Mrs. Saint and the Defectives: A Novel

Written by Julie Lawson Timmer

Narrated by Elizabeth Wiley

Critically acclaimed author Julie Lawson Timmer returns with a tale of how community can heal the brokenness in all of us.

Markie, a fortysomething divorcée who has suffered a humiliating and very public fall from marital, financial, and professional grace, moves, along with her teenage son, Jesse, to a new town, hoping to lick her wounds in private. But Markie and Jesse are unable to escape the attention of their new neighbor Mrs. Saint, an irascible, elderly New European woman who takes it upon herself, along with her ragtag group of “defectives,” to identify and fix the flaws in those around her, whether they want her to or not.

What Markie doesn’t realize is that Mrs. Saint has big plans for the divorcée’s broken spirit. Soon, the quirky yet endearing woman recruits Markie to join her eccentric community, a world where both hidden truths and hope unite them. But when Mrs. Saint’s own secrets threaten to unravel their fragile web of healing, it’s up to Markie to mend these wounds and usher in a new era for the “defectives”—one full of second chances and happiness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781536675344

Julie Lawson Timmer

Julie Lawson Timmer grew up in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, and graduated from McMaster University before earning a law degree from Southern Methodist University in Texas. By turns, she is a writer, lawyer, mom/stepmom, and fledgling yogi. Her first novel, Five Days Left, received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal; her second novel, Untethered, received a starred review from Library Journal and was praised by Kirkus Reviews as a “thoughtfully written and ultimately uplifting celebration of families that are not bound by blood or by law but by love.” Timmer lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her husband, Dan, their children, and two dogs. Visit her online at www.julielawsontimmer.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JulieLawsonTimmerAuthor, on Twitter @JulieLTimmer, and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/julielawsontimmer.

Reviews for Mrs. Saint and the Defectives

[auntieg0412 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've said before in my reviews that I have a love/hate relationship with the free Kindle First selections -- I keep choosing a book each month (even though most of my selections end up on the DNF shelf) because every now and then I find a diamond. Mrs. Saint and the Defectives is one of the diamonds.

Humor and over-the-top characters can work very well to make a point, and Ms. Timmer used them masterfully here. The moral of this book, as I see it, is not only that we all should actively help others, but that we should be willing to accept help as well. When we accept someone's offer of help we are often helping that person as much as we are helping ourselves. And don't we all need help sometimes? Of course we do. (Right now I'm humming "I get by with a little help from my friends.")

Even though there is a serious theme in the book, it is also light reading. So add it to your beach-read list. It will touch your heart and make you smile.

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a Kindle book, and I don't know/remember when and where I got it.Markie had it all; the beautiful home, stylish wardrobe, a handsome and charming husband named Kyle, and a teen sone named Jesse who attended a posh private school. But it all came apart when she found out her husband was cheating on her, the house was in foreclosure, Kyle had pretty much run through all their money and couldn't seem to keep a job, and it seemed the mothers of the students at Jesse's school knew too much about all of it. Markie decided divorce was the only solution.Markie packed up all she could, pulled Jesse out of school and moved in wither her parents. After about a month of her parents' constant criticism and pushing to get Markie to reconcile with her ex, Markie decided to move away from her parents to someplace she wasn't known. She'd find a place to live, some sort of job and put Jesse in public school. She'd start over.She found a small bungalow and managed to cram all her furniture into it. She also finds her neighbour is an old lady, who dresses well and seems to be poking her nose into Markie's business. The woman is Mrs. St. Denis, pronounced San Duh-nee. When people see the name written they tend to pronounce it as Saint Den-iss, so she goes by Mrs. Sainte. Mrs. Sainte is a tiny, white haired woman with a heavy French accent and dresses in expensive clothes, complete with proper jewellery and accessories.As the story progresses, Markie learns about the people she sees at Mrs. Sainte's house; their back stories and reason for being there. Markie also finds herself changing from the stubborn, bitter and at times self-critical person she had become from the divorce.I found it an interesting read but didn't really get into it till over half way through. Markie's stubbornness and attitude sort of put me off. I was glad I did read it, though. In fact I was a little sad about part of the ending, but I am glad I read it completely. The theme seems to be that sometimes stubbornness and forgiveness may be hard attributes and everyone seems to have them somewhere in their make-up. Some of it can be good, but some of it can become roadblocks in life.

[ouroborosangel · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I feel like I read two different books. The first part of Mrs. Saint is about a whiny divorcee, Markie, whose husband cheated on her repeatedly and took all her money before she kicked him out. Markie only left him once everyone else found out that he was a cheater. She moves into a cozy little neighborhood with the nosy Mrs. Saint next door. Then comes all the whining about just wanting to be left alone - although clearly, her neighbors are doing everything they can to help the now-single-mother out.

The second part, and the best part, of the book happens after a tragedy occurs next door to Markie. If the story that was told in this second part of the book was the actual story of the book, and not just a memory retold by a character, this book would have been so amazing. Since this is not the case, I can only tell you that the end of the book is pretty good and ties up all the little mysteries that accumulated throughout.

I did listen to this book, so some of my reactions about Markie may be colored by the narration of her character. But she does seem overly uptight and spoiled, even for what she has gone through with the divorce, and oftentimes her anger seemed unjustified, ridiculous and forced. So, if you enjoy books with a completely unlikable main character, albeit with a pretty good payoff at the end, you will probably like this book.

[triscuit_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was in the mood for something light but the plot development didn't sustain my interest and the writing was not clever/fine/astute enough to keep me going. The characters and the premise were enough to get me almost half the way though but I lost interest. Two stars for intent and a great cover.

[dede1007 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is for anyone who has felt "broken". Recently divorced mom with one son who doesn't talk to her moves next door to what she feels is a very nosy neighbor. The story continues on with all the adventures with the neighbor and the ending has a surprise twist to it. This book is an easy read and well worth your time, I feel.

[teachlz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

MY REVIEW OF "MRS. SAINT AND THE DEFECTIVES" by Julie Lawson TrimmerIf things were difficult in your life, would you like the opportunity to have a second chance? In this charming novel, "Mrs. Saint and the Defectives", by Julie Lawson Timmer, the author discusses an "eccentric" community which has the feeling of family, and gives the people involved another chance for happinessThe genres of this novel are Fiction, Adult Fiction, and Women's Fiction.The author describes her characters as "flawed", "defective",quirky, complicated and complex.Markie and her son Jesse move away from their neighborhood, and community looking for a new start. Markie has been publicly humiliated by her husband, who has cheated, and caused her financial ruin. When they move to their newly  rented bungalow, they meet Mrs. Saint, a European woman, with a heavy accent ,who immediately takes charge. She arranges for Markie and Jessie to get settled in.  Mrs. Saint makes suggestions the way she thinks things should be, and somehow that is the way things are. Markie realizes that Mrs. Saint has provided meaningful jobs for other people who had lost their jobs and confidence. When everyone in the community works together, everything seems so much better!I love the idea of a family and community where everyone is accepted for who they are.I also appreciate how the author describes, forgiveness, family, friends, love and hope.I would highly recommend this entertaining and intriguing novel. I received an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) for my honest review.                                                  

[susan0316 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful book about family, friendship and neighbors. Markie's life has fallen apart after a public humiliation about her husband's infidelity. She and her teenage son move to a neighborhood where she doesn't know anyone and plans not to make friends. Her plan is quickly ruined by a small older French accented neighbor who quickly tries to pull Markie and her son into her world. The neighbor, Mrs. Saint runs a different type of household and has variousvery quirky and down on their luck people helping her - a cook who burns everything, a brash mother and her small daughter and a handyman who tends to mess up everything that he works on. As Markie resists being pulled into the life of the people next door, her son Jesse begins to get to know them. Markie finds that maybe its time to leave her intended isolation and accept the friendship being offered and the results of that decision are wonderful for her and her son.This is a fun book to read - often funny but more importantly very timely with two main themes - joy in life can be found by helping people who need help and family is more than blood relations, its made up of the people we care most about.Thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

[cburnett5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The cover for Mrs. Saint and the Defectives is spectacular; it is one of my favorite covers this year. The story inside is cute too, and while I adore my current neighbors, I would love to have Mrs. Saint and her Defectives in my neighborhood too. Recovering from a very public humiliation, Markie and her son Jesse move to a smaller home hoping to get away from prying eyes. Instead, they gain the attention of their new neighbor Mrs. Saint who makes it her personal business to help those in need including Markie and her son. While Markie is very slow to warm to her neighbor, Mrs. Saint tries to make her understand the importance of community and human connection. Timmer’s message is an important one, and the story is sweet and at times pretty humorous. I also loved the authentic and likeable characters. I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thoughts’ Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.