Agatha of Little Neon is a 2021 literary fiction novel by American author Claire Luchette. Agatha of Little Neon was praised upon its debut and was included in several best of 2021 lists.
 | |
| Author | Claire Luchette |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
Publication date | August 3, 2021[1] |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 288[1] |
| ISBN | 978-0-374-26526-7 |
| OCLC | 1240264841 |
Plot summary
editAgatha of Little Neon features Agatha, a sister of the Catholic Church, in 2005. Agatha entered the convent seven years earlier, after the death of her mother. She has become inseparable from three other young sisters—Frances, Mary Lucille, and Therese—who took their vows at the same time, and they are all devoted to their Mother Roberta.
At the beginning of the novel, Agatha and her three sisters are all 29 years old. They have spent much of their 20s working at their church in Lackawanna, New York, and running a daycare center. When the parish goes broke, the four sisters are transferred to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where they are in charge of a halfway house. The house is "the color of Mountain Dew" which prompts the nickname "Little Neon".[2]
At the halfway house, they care for a small group of broken, lost, and healing adults, including Tim Gary and Lawnmower Jill. During the day, Agatha is sent to teach geometry at a local Catholic girls' high school.
For her entire adult life, her three sisters have been her family, and the church her home. But as Agatha forges new relationships in the halfway house and at the school, and as the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal grows, she begins to question her religion and her identity. By the end of Agatha of Little Neon, Agatha comes of age and forges a new path for herself.
Reception
editAgatha of Little Neon has received favorable reviews. It garnered a "positive" rating at the review aggregator website Book Marks, based on seven reviews from mainstream literary critics; none were negative.[3] Vogue and The A.V. Club both included the novel in their "best of 2021" book lists,[4][5] and Vogue additionally placed it in their monthly list of best books in August 2021.[6] NPR featured Agatha of Little Neon as their book of the day for December 23, 2021.[7]
In individual reviews, Kirkus Reviews called Agatha of Little Neon "a charming and incisive debut" from Luchette.[8] While the Chicago Review of Books lightly chastised the novel for being "too spartan and easily accessible a novel" for some individuals, they praised it for reaching "that goal which all novels fundamentally pursue—saying something authentic and essential about the human experience—and [doing] so with verisimilitude and the grace that comes with living simply."[9] The Star Tribune lauded Luchette's work, writing that she "develops every person so fully, so effectively, that even those who briefly cross the page are memorable."[10] Indeed, NPR praised Agatha of Little Neon's adherence to the show, don't tell writing principle.[2]
Additional positive reviews were published by Publishers Weekly, The New York Times Book Review, Booklist, America, and Refinery29.[1][11][12][13][14]
See also
edit- Matrix (Groff novel), a nun-focused novel published around the same time as Agatha of Little Neon[15]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Agatha of Little Neon". Publishers Weekly. May 27, 2022. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021.
- ^ a b Corrigan, Maureen (August 11, 2021). "The Nuns In 'Agatha Of Little Neon' Don't Fly Or Sing, But They Will Stay With You". NPR.
- ^ "Book Marks reviews of Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette". Book Marks.
- ^ Schama, Chloe (November 28, 2021). "The Best Books to Read in 2021". Vogue.
- ^ Chavez, Danette; Adamczyk, Laura; McLevy, Alex; Fertel, Rien; Babendir, Bradley; Somers, Erin (December 15, 2021). "The A.V. Club's 15 favorite books of 2021". The A.V. Club.
- ^ Schama, Chloe (August 2021). "Some Like it Hot". Vogue (print ed.). p. 38.
- ^ "'Agatha Of Little Neon' falls out of love with the church: NPR's Book of the Day". NPR. December 23, 2021.
- ^ Agatha of Little Neon. Kirkus Reviews. May 19, 2021.
- ^ White, D. W. (July 2, 2021). "Simple Pleasures: The Unadorned Grace of "Agatha of Little Neon"". Chicago Review of Books.
- ^ Thomas-Kennedy, Jackie (August 6, 2021). "Review: 'Agatha of Little Neon,' by Claire Luchette". Star Tribune.
- ^ Ruta, Domenica (August 3, 2021). "Four Nuns and a Halfway House for Recovering Addicts". The New York Times.
- ^ Curbow, Joan (July 21, 2021). Agatha of Little Neon, by By Claire Luchette – via Booklist Online.
- ^ Shank, Jenny (December 3, 2021). "Review: Two new novels show the hidden lives of nuns". America.
- ^ Iversen, Kristin (June 1, 2021). "38 Books You'll Want To Read This Summer". Refinery29.
- ^ "Why Nun Stories Are About to Become Your Next Pop-Culture Obsession". Time. September 2, 2021.
External links
edit- Luchette, Claire (September 12, 2021). "The Nuns of Fiction: Experts in Affliction and Awe". The New York Times.
- Carl, Katy (July 5, 2022). "Book Review: Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette". Psaltery & Lyre.
- McDonald, David (June 28, 2022). "Review: Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette". The Mistress of the House of Books.