MixedFull StopGiven the title of Ten Thousand Saints, Eleanor Henderson’s entertaining and readable debut novel, and the fact that its protagonist is named for Saint Jude, you might reasonably conclude that the book is about goodness, sainthood, moral transformation. And in some ways it is ... the book is less hagiography than Peter Pan, a band of orphans fighting their own way through a land of make-believe ... Because [Henderson\'s] writing never approaches surrealism or fable, the unrealistic elements of the story tend to feel instead like young adult fiction ... Henderson’s skillful and occasionally beautiful writing...goes a ways in mitigating the gimmicks, but good prose can’t wrap up a story. Happily, the end did redeem them in some measure ... When the dream ended and morning came, Ten Thousand Saints finally earned my trust. But isn’t that a little late?
