Faith

Couldn't put it down!!

Best book I've read in a long time. Well written, sensitively told family story about a devout Roman Catholic family with buried secrets. I literally couldn't stop reading it, and snuck off to read it whenever I had a free minute. I finished it in one day. I've read and enjoyed all of Jennifer Haigh's novels but this was my favorite. An intelligent, thought provoking page turner.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Must read!!

Saw a review of the book in the Costco Connection and picked it up on my Nook; could not book the down. The way Jennifer intertwined each of the family members in the story was wonderful.

Great read!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

The best book I've read this year- an emotional family journey

Haigh sets her story in Boston in 2004, shortly after scandal began to rock the Catholic diocese. Many priests had been accused of sexually abusing young people, and the large Catholic community was devastated. Sheila McGann tells the story of her half-brother, Art Breen, a priest accused by an eight-year-old boy's mother of molesting her son. There is an element of mystery to the novel as Sheila attempts to discover whether the charges are true. Art's mother, a devout Catholic, believes her son could never do what he is accused of. Sheila's brother Mike, a former cop and father of three young boys, is disgusted, believing that no eight-year-old boy could lie about being molested. Sheila supports Art, but has her doubts. The title of the book, Faith, is brilliant, for this is a book not about religious faith, but more about faith in your family. Sheila says to Mike, "Sorry, Mike, but sooner or later you have to decide what you believe." It was a thing I'd always known but until recently had forgotten: that faith is a decision. In its most basic form, it is a choice. I love those lines, because faith really is an active thing. You can grow up attending mass every week, participating in the sacraments, but to really have faith, you have to choose to believe in something. Family is at the heart of this novel, and Sheila's family has its troubles, like most. She says: We are a family of secrets. Without knowing quite how I knew it, I understood what might be said, and what must be quiet. If from the outside the rules appeared arbitrary, from the inside they were perfectly clear. I suspect that Sheila's family is not as unlike other families as she believes. I think many people reading this book will relate to the McGann/Breen family. What I like about Haigh's books is that the characters are so real, you think that you actually know them. Father Art is the most well drawn. He is a lonely man, even as a youth; perhaps being a stepson and stepbrother added to that sense of being different. As a priest, Art cannot marry or have a family of his own, and this isolation hurts him. His loneliness is palpable, and when he meets the young boy and his drug-addicted mother, he feels a sense of family and belonging. The least well drawn character is Art's mother. Sheila and Mike do not like their mother, they make many cutting comments about her, but I was never clear exactly what she had done to warrant this dislike. She seems to be very distant from her children, and perhaps the author made her character less clear to her children to emphasize that distance. Faith is an emotional ride, and it affected me deeply. Days later, I find myself still thinking about Father Art, my heart aching for him. The writing is superb, the characters are so real. It is simply the best book I have read this year. It ranks up with Emma Donoghue's amazing Room in the emotions that I felt when I read it. I grew up in a Catholic family, and that part of the story resonates with me, but you do not have to be Catholic to appreciate the richness of this story. If you have siblings, you will understand the feelings here.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Loved It

When I first started the book I didn't think I was going to like it but as I got into it I could barely put it down. It opens your eyes into the everday lives of people from many different walks of life. It also opens your eyes to the controversy within the Catholic Church about priests and the accusations that have come out. It shows how even in something as grave as ruining peoples lives, some people will stoop as low as possible for money. In the same realm, others will do anything to protect the innocent. This is not the whole jist of the book but it does play a big part in it. I think it is a good read and I would read other books by this author in the anticipation that they would be as good as FAITH!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended

I've read and loved several other books by this author. This is one of my favorites.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great book. Highly recommended.

My first Nook book. I walked around the house with it for two days. Read in bed in the morning and at night. Thought-provoking. Infuriating. Heart-stopping. Without a doubt, I'll be recommending it to my book group.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

OUTSTANDING! AN EXTRAORDINARY READ

This is a masterpiece. I have not read a book this exceptional in a very long time. I am always looking for that story that makes me say....I want more! This is that novel.. Read this, you will not be disappointed...

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best book I have read this year!

This book is well written and I could not put it down. The view of a family and their demons is phenomenal. Additionally, the story was riviting. A must read for anyone who enjoys well written modern fiction.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Couldn't put this book down. Loved it. Hated it to end.

Best book I've read in a long time. Couldn't put it down. I lived in the area at the time and was mesmerized by the whole book. Nothing I have read on this subject came close to the real problem with the church. Called all my friends to get this book. Well written. I think this book is for everyone. I just downloaded Mrs. Kimbal and can't wait to get started.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Cherrykit

Cherrykit- sorry i was out skateboarding

Stormkit

Fun!!

WE ARE MOVING!!!!!!

TO NIGHT ALL FIRST PAGE!!! TELL CATS AT RESTORING HOPE AND SAY PRETTYHEART IS LOCKED OUT!!!!!

another good book by Jennifer Haigh

This novel is set in Boston during 2002---the days of the "witch hunt" for priests who abused children. An Irish priest is accused. The story is told by his sister, and there are no difficult parts to read about any sexual abuse. His sister investigates the allegations and presents testimony for the reader to judge if the priest was guilty. A younger brother discovers other evidence that is crucial, but he does not reveal it. The plot and characterization is great. My book discussion group enjoyed this novel and the earlier Haigh novel The Condition.

Thought Provoking

With Faith, Ms. Haigh is able to provide insight into how easily one may be accused (and destroyed), and how little our society values a person whose faith leads him to trust.

Brilliant and Haunting

It's rare that I don't immediately want to start a new book once I finish reading one, but it happened with "Faith". I simply couldn't see reading a fiction book for a while after finishing this one ~ it was haunting and I needed to sit with it for a while. In some ways it hit close to the heart ~ not for obvious reasons, but some sort of parallels. I've at times felt very much like Art in some things myself, and I've known other people who are pretty much the opposite. Not that we come close to the events of the book, but... I don't want to say much more and spoil it. I'll just say "Faith" definitely shows you that things are not always what they seem.

Very good read!

I really enjoyed this book though the outcome was very sad. This definitely brings to light the priest scandal that has been plaguing the catholic church but the author also shows how easy it was to accuse someone. Father Arthur was a sincerely good person but was accused wrongly. I was intrigued from beginning to end!

Book Club Winner

The word must be out because for months it was impossible to find a copy at any of almost 20 libraries in the DC suburbs of Maryland. It is well worth purchasing because this book gets passed on to friends and family.

Highly Recommended

Wonderful story of the catholic church and the sexual abuse crisis told from the eyes of the family of the accused priest. The story is told from the prospective of the priest and his sister and brother each of whom has an agenda. Great descriptions of the Boston area.

You will get angry no matter what your opinion is

Ah, the pedophile priest scandal. No matter what you say about it, somebody will be angry at you. I can't think of a single person who isn't disgusted and outraged by child molestation - and rightfully so. The controversy is in the way the Catholic Church responded.

Full disclosure time: I'm not Catholic, but my parents are. (They converted after my brother and I were grown up.) More disclosure: I disagree with a lot of the policies of the Catholic Church. (Hey, if I agreed, I'd be Catholic myself.) I will say this: there are some good things about Catholicism - the long tradition of learning and scholarship, the spirit of reaching out to those in need, the vivid imagination that informs their lore, and the sheer beauty of their churches and rituals. BUT - appreciating the good things about Catholicism does not excuse child molestation. "Ever. Nor does it excuse those situations where abuse occurred and the perpetrator was simply moved to another locality, or sent to "treatment" without a court hearing. If nothing else, those kids deserved to have their grievance heard under the laws of this land - I don't care WHO the perp is, he can damn well go to a civilian court (and a civilian prison if found guilty.)

Lecture over. Now that I've ticked everybody off, let's talk about the book. The main character, Sheila, is caught between her two brothers - one an accused priest, the other a man who has his own dysfunctional ties to the alleged victim. The story of Sheila is well played - she grew up in this whole Boston Irish Catholic milieu, and it seems like she never did feel comfortable in it, and escaped to live her own kind of life. I can relate to feeling estranged from the atmosphere you grew up in. But Sheila, like most of us, still loves her family, and the crisis and heartbreak draw her right back in. Think about it: a brother you love is accused of a terrible crime. What would be worse: finding out that he did it, or finding out that he was falsely accused and all of your lives were damaged for nothing?

It's a pretty intense book, and it will make you think about your own family ties, and the future of the Catholic Church.

Interesting

Interesting