Keeping Faith

Faith-belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof.

Controversial topics in life are typically the following: religion, divorce, and even the media, so why is it that Jodi Picoult can take those subjects and write a novel that captures your heart? Basically, she takes the innocence of a child and uses it to portray it in a way that you can't complain about. Keeping Faith will have you wondering about things you never would believe could happen, such as stigmata and a resurrection.

Faith, by definition, is belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof. Faith, in this story, is a young girl striving for her mother's attention while her parents are in the middle of a messy custody battle. The crazy thing is, while this is going on, Faith starts to see God, and even take on occurrences that happened to the Messiah; she didn't even know who God was until this moment. Media hears about this miraculous little girl and creates frenzy and chaos that her and her family has very little patience to endure. A custody battle, along with the media frenzy, will cause unsuspecting characters to find love, and for the hopes of a young girl to hopefully be fulfilled; she wants the ones she loves to have unrelenting faith in her.

Jodi Picoult, in this novel, as well as her others, uses techniques that allow you to draw your own conclusion, and keeps you reading page after page until you are exhausted from sleep deprivation. She is also able to take several points of views, and make them your own thoughts, and really get you into character. I believe in her doing this, she really captured the essence of the book. Each main character, Faith, Mariah (Faith's mother), and Ian (televised Atheist), have their own story, and each has relevance to the outcome of the story. Faith, obviously has the most impact on the outcome, a young girl, fighting for attention, suddenly can perform miracles, and is totally oblivious to her doings. Mariah, once suicidal, is in the middle of protecting her daughter from the media, winning the custody battle, and winning the battle of learning to have faith and to trust. Ian is a character that will definitely strike your interest as his story unfolds, his of a child hood you never would have imagined, and his own battle of learning to open up again.
Although I don't enjoy doing it myself, I loved the fact that Picoult researched every nook and cranny in the book; she made sure that it was as realistic as possible. The court scene, for example, gave me chills, and made me feel as though I was one of the lucky people aloud to observe the trial. I could feel the hurt, the anger, and the deceit in every word and action made.

In a nut shell, I would definitely recommend this book to everyone out there, young or old, male or female with any religious background, but especially to mothers and daughters; read this together and I can guarantee that your relationship will only grow stronger. While I'm at it, I will also recommend one of Jodi Picoult's other moving novels, Change of Heart, especially if you love the controversial topics discussed in this book.

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Fascinating!!

Mariah White and her seven year old daughter, Faith, return home early one afternoon to find Mariah's husband in the bedroom with another woman. Mariah White, for the second time in their marriage, catches her husband with another woman, (first time she tried to commit suicide). Mariah once again goes into depression and Faith has an imaginary friend. Faith begins quoting the bible and is able to heal people. This brings proclaimed atheist and anti-televangelist, Ian Fletcher, into the mix, determined to discredit Faith and her supposed conversations with God. . Mariah tries to shield her daughter from the attention while trying to find out what is wrong with her. This one, as all of Jodi's books, grabs the heart with both hands.

6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Simply a Gem

I began this book not knowing what to expect: I hadn't read previous reviews, and I did not read the back cover before I opened it up. I was intrigued by the title and the cover art alone. As I read through it on SuperBowl Sunday, I was touched by the events that mark the milestones of Faith, Millie, Mariah and Ian. Each character was clearly defined, cleverly etched and leapt off the pages into my heart. The bickering between religions, the unflagging support of mother to child, and the honesty with which the author wrote the parent-child conversations touched me to the core. Of particular interest is in the climactic hospital scenes when Mariah's internal diaglogue exposes what every parent prays when their little ones are hurting. A real gem!

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended

This book was so amazing. As I read it, I felt like I truly knew the characters. This book made me ask questions. It really takes you on an amazing journey. AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful

I wouldn't normally pick up a book focusing religion, but Picout's novel touches on so many subjects familiar to all of us -- family, religion, our dreams, our downfalls -- that it brings the subject to a comfortable place to be contemplated. Picout creates characters that are believable in a story that leaves the reader yearning for each new chapter. I honestly couldn't put it down.. and I haven't felt that way about a book in a long time.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

WAS JUST OK NOT MY CUP OF TEA

I HAVE READ MOST OF MS PICOULT BOOKS BUT THIS ONE WAS FAR OUT THERE. I TO HAD TO KEEP GOING BACK TO RE READ SOME CHAPTERS WAS JUST A LITTLE TO CONFUSING FOR ME. I LIKE A PAGE TURNER & I DON'T THINK THIS WAS ONE OF THEM. SORRY BUT I LOVE TO READ & THIS WAS NOT THAT GREAT IN MY EYES.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Not Piccoult's best work

originally written in 1999, this early book from Jodi Piccoult is defintely not her best work. She had yet to mature as a writer and is still finding her way with character and plot. While still an interesting page turner, I have found it to be lacking in surprise with some rather two dimensional characters. But I am still reading it and there may be some more surprises in the end. She is still one of my favorite writers. This certainly does not pack the punch of her later works The Pact, My Sister's Keeper, or Nineteen Minutes.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

one of my favorites

I love Jodi Picoult and, although I have only read three going on four of her books, this still remains my favorite. The plot of this book is one of the most origional I have ever read. I could not put this book down when I was reading it. I believe that the best books are the ones that make you think, make you question things, and keep you entertained. This book did all of those things and more. I don't care about all of the other people reviewing this who said they could "barely get through it". They do't know good literature, this book is eye-opening and inspiring.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Jennifer Wardrip - Personal Read

Although I tolerated this Picoult title better than THE TENTH CIRCLE, it was another one that I could have lived without. I just never connected to the characters, and couldn't get involved in the story like I did with MY SISTER'S KEEPER and NINETEEN MINUTES.

I know others have read this book and loved it, and I totally appreciate their opinions! For me, though, this one just wasn't a winner.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Keeping Faith - more than just a play on words?

I think that this book is very well put together. Throughout the book, several elements are added and by the end all of them are tied together. I loved the writing style of Jodi Picoult. Not only how she builds the story, but also how she structures sentences.

The only critisism i have about this book is that sometimes things are drawn out beyond what they need to be, as a poor attempt to cause suspence. For example, in the court room, I think that even though it was an important part of the story it didn't have to be that long.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read an all around good book. It has several elements to the story and there's always something around the corner that adds a little bit of suprise.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was left going 'huh?'

I read this book for an online bookclub and was really excited about the subject-matter. However, the further I got into the book the more confused I became. I never felt like I really connected with the characters, other than Ian Fletcher. Loved him! Mariah got on my nerves and I never felt like I knew Faith at all. I was hoping 'God' would be an actual character, too, but 'she' was more of a mystery thru-out the book. Not only that, I never really understood the purpose for Faith's stigmata. I kept hoping the author would tie it all together in the end, but instead I was left going huh? I even read the last page twice trying to figure out the meaning. I just totally didn't get it. I don't like books that leave me hanging. I will probably never read another Jodi Picoult book. I prefer historical fiction anyway. Perhaps her other books are better, but this one was a huge disappointment.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I Love Ian Fletcher!

This book captivated me right from the beginning. I read it for several hours straight, and when I could no longer stay awake to continue, I found myself constantly thinking about it throughout the next day. I couldn't wait to get back to it! All of the main characters were compelling, but I was especially drawn to Ian Fletcher, whose true nature is revealed gradually and dramatically as the book progresses. I found myself re-reading the touching scenes several times. An incredibly beautiful story!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Classic Picoult

I started reading Picoult backwards. I began with her recent books and then jumped to her oldest ones. I'm not a fan of the older ones as much, so after reading two of her oldest books, I almost didn't read this one. To top it off, I can't stand religion. I don't practice, and I'm not a believer, so I was like BLECH about the topic. However, I absolutely could not put it down!!! Granted, it was still hard not to skim through some of the more detailed religious parts, but I learned a lot and it definitely made me think and wonder. I fell in love with Mariah and Ian as they fell in love with each other. As usual, Picoult takes a controversial issue...a couple, actually...and spins it so that you're not sure what you believe anymore. I also love Picoult's wording. Always so beautiful. Finally, one of my favorite things about this book are the twists and revelations. To me, that's classic Picoult. I love knowing that little by little, she'll dole out a bit more of the mystery. I'm not sure what I think about the ending. I'll have to make my sister read it so that we can discuss.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Mother God? Father God?

Mariah, Colin, and Faith White have pretty normal lives, or it seems that way. Colin ans Mariah are married and Faith is their daughter. Mariah and Faith come home early one day only to find Colin in bed with another woman. Faith instantly thinks it¿s her fault because she¿s his daughter. Mariah and Colin get divorced. Soon after, Faith starts talking to an ¿imaginary friend¿ who she says is God. She says that God is a female. Soon the story gets around. It attracted a lot of reporters and journalists. Colin, at the time, had no idea what was going on until one night he turned on the television and saw a reporter standing on the driveway that was once his. After learning about everything that had been going on with Faith, he hired a lawyer to get him custody of Faith. He didn¿t think she was safe with Mariah. They went to court and reviewed many incidents: when Mariah¿s mother was resurrected, Faith checking into the hospital, and the injuries to her body that might have been stigmata. Everything is making Mariah look like a bad parent, but is she really? Who will get custody of Faith? I didn¿t really like how the book went from person to person in the chapters. It was kind of confusing at times but I liked the book a lot. Most of it was really good. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes suspense and mystery. You never really know what¿s going to happen next, and it keep you wondering. It¿s a book you don¿t ever want to put down until you¿ve found out what happens. I believe this is my favorite book by Jodi Picoult.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Unlike any other novel

I've read many, many novels before...but I must say this is unlike like any other novel I have ever read. The book kept me hooked for days. I simply could not keep my eyes off the book and found myself turning the page to find out what happens next without finishing the context on the current page. Although there were parts that I felt slightly uncomfortable with as a Muslim, I enjoyed the book because its topic was unique and was written in a very sophisticated and sumptuous manner. The ending, I felt, was a little incomplete and slightly confusing...but hey, read the book and decide for yourself. I definitely recommend it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended

Characters run the gammet of sleezy to fiercely loving. As usual, the ciurtroom drama was spellbinding as was the subject matter. I was disappointed in ending but was expecting it.

This was not Picoult at her best. I was disappointed in this boo

This was not Picoult at her best. I was disappointed in this book.

Loved it!

As usual, Picoult keeps the reader captivated from beginning to end. Didn't want to put this one down until it was all done.

WE ARE MOVING!!!!

TO NIGHT ALL FIRST PAGE!!!! TELL CATS AT RESTORIMG HOPE!!!!

A bipartisan exploration of faith, and a family's saga.

For those who wrongly dismiss any book printed in mass-market format, for those who look away when they approach the paperback section at their local grocery store, Jodi Picoult is one of those rare authors that seems to crop up in the libraries of both summer readers and literati.
Sometimes writers try to write at a level that they feel mirrors the content. Dramatic plot leads dramatic writing, metaphor, pace, etc., but Picoult manages to let things speak for themselves, which doesn't take you out of the story. You do not observe the action, but connect to the characters and the relationships they share. It is also great that, despite her interest in controversial topics, she does not cast her vote, or make her opinion known. She is not interested in grandstanding, but uses the potential for drama to instead tell stories, real human stories that can stem from the issue.
I won't get into the big religion debate here (and Picoult is respectful and truthful in the portrayal of everyone's beliefs), but to me, the crux of the novel is more about how far you take care of and accept the ones you love before you decide that you cannot deal with the situation anymore. In this novel, I am referring to Faith's "diagnosis". What is the breaking point for a parent? Also, depending on your faith, one could be a saint, or be locked up in the loony bin. Picoult explores both, not from a moral ground, but from the eyes of a parent.
I also really resonated with her portrayal of those meaningless occurrences that pop out at you, during a time of sadness, and how they can become so memorable, bowl you over. There are so many perfectly telling moments that convey these things in Faith’s story. Also great was the spectrum of beliefs demonstrated in the novel. Those "with religion" immediately accept Faith, others reject her simply because of gender issues, some reject her because she is Jewish, some embrace her because her vision is Christian.

All in all, a great read, and an underlying current of suspense that more than turns the pages. It makes you hope for Faith and her family, and that they will be able to find happiness in whatever they, or anyone believes.