Review of Beth Moore’s The Undoing of Saint Silvanus

I will admit, I have never read anything by Beth Moore. I know she has a cadre of hard-core raving fans, but I haven’t read a single book of hers. Until now. 

And I probably wouldn’t have if the Cupcake hadn’t dragged me into random bookstore and Beth Moore’s new FICTION title, “The Undoing of Saint Silvanus” The Undoing of Saint Silvanus” was perched ever so close to the entirety of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series. And because it takes her ages to examine and evaluate what she currently owns and what she has yet to acquire, I had several minutes to take in the jacket of this pretty book. 

And it is pretty! I buy my books like I buy wine, by the label or the cover. This one in it’s beautiful collection of aqua hues had just the right amount of rusted Louisiana-looking fence posts on it, to make me pick it up. The fleur de lis tempted me to crack it open.

Set in New Orleans ✔️

Mystery ✔️

A drawing on the inside ✔️

Eccentric characters ✔️

I’m in. 

This is a big book: 460 pages! It’s not scary or gory or anything that will haunt your dreams. It’s even a bit obvious in some of the character connections, but I enjoyed every bit of it, likely because it’s set in one of my favorite places to visit. And the main character gets a job at a beignet shop. I mean, who wouldn’t love to escape to a beignet shop all day?

The story is of a young girl who’s grown up without a father, has a narcissistic mother, and it’s hardly a wonder why she has very little self-worth. When she learns her (drunk, homeless) father has passed, she is invited to attend the funeral,  compliments of her grandmother who she hasn’t seen in 20 years. 

The reunion does not go well.

Her return to San Francisco does not go well andbecause of life circumstances, she bounces back to New Orleans and that’s when the serious weirdness begins to happen. It seems that there’s much more to her high profile family history, and strange and suspicious events begin to unfold that are connected to her father’s now questionable death. 

Because this is a Beth Moore book, you know that God will be in it, and surprisingly, he stays in the wings until the end. I do wish I could see that Christmas pageant that she so colorfully illustrates!

This is a satisfying and G-rated read. Well, maybe PG. There is some violence, but overall, this is an enjoyable story. Beth Moore junkies will love it, those of us new to Beth Moore will be thirsty for another of her fiction works and maybe even venture into one of her other many best-selling titles. 

You can buy The Undoing of Saint Silvanus The Undoing of Saint Silvanus on Amazon.com. (affiliate link)