A History of Saints

A Novel of Identity and the Dangers of Indecision (or Haste) During an Economic Downturn, Including Dog Handling, Courtly Love, Gardening and Cooking, Sexual Fluidity, Belly Dancing, Poetry, Loss, and Addiction

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Pub Date 01 Dec 2021 | Archive Date 10 Feb 2022
Shadelandhouse Modern Press, LLC | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles

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Description

"A leisurely comic, engaging tale about a boardinghouse’s strange denizens. …The novel, like the house, is a claustrophobic den of big personalities, absurd activities, and unlikely objects, all sharply rendered in Davis’ wry prose. …It’s a story about a certain place at a certain time—an Asheville [North Carolina] caught between its past and future—and it’s a fine spot to visit for a while."
Kirkus Reviews

During the Great Recession, to keep from losing his home—the stately “Carolina Court,” in Asheville, North Carolina—Frank Reed becomes a reluctant landlord to a houseful of misfits. A New Age outpost in the South, Asheville has plenty of eccentrics, and Frank’s elderly tenant, Angus Saxe-Pardee, is the strangest of all. Taking charge of the household, Angus rents the last remaining rooms to two women: Andromeda Megan Bell’s arrival prompts chivalry and brings a stalking ex-lover to Frank’s home; and in Lida Barfield, the elegant enigma, Angus at last meets his match.

In the feuding and chaos that follow, feral chihuahuas are captured, poetry is butchered, and love and gardening finally triumph.

For anyone grieving what we lose to gentrification, A History of Saints is a comedy of errors to revive memories of when our lives felt harder—yet were somehow richer.

"A leisurely comic, engaging tale about a boardinghouse’s strange denizens. …The novel, like the house, is a claustrophobic den of big personalities, absurd activities, and unlikely objects, all...


A Note From the Publisher

Book illustrator: Juyan Davis

Book illustrator: Juyan Davis


Advance Praise

"In this debut literary novel, the residents of a Southern boardinghouse try (and fail) not to drive one another nuts.

In Asheville, North Carolina, Frank Reed is the owner of Carolina Court, a run-down Victorian house that he has long dreamed of turning into a quaint inn. Now, the Great Recession has made such a dream seem less likely than ever, but Frank is unable to sell the house in such an unforgiving market. Instead, he’s simply rented out every room he can to a peculiar assortment of tenants, the oddest of all being the aging Scotsman and odd-jobber Angus Saxe-Pardee. With the meddlesome positivity of a fairy godmother, Angus has taken it on himself to help Frank fill the remaining two rooms (specifically in the hopes of bringing a female presence to the building). One goes to the 6-foot-2 interpretive dancer and waitress Andromeda Megan Bell. She’s just emerged from a sudden breakup, though her ex-girlfriend won’t accept things are over and quickly begins turning up at the property. The other room goes to the sphinxlike Lida Barfield, a trauma ward nurse and breast cancer survivor. It’s like adding two Chihuahuas to a house full of cats (which also happens to be a description of the recent change to the house’s pet population). It’s a combination that seems destined to go down in flames. The novel, like the house, is a claustrophobic den of big personalities, absurd activities, and unlikely objects, all sharply rendered in Davis’ wry prose. Here, Angus recommends a book for Frank’s perusal: “The title was almost worn away. Frank could make out the words Eugenics and Sex. ‘It’s a little dated,’ Angus agreed, ‘and the fellow may have been a Nazi of some sort, but he has some salient points to make, particularly about dieting. A lot of your problems, actually. The tale unfolds at an easygoing pace, more interested in developing the characters and their relationships than launching into any complex plot. It’s a story about a certain place at a certain time—an Asheville caught between its past and future—and it’s a fine spot to visit for a while."
Kirkus Reviews

"In this debut literary novel, the residents of a Southern boardinghouse try (and fail) not to drive one another nuts.

In Asheville, North Carolina, Frank Reed is the owner of Carolina Court, a...


Marketing Plan

NetGalley Program
Press releases
Social Media
Author book tour in the Southeast United States, including author events in Asheville, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina, and other
Radio and print interviews in the Asheville, North Carolina, and other cities in the Southeast United States

Submissions for reviews and blog posts
Advertising appropriate for the title and the author
Submissions to book fairs and festivals
Submissions for book awards

NetGalley Program
Press releases
Social Media
Author book tour in the Southeast United States, including author events in Asheville, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina, and other
Radio and...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781945049194
PRICE $26.95 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

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Send to Kindle (EPUB)

Average rating from 2 members


Featured Reviews

A History of Saints kept me interested every step of the way. The characters were interesting. Some of the characters were shadowed by a hint of mystery regarding the past, but this only added to the flow of the story. The characters were defined well enough that I was never wondering "which one is this?"

The ending of the book was a delight. The Epilogue was very satisfying and cleared up a few mysteries that I was afraid would be left unsolved.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable book.

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Thank you Netgalley and Shadelandhouse Modern Press, LLC for the eARC.
In Asheville, NC, Frank Reed is the owner of Carolina Court, a handsome house he bought on the cheap and lovingly restored hoping to attract tenants. His strangest one, Angus, a supposed Scotsman, 'helps' him by getting two more tenants, who are as odd as the others. Angus finds and catches two Chihuahuas and trains them, hoping to
add to his meagre income.
I loved the parts about the Chihuahuas and found the human characters quite amusing; the whole book was very different, in a good way, and the illustrations wonderful. A very enjoyable tale of people who listen to a different drum in a place that lets them. Definitely recommended!
I couldn't find it on Goodreads so unfortunately wasn't able to leave my review there.

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