Keeping Faith: A Novel (P.S.)
by Jodi Picoult
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Book Reviews of Keeping Faith: A Novel (P.S.)
Book Review: The Eye of an Emotional Storm
Summary: 4 Stars
If you haven't read a book by Jodi Picoult, you really can't go wrong by picking one up- perhaps this, or "My Sister's Keeper", or "The Pact"- and giving it a chance. At worst, you will have your thoughts stirred, your perspective prodded, and come away with questions to mull over; at best, you will have found a new favorite author and can indulge in that terrific trek through all her other stories. She is wonderfully skilled at weaving multiple threads of a tale into a rich, emotional tapestry and I defy anyone not to notice the flecks of gold in the fabric of her words- those little snatches of insight into human emotions that leave you thinking "THAT is so true".
This is the fifth of her novels that I have read and I have come to rely on her books for their addictive readability and emotional depth- the kind of stories where you are drawn in by the situation, fall for the characters and are provoked by the concepts that are proposed as you sweep, spellbound, through the pages. "Keeping Faith" did not disappoint.
The story of a mother, and her child who, in the aftermath of her parents' broken marriage, believes she is seeing and talking to God is compelling from the outset. The religious, medical, legal and romantic furore that stems from it carries the novel along at a brisk, electric pace while the characters, painted in vivid, flawed and compassionate color, anchor it with humanity- fallible and all- and, not least, humor. It is a story that deals with God, religion, beliefs, the legal system, medical mysteries and the media, but ultimately it is about relationships and caring about these characters is crucial to the book's power. That is a job which I believe was very well done.
The great thing about the novel is that the writing is not obtrusive or "showy". It does not flaunt itself and snarl up the story. Rather, it is somehow everyday yet elegant and strikes right to the heart of the matter. The author manages to craft calm, crisp prose about the fictional storm of emotion she has set in motion without sacrificing warmth. Simply put, it is a novel you can sink your teeth into, that goes down like a treat. In addition, if you enjoy Jodi Picoult's writing, this P.S. edition has a good author's insight section at the end.
All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone searching for a novel that they can immerse themselves in and finish with that smack of satisfaction at having read something great.
Book Review: Keeping Faith. Do you get it? It's a PUN
Summary: 3 Stars
I read this one after taking a small break from Jodi Picoult. Her books, no matter what order I read them in, just seemed to get progressively worse. But still, I began this one with a smile.
I wasn't exactly impressed. It was just a book. Not tremendously horrible enough for me to rant about, and not incredibly fantastic enough for me to rave about.
I just found the whole thing kind of anticlimatic. I get waiting for Jodi's trademark twist....but nothing. Did I miss it? Was it not even big enough for me to qualify a twist or was it simply not there?
I just think that she honestly didn't know how to explain Faith, so she just left it hanging. No conclusive endings here. Just unanswered questions. The more righteous among you might say "well, life has unanswered questions, so I suppose she was just being realistic." Well BOO. This is fiction, damnit! Make up some new fancy I-See-God disease if you have to!
It would have been something different if I liked the characters more. Mariah was a twit and Colin was a tool. The grandma was spunky, but a little stereoptypical. Even though Faith was supposedly the entire reason for the novel, I felt distant from her. One thing I can't understand is why Mariah was chosen as first person POV, and nobody else was. It would just make more sense to me if Faith was in first person if anyone was. Oh,and the relationshop between Ian and Mariah...Can you say sappy? I can. Sap sap SAPPY
But the writing was good like always. Picoult sure knows how to make a sentence. Even though there was less "OMG. This quote is so good! So true! So powerful!" this time around.
I shall conclude this review by saying I did not particularly enjoy this book, but it did provide distraction and allowed me to procrastinate my studying further.
Book Review: Great potential in the plot, but a horrible delivery
Summary: 1 Stars
The plot of this book immediately caught my attention. It's intriguing, controversial, supernatural; something to make people think. With a better writer, this could have been an extraordinary book! Unfortuately, it was painful to read.
Rather than consistently following one character's perspective, the author switched points-of-view frequently and with little warning. For the most part, it was written in first person, present tense, but even that was inconsistent. Sometimes it was first person for Faith (the young girl) and sometimes first person for her mother or her psychologist. Sprinkled throughout were flashbacks that added very little to the plot. I rolled my eyes more than once at the trite dialog. Worst of all, I suffered through the book only to reach an inconclusive end. The final pages sparked more confusion than resolve.
I didn't expect accurate or even consistent theology. I did, however, expect the author to be consistent with her story. I didn't want her characters to match my personal doctrine, but I think did expect the author to understand her characters' beliefs and explain them thoroughly. The end of the book simply highlighted how little the author knew about the world she had created.
Final Thoughts: Painful and disappointing. The plot was fascinating, but the delivery was awful. Not recommended.
Book Review: Disappointment
Summary: 2 Stars
I was very anxious to read this book, having heard over and over again what a great writer Jodi Picoult was. I must say, if this was not a book club read, I would have abandoned it. However, I plugged through it, hopeful that the characters would somehow become more likeable and the strange story lines would be tied up. Instead it just got worse. Does Picoult really think that her audience is so stupid? How predictable was it that Ian "the bad boy" would end up with poor victimized Mariah, whose child was inexplicably touched by God? How was it that all these brilliant attorneys and such never heard of the child abuse where the mother harms the child as an attention getting device? Haven't they ever watched 20/20 or read People magazine? The Catholic Church's involvement with this case was laughable; I definitely don't think Picoult is a Catholic. And what of all those people gathering around outside Faith's house, and coverage by "Hollywood Tonight". Unless Lindsay Lohan develops stigmata, this would never happen. I never could figure out why Ian was hiding his brother; was there something to be ashamed of there? The custody battle just lengthened an already tiring story. Did Picoult really think she was delivering some kind of thought provoking spiritual message? To me, everything was so obvious, it was really kind of stupid.Book Review: Very Good, Very Addictive, Very Controversial
Summary: 4 Stars
As always, Picoult chooses to write about controversial topics that may get your feathers up- however Keeping Faith is beautifully written. The story unfolds about a young mother and her seven year old daughter who experiences signs of Stigmata. While the family is Jewish- non practicing at that- the child experiences more and more symptoms which the doctors can't explain. Theories are set in motion where the public, and the father of the child believe the mother to be harming the child in order to get attention.
As in all of Picoult's novels, there are court hearings and a lot of doctor/ lawyer dialogue, but in this story it does not detract from the situations.
I found myself questioning whether I WOULD believe the child or not, whether I would be one of those persons standing outside her door, if I would ignore the newsbroadcasts on television. I am still conflicted in my answer.
This book raises many questions in the mind- do you believe? Do you think someone would play a hoax like that? Do you believe the child really sees "the guard"- the image of God. Is God a woman, a man, a unick? (sorry, the spelling might be wrong on that one).
Keeping Faith is a wonderful story- if not for the ever questioning of God and Faith, but even just for entertainment purposes.