hard work was put into this book xx
October 9, 2016
*Sigh* Another disappointing book. I was really looking forward to this one. I love stories that explore how religion and femininity intersect and/or clash, and this one sounded like it would be a gold mine for that. Sadly, it didn't live up to expectations.
The Possibilities of Sainthood is the story of Antonia Lucia Labella, a 15-year-old girl with two goals in life: (1) become the first living patron saint, and, (2) get her first kiss, ideally from Andy Rotellini. Meanwhile, this guy she used to be friends with, Michael McGinnis, becomes obnoxiously pushy and gives her unwanted attention because they share some history.
I wanted to like this book. But it quickly became clear to me that this was very Twilight-y. Don't get me wrong: Young Adult Romance can be a great genre, and I have nothing against books about young love. Not to mention, Antonia isn't a very "likable" character, and God knows I love me flawed women protagonists. But shockingly, this book promotes emotionally abusive behavior, much like Edward and Bella's relationship.
Firstly, as soon as Michael is introduced, the story is instantly predictable: Andy isn't going to turn out to be the guy Antonia thought he was, and Michael, the so-called "nice guy," is going to "win the girl." It's obvious from the get-go which of the boys the reader is supposed to root for. However, from an adult's perspective, Michael is a F*CKING CREEP. He constantly shows up when Antonia doesn't want him around, he tells her to "NEVER" tell a boy that he's like a brother to her (read: "being friends isn't enough for me, I only want you around if I get something out if it physically"), he presumes to call her his "love" even though they aren't dating, and he invades her personal space by showing up at her bedroom window every night even after she tells him to stop because he's going to get her in trouble. He is essentially a stalker. But the author chooses to romanticize that. Even in the end -- in the final scene -- he scares the shit out of Antonia by LETTING HIMSELF into her bedroom through the window and, again, basically stalking her. It made me want to puke. Michael is so pushy, self-entitled, and possessive and I really wish Antonia was more aware of the way he objectifies her.
Andy Rotellini turns out to be just as bad, if not worse. At least the author paints HIM in a negative light when he gropes Antonia in the stockroom and kisses her anywhere BUT the lips. Unfortunately, I think Antonia gets mad at him for the wrong reason: It's not only that he doesn't kiss her on the lips, it's that he kisses her anywhere on her body without her consent -- the same way that Michael follows her around without her consent. Both boys are disgusting creeps, and neither of them truly respect her as a human being, or respect her feelings and wishes.
And on top of all of that, Antonia is subject to her mother's vicious slut-shaming, and yet simultaneously slut-shames her own cousins. Yuck. Hypocritical behavior.
The only redeeming quality was Antonia's grandmother. She was a great character, not quite as shallow as the others, and I wish she played a bigger role.
So, unfortunately, this book gets 1/5 stars from me, for sending young girls all the wrong messages.
The Possibilities of Sainthood is the story of Antonia Lucia Labella, a 15-year-old girl with two goals in life: (1) become the first living patron saint, and, (2) get her first kiss, ideally from Andy Rotellini. Meanwhile, this guy she used to be friends with, Michael McGinnis, becomes obnoxiously pushy and gives her unwanted attention because they share some history.
I wanted to like this book. But it quickly became clear to me that this was very Twilight-y. Don't get me wrong: Young Adult Romance can be a great genre, and I have nothing against books about young love. Not to mention, Antonia isn't a very "likable" character, and God knows I love me flawed women protagonists. But shockingly, this book promotes emotionally abusive behavior, much like Edward and Bella's relationship.
Firstly, as soon as Michael is introduced, the story is instantly predictable: Andy isn't going to turn out to be the guy Antonia thought he was, and Michael, the so-called "nice guy," is going to "win the girl." It's obvious from the get-go which of the boys the reader is supposed to root for. However, from an adult's perspective, Michael is a F*CKING CREEP. He constantly shows up when Antonia doesn't want him around, he tells her to "NEVER" tell a boy that he's like a brother to her (read: "being friends isn't enough for me, I only want you around if I get something out if it physically"), he presumes to call her his "love" even though they aren't dating, and he invades her personal space by showing up at her bedroom window every night even after she tells him to stop because he's going to get her in trouble. He is essentially a stalker. But the author chooses to romanticize that. Even in the end -- in the final scene -- he scares the shit out of Antonia by LETTING HIMSELF into her bedroom through the window and, again, basically stalking her. It made me want to puke. Michael is so pushy, self-entitled, and possessive and I really wish Antonia was more aware of the way he objectifies her.
Andy Rotellini turns out to be just as bad, if not worse. At least the author paints HIM in a negative light when he gropes Antonia in the stockroom and kisses her anywhere BUT the lips. Unfortunately, I think Antonia gets mad at him for the wrong reason: It's not only that he doesn't kiss her on the lips, it's that he kisses her anywhere on her body without her consent -- the same way that Michael follows her around without her consent. Both boys are disgusting creeps, and neither of them truly respect her as a human being, or respect her feelings and wishes.
And on top of all of that, Antonia is subject to her mother's vicious slut-shaming, and yet simultaneously slut-shames her own cousins. Yuck. Hypocritical behavior.
The only redeeming quality was Antonia's grandmother. She was a great character, not quite as shallow as the others, and I wish she played a bigger role.
So, unfortunately, this book gets 1/5 stars from me, for sending young girls all the wrong messages.
August 29, 2017
This book was an accidental find at my local bookstore. I didn't really expect much, I also don't read a lot of contemporary books, I wasn't very excited. Boy was I glad I came across this story. 😍
July 12, 2008
Antonia Labella is fifteen years old and has yet to be kissed and it is her deepest desire to become the first official living saint. Don’t think she’s serious? Well every month Antonia sends a letter to the Pope with a new saint idea, whether it be the Patron Saint of Figs, or the Patron Saint of First Kisses, she always has a new idea. She also makes sure that she is in all the good graces of all the current saints, she prays to a different one each night and even keeps a saint journal where she keeps all of her prayers.
Then there is the whole kissing business. There is this boy, Andy Rotellini who Antonia has been lusting after since well, forever basically. She truly believes that he will be the one, but she just may be mistaken in that area. While becoming a saint and experiencing her first kiss seem unlikely, it certainly isn’t from lacking of trying on Antonia’s part. On a journey of self-discovery Antonia grows up a bit and learns all there is to first kisses and sainthood.
Well, lets start with the fact that I liked this book. The writing was decent, the plot was original and the characters were pretty good. I loved the Italian authenticity and thoroughly enjoyed the religious views that Antonia brought up and discussed. I also think that this book has quite a broad appeal. It’s a good book for young and older teens and overall is just plain fun.
As for the plot, well it started out really well. For the first fifty pages or so I was continuously laughing and was really enjoying the book, I pretty much figured that this was going to be a great book, but alas I spoke too soon. Soon Antonia became completely infatuated with this jerk guy and completely ignored the nice guy, and then the story just started getting repetitive. Antonia was doing the same things over and over again and it got very frustrating. The plot was definitely the downfall of the book, but the ending and beginning definitely saved it from being a total blow out.
Although the plot was not that great, the characters were fabulous. Antonia was funny and oh so obsessed with becoming a saint. Her saint ideas were absolutely crazy, but I loved each and everyone. She was adorable waiting for her first kiss and I loved the relationship she had with her best friend. My only qualm with her is that she felt considerable older than fifteen, but it was only until the end of the book that I realized this, so it wasn’t that big of an issue. Antonia’s grandmother was also a trip. She was forgetful and senile which pretty much made her absolutely hilarious.
Overall I liked this book and thought that it was a solid debut for Donna Freitas.
Then there is the whole kissing business. There is this boy, Andy Rotellini who Antonia has been lusting after since well, forever basically. She truly believes that he will be the one, but she just may be mistaken in that area. While becoming a saint and experiencing her first kiss seem unlikely, it certainly isn’t from lacking of trying on Antonia’s part. On a journey of self-discovery Antonia grows up a bit and learns all there is to first kisses and sainthood.
Well, lets start with the fact that I liked this book. The writing was decent, the plot was original and the characters were pretty good. I loved the Italian authenticity and thoroughly enjoyed the religious views that Antonia brought up and discussed. I also think that this book has quite a broad appeal. It’s a good book for young and older teens and overall is just plain fun.
As for the plot, well it started out really well. For the first fifty pages or so I was continuously laughing and was really enjoying the book, I pretty much figured that this was going to be a great book, but alas I spoke too soon. Soon Antonia became completely infatuated with this jerk guy and completely ignored the nice guy, and then the story just started getting repetitive. Antonia was doing the same things over and over again and it got very frustrating. The plot was definitely the downfall of the book, but the ending and beginning definitely saved it from being a total blow out.
Although the plot was not that great, the characters were fabulous. Antonia was funny and oh so obsessed with becoming a saint. Her saint ideas were absolutely crazy, but I loved each and everyone. She was adorable waiting for her first kiss and I loved the relationship she had with her best friend. My only qualm with her is that she felt considerable older than fifteen, but it was only until the end of the book that I realized this, so it wasn’t that big of an issue. Antonia’s grandmother was also a trip. She was forgetful and senile which pretty much made her absolutely hilarious.
Overall I liked this book and thought that it was a solid debut for Donna Freitas.
April 10, 2013
Antonias Leben ist alles andere als einfach: Die 15-Jährige geht auf eine Mädchenschule, die von Nonnen geleitet wird und muss ihrer erzkatholischen, strengen, italienischen Mutter im familieneigenen Lebensmittelladen helfen und dabei noch ihre nervigen Cousinen ertragen. Wie soll sie es dabei noch schaffen, endlich von ihrem Schwarm Andy Rotellini geküsst zu werden, der noch nicht mal bemerkt hat, dass es sie gibt?! Deshalb macht Antonia das, was sie schon seit ihrem siebenten Lebensjahr tut: Sie betet zu den Heiligen, z.B. zur heiligen Teresa, der Schutzheiligen für Anmut. Da es über 5000 Heilige gibt, sollte man meinen, dass für jede Situation der passende zur Verfügung stünde, doch weit gefehlt. So gibt es niemanden für den Kuss, weshalb sich Antonia per Eilbrief an den Papst selbst vorschlägt...
Nachdem mir „Wie viel Leben passt in eine Tüte“ sehr gefiel und mich berührte, machte mich auch Donna Freitas neues Buch „Antonia Lucia Labellas brillanter Plan“ mit seiner ungewöhnlichen und vielversprechenden Idee neugierig.
Schon nach dem ersten Brief an den Papst, in dem sich Antonia für einen „Schutzpatron für Feigen und Feigenbäume“ ausspricht, wusste ich, dass mir das Buch gefallen würde. Ich schloss Antonia mit ihrer offenen, direkten und unschuldigen Art sofort ins Herz. Sie meint fast alles, was sie sagt und schreibt ernst, wodurch die Geschichte einfach zuckersüß und herrlich lustig zu lesen ist.
Obwohl ich weder katholisch, noch evangelisch oder anderweitig gläubig bin, fand ich es richtig interessant und spannend zu lesen, was es alles für Heilige gibt. Antonia ist auf diesem Gebiet eine wahre Expertin, so betet sie z.B. mal zum heiligen Expeditus (Schutzheiliger gegen Verzögerungen), zum heiligen Sebaldus (Schutzheiliger gegen Kälte) oder zum heiligen Sebastian, dem Schutzpatron für Sportler. Die Gebete haben mitunter ganz unerwartete Wirkungen...
Ich wollte gar nicht mehr aufhören zu lesen, denn in der kleinen verrückten, italienischen Familie fühlte ich mich sehr wohl. Neben der strengen Mutter, die Lucia nur mit komplett bedeckten Armen und Beinen aus dem Haus lässt, gibt es noch die liebe, vergessliche Oma und eine beste Freundin, wie sie sich jedes Mädchen nur wünschen kann. Dank der gemeinen Cousinen und einiger überraschender Wendungen wird es beim Lesen nicht langweilig. Einiges ahnte ich bereits vorher, von anderen Ereignissen wurde ich genauso überrumpelt, wie Antonia.
„Antonia Lucia Labellas brillanter Plan“ hat mich vom Anfang bis zum Ende begeistert, denn Antonia ist ein außergewöhnliches Mädchen mit einem ungewöhnlichen Ziel, welches sie mit Feuereifer verfolgt und mich dabei sehr oft zum Schmunzeln und zum Lachen brachte.
Nachdem mir „Wie viel Leben passt in eine Tüte“ sehr gefiel und mich berührte, machte mich auch Donna Freitas neues Buch „Antonia Lucia Labellas brillanter Plan“ mit seiner ungewöhnlichen und vielversprechenden Idee neugierig.
Schon nach dem ersten Brief an den Papst, in dem sich Antonia für einen „Schutzpatron für Feigen und Feigenbäume“ ausspricht, wusste ich, dass mir das Buch gefallen würde. Ich schloss Antonia mit ihrer offenen, direkten und unschuldigen Art sofort ins Herz. Sie meint fast alles, was sie sagt und schreibt ernst, wodurch die Geschichte einfach zuckersüß und herrlich lustig zu lesen ist.
Obwohl ich weder katholisch, noch evangelisch oder anderweitig gläubig bin, fand ich es richtig interessant und spannend zu lesen, was es alles für Heilige gibt. Antonia ist auf diesem Gebiet eine wahre Expertin, so betet sie z.B. mal zum heiligen Expeditus (Schutzheiliger gegen Verzögerungen), zum heiligen Sebaldus (Schutzheiliger gegen Kälte) oder zum heiligen Sebastian, dem Schutzpatron für Sportler. Die Gebete haben mitunter ganz unerwartete Wirkungen...
Ich wollte gar nicht mehr aufhören zu lesen, denn in der kleinen verrückten, italienischen Familie fühlte ich mich sehr wohl. Neben der strengen Mutter, die Lucia nur mit komplett bedeckten Armen und Beinen aus dem Haus lässt, gibt es noch die liebe, vergessliche Oma und eine beste Freundin, wie sie sich jedes Mädchen nur wünschen kann. Dank der gemeinen Cousinen und einiger überraschender Wendungen wird es beim Lesen nicht langweilig. Einiges ahnte ich bereits vorher, von anderen Ereignissen wurde ich genauso überrumpelt, wie Antonia.
„Antonia Lucia Labellas brillanter Plan“ hat mich vom Anfang bis zum Ende begeistert, denn Antonia ist ein außergewöhnliches Mädchen mit einem ungewöhnlichen Ziel, welches sie mit Feuereifer verfolgt und mich dabei sehr oft zum Schmunzeln und zum Lachen brachte.
March 14, 2013
Meinung
Ein Kinder-und Jugendbuch das sich rund um den Glauben, und um ein Mädchen das den Wunsch hat eine Heilige zu werden, dreht.
Charaktere
Alles dreht sich um Antonia Lucia Labella, wie man auch schon an dem Buchtitel erkennen kann. Antonia ist stark gläubig, geht auf eine katholische Schule und möchte gerne eine Heilige werden. Außerdem steht sie im regen Kontakt mit den Schutzpatronen und schlägt dauerhaft per E-Mail Dinge vor die geschützt werden sollten. Klingt verwirrend, war es auch irgendwie, zumindest für mich.
Ansonsten war Antonia allerdings ein sympathisches Mädchen, das weiß wie es mit ihrer aufbrausenden Mutter umgehen soll, und das über beide Ohren verliebt ist.
Auch ihre beste Freundin Maria war sehr sympathisch, beinahe sympathischer als Antonia.
Schreibstil & Aufbau
Der Schreibstil ist sehr kinder-und jugendgerecht gehalten und flüssig. Geschrieben wurde aus der Sicht von Antonia und der Aufbau besteht aus normalen Kapiteln, wobei jedes Kapitel mit einem Satz und einer Aussage von Antonia eingeleitet wird.
Fazit
Ich habe mich sehr über das neue Buch von Donna Freitas gefreut, da ich von ihrem vorherigen Werk "Wie viel Leben passt in eine Tüte" sehr begeistert war. Doch diese beiden Bücher lassen sich nicht im geringsten miteinander vergleichen!
Antonia Lucia Labellas brillanter Plan ist eher ein Kinderbuch und auch für junge Jugendliche geeignet und der Inhalt wird wohl nicht für jedermann etwas sein.
Ich hatte zumindest das Problem, dass ich bis zum Ende nicht in die Geschichte rein fand und mich das Buch eher unzufrieden zurück ließ.
Antonia hat den brillanten Plan eine Heilige werden zu wollen, außerdem fallen ihr ständig neue Dinge ein, für die Schutzpatronen bestens geeignet wären. Allen voran die Feigen.
Das mit den Schutzpatronen fand ich von Anfang an komisch. Das sie eine Heilige werden wollte war noch vertretbar, denn es geschahen eigenartige Dinge wenn sie Leute küsste. Außerdem vergötterte sie einige Heilige sehr.
Doch allem in allem wurde ich, wie oben erwähnt, nicht warm mit eigentlich Allem.
Eigentlich schade, aber ein Versuch war es allemal wert.
Ich bin trotzdem gespannt was Donna Freitas als nächstes herausbringen wird und vielleicht ist es dann wieder ein schönes Jugendbuch.
Ein Kinder-und Jugendbuch das sich rund um den Glauben, und um ein Mädchen das den Wunsch hat eine Heilige zu werden, dreht.
Charaktere
Alles dreht sich um Antonia Lucia Labella, wie man auch schon an dem Buchtitel erkennen kann. Antonia ist stark gläubig, geht auf eine katholische Schule und möchte gerne eine Heilige werden. Außerdem steht sie im regen Kontakt mit den Schutzpatronen und schlägt dauerhaft per E-Mail Dinge vor die geschützt werden sollten. Klingt verwirrend, war es auch irgendwie, zumindest für mich.
Ansonsten war Antonia allerdings ein sympathisches Mädchen, das weiß wie es mit ihrer aufbrausenden Mutter umgehen soll, und das über beide Ohren verliebt ist.
Auch ihre beste Freundin Maria war sehr sympathisch, beinahe sympathischer als Antonia.
Schreibstil & Aufbau
Der Schreibstil ist sehr kinder-und jugendgerecht gehalten und flüssig. Geschrieben wurde aus der Sicht von Antonia und der Aufbau besteht aus normalen Kapiteln, wobei jedes Kapitel mit einem Satz und einer Aussage von Antonia eingeleitet wird.
Fazit
Ich habe mich sehr über das neue Buch von Donna Freitas gefreut, da ich von ihrem vorherigen Werk "Wie viel Leben passt in eine Tüte" sehr begeistert war. Doch diese beiden Bücher lassen sich nicht im geringsten miteinander vergleichen!
Antonia Lucia Labellas brillanter Plan ist eher ein Kinderbuch und auch für junge Jugendliche geeignet und der Inhalt wird wohl nicht für jedermann etwas sein.
Ich hatte zumindest das Problem, dass ich bis zum Ende nicht in die Geschichte rein fand und mich das Buch eher unzufrieden zurück ließ.
Antonia hat den brillanten Plan eine Heilige werden zu wollen, außerdem fallen ihr ständig neue Dinge ein, für die Schutzpatronen bestens geeignet wären. Allen voran die Feigen.
Das mit den Schutzpatronen fand ich von Anfang an komisch. Das sie eine Heilige werden wollte war noch vertretbar, denn es geschahen eigenartige Dinge wenn sie Leute küsste. Außerdem vergötterte sie einige Heilige sehr.
Doch allem in allem wurde ich, wie oben erwähnt, nicht warm mit eigentlich Allem.
Eigentlich schade, aber ein Versuch war es allemal wert.
Ich bin trotzdem gespannt was Donna Freitas als nächstes herausbringen wird und vielleicht ist es dann wieder ein schönes Jugendbuch.
October 12, 2009
Donna has created a great tale with lots of Italian flavor in its pages. Her characters are believable and easy to relate too. I enjoyed the cover, it is a picture perfect of its content. The story, its characters, and the many saints that Antonia prays to are very real in the protagonist’s life.
Antonia, the main character, is a fifteen-year-old catholic schoolgirl living in the world of today. Like many other girls her age, she spends hours trying to figure out a way that her knee high uniform looks cool, beneath her mother’s strict scrutiny. However, unlike many girls her age, she knows and keeps a diary of a zillion saints and knows who to ask for all the favors she might need, every moment of the day.
She has a crush on a young man from the men’s Catholic school, yet her friend Michael spends a lot of time chasing her. Michael is the flirty type and calls every girl love, which Antonia disapproves of. Nonetheless, the boy she likes doesn’t pay any attention to her, but this is not going to discouraged her.
She is more than sure that every girl in the school has been kissed but her and she is dying to have that experience for herself. Yet, she isn’t going to let it happened with just anyone, specially not with Michael.
Antonia had devotedly written letters to the Vatican suggesting herself as a living Saint, every month for nine years. Each month is for a very important reason. Perhaps it has to do with her father dying in an accident, the month before she started her quest to sainthood. Her widow mother—the best Italian pasta maker in Rhode Island— is in charge of the family business, where Antonia, her mother, and grandmother live. Her mother is taken right out of an Italian Family, with mode-isms and a fiery vocabulary to match her Italian blood. It makes for many entertaining moments.
Her teenage life becomes very exciting when her mother hires the love of her life to work in the family store, and when she goes to a forbidden dance and gets busted. I recommend this book to anyone older than twelve years. Girls will identify with the protagonist and find it fascinatingly fun.
Antonia, the main character, is a fifteen-year-old catholic schoolgirl living in the world of today. Like many other girls her age, she spends hours trying to figure out a way that her knee high uniform looks cool, beneath her mother’s strict scrutiny. However, unlike many girls her age, she knows and keeps a diary of a zillion saints and knows who to ask for all the favors she might need, every moment of the day.
She has a crush on a young man from the men’s Catholic school, yet her friend Michael spends a lot of time chasing her. Michael is the flirty type and calls every girl love, which Antonia disapproves of. Nonetheless, the boy she likes doesn’t pay any attention to her, but this is not going to discouraged her.
She is more than sure that every girl in the school has been kissed but her and she is dying to have that experience for herself. Yet, she isn’t going to let it happened with just anyone, specially not with Michael.
Antonia had devotedly written letters to the Vatican suggesting herself as a living Saint, every month for nine years. Each month is for a very important reason. Perhaps it has to do with her father dying in an accident, the month before she started her quest to sainthood. Her widow mother—the best Italian pasta maker in Rhode Island— is in charge of the family business, where Antonia, her mother, and grandmother live. Her mother is taken right out of an Italian Family, with mode-isms and a fiery vocabulary to match her Italian blood. It makes for many entertaining moments.
Her teenage life becomes very exciting when her mother hires the love of her life to work in the family store, and when she goes to a forbidden dance and gets busted. I recommend this book to anyone older than twelve years. Girls will identify with the protagonist and find it fascinatingly fun.
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