Keeping Faith
by Jodi Picoult
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Book Reviews of Keeping Faith
Book Review: A Novel Menagerie's Perspective on Keeping Faith
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a beautiful story... let's just start with that. Jodi Picoult writes a #1 New York Times Bestseller, Keeping Faith, about a young girl, Faith, who comes to be in direct communication with God after her parents sudden divorce. I am guessing from the fact that I picked it up in paperback, and it's been a best-seller, that many of you have read this book by now. [...].
Ultimately, this is a story about a custody battle over Faith between Mariah and Colin. Mariah, Faith's Mom, is a woman who is commences the story as an emotionally fragile woman. We watch Mariah's strength, determination and fierce protection of her daughter grow through this novel all the way until the end. You can't help to root for her and you definitely grow to hate her enemies. Millie, Mariah's Mother, is my favorite character in this book and is literally resurrected by Faith after being pronounced dead for an hour. She's just that kind of mother that we all wish we had and all would love. My least favorite character of the novel? Well, it's definitely a tie between Colin, Faith's Father (a cheater-cheater, pumpkin eater... in their own home, nonetheless), and Mr. Metz, his ridiculous attorney. I despise them both.... which is a good thing. Because if I can feel emotion while reading a book, it's got me involved. And, Keeping Faith kept me there.
The main thread throughout the story is that Faith not only sees and communicates with God, but she is also a healer. When she is in the presence of, or touches, another person who is ill, they are healed to some degree. This, of course, gains national media attention, Rabbis, Catholic Priests, groupies, and those in need of healing. They hover and live outside Mariah & Faith's house and Colin discovers his daughter's plight via a television broadcast. Of course, by then he's married the tramp who he cheated on his wife with and is now carrying his child (wedding in Vegas). Being the "man" that he is, he thinks he can take better care of Faith and protect her more than her mother. This ensues the custody battle, Mariah & Faith's flight to Kansas City, and subsequent medical and legal issues.
For my taste, there were some parts of the novel that I feel could have moved in a bit of a faster pace. These would be the times in Kansas City and when Faith is re-hospitalized for another stigmata. In addition, I felt quite a bit of the story line was predictable (Colin's cheating at the house and Mariah falling for Ian). I really enjoyed watching Mariah and Ian fall for each other. I also was glad to see the turn-around in Kenzie (the legal guardian at lit-em during the battle). Joan, the attorney, was a like-able character, as well. Overall, I found this to be an excellent book.
Observation: Poor Mariah, every time that woman takes a shower, something happens to Faith. It's a wonder that she ever bathes again!
Favorite Quote of the Book is by Ian when speaking to the press after the much publicized trial is over:
"For years I've made a name for myself condemning God, and the people who believe in God. Trying to win people over to my side. I know y'all are waiting to hear what I have to say about Faith White, and you're going to be disappointed. I told the truth to Mr. Metz on the witness stand-nothing happened in Kansas City. I'm not going to say whether that girl's got God in her back pocket. I'm going to say that it isn't my business, and it isn't your business.
Quite a kick, isn't it? That after building a whole bankable empire on atheism, I'd tell you religious beliefs area private affair? And I can see it right now, you shakin' your heads, saying that reports can damn well make anything their business - but, it's not so. There's a difference between a fact and an opinion; any newsman knows that. And religion, for all that it's provocative, isn't about only what people believe in-it's also about the simple act of believing. Just like I have a right to walk out here and say God is a farce, Faith White has a right to should out her bedroom window that God is alive and well. My opinion, versus her opinion. But nowhere in that tangle is there a pure, hard fact.
So who's right? The answer is... I don't know. And I shouldn't care. My mama used to tell me you can't change the way someone thinks about God or their politics, although I've certainly given both a run for my money. But, you know, I might wind up living next door to the pope one day. Or down the road from Faith. Or in the hotel room beside the Dalai Lama's. And going from door to door trying to convince them I'm the one who's right is going to be a waste of time. No, correction: It hasbeen a waste of time. We don't have to accept each other's beliefs... but we do have to accept each other's right to believe them."
So, on the A Novel Menagerie's "Out of Ten Scale," I'd give this one an 8.75... nearly a 9.
Book Review: So Glad I'm Finally Done!
Summary: 2 Stars
So it took me about a month and a half to read this book. Usually that would mean that it was so bad that I just couldn't get through it. To the contrary, I thought it was a good book (not great, but good), just a little too slow for me. There were so many times I wanted to read, but I was bored with it, so I just put it down. I thought the story line was a good one, but there was so much unnecessary story added to it, that it seemed to drag on and on.
I thought Ian's press conference at the end was a total cop out. The entire book I spent wondering what he was going to say, what people were going to think when they heard him say it. I am disappointed in the way that played out. I've only read one other Jodi Picoult book (My Sisters' Keeper), but I also thought that story had a cop out in it too - which was the ending. It seems when there is an issue that everyone is thinking about, Jodi decides to play it safe and instead of taking a stand one way or the other, she takes the safe road and doesn't make a decision. That bothers me a lot.
I found Metz's cross exam on Mariah unrealistic as he was was badgering her and downright calling her a liar. Yet her attorney just sat there and hardly objected at all. Those questions, while it made for a nice story, never would have played out in a real trial. Mariah's attorney would have objected continuously and the Judge never would have allowed that line of questioning to continue. Also, the continuous adding of witnesses and exhibits at the last minute by Metz were unrealistic. Counsel submit witness and exhibit lists for a reason - exactly so that this "surprise" doesn't come up in trial. I doubt the Judge would have allowed either. In that regard, I found the Judge to be unrealistic.
I actually found myself questioning Mariah throughout the story. When everyone was wondering if she was hurting Faith, I myself was wondering if there was something we didn't know. Even though we, as readers, saw first hand the miracles that Faith performed, and her stigmata, it still seemed so unbelievable to me, that I thought the only thing that made sense was that Mariah indeed was causing Faith to behave in such a way. But perhaps that's just because I don't believe in god and so it didn't seem real to me.
I also thought there were sooo many characters. I couldn't keep any of the Preists straight and eventually stopped caring all together.
In the end, I will never re-read this book. I'm glad I'm *finally* done. And I guess in hindsite the story added very little value to my life. I'm not going to sit here and think about it anymore and that's usually the sign that the book wasn't that great overall.
Book Review: Keeping Faith
Summary: 3 Stars
For Faith White, being a firsthand witness to her father cheating on her mother, and then experiencing the ensuing divorce is just about the worst chain of events imaginable. Unsurprisingly, this seven-year-old's method of coping is to develop an imaginary friend, her "Guard." However, when Faith begins to perform what appear to be miracles, such as bringing her grandmother back to life, Faith's mother Mariah and the other adults around her begin to wonder: could Faith's "Guard" really be God? Meanwhile, Mariah and her now ex-husband Colin fight for custody over Faith, and media attention for Faith's miracles grows like wildfire.
Being a non-religious person, I was pleasantly surprised by the religious content of this novel. Stories about miracles can sometimes be pushy and persuasive in regard to a specific religion. Faith, however, is supported by both a Jewish rabbi and Catholic priest; her miracle is more universal. In the end, the story is really about hope, trust, and faith, as opposed to Christianity. Picoult's work is definitely not overly-preachy.
However, I found the book to be slightly predictable. Unlike the surprising and interesting endings in some of Picoult's other novels, Keeping Faith pretty much ended exactly how one would expect; entirely happy and dull. I found some of the character's actions to be unrealistic and unsupported as well. All in all, Keeping Faith is a somewhat entertaining and fun read, although it is very light and a bit dull.
Book Review: This Review May Not be Entirely Fair
Summary: 3 Stars
1. I read the book during a VERY stressful period on my life so I did not give Keeping Faith the level of attention and focus I usually do with the books I read. My feelings about the story are very half-a**ed.
2. I read the book back-to-back with another Jodi Picoult book, Perfect Match, and the repetitive themes in her writing pattern became so evident (the story is set around some controversial issue, the complexities of motherhood are the primary undercurrent to the story, there is a completely unforeseen twist within the last 50 pages of the book, and the ending involves a court room drama) that it took away from this book's entertainment value. Had I spaced the books out a bit, this would likely not have been the case.
Anyway, this is the 4th Jodi Picoult book I've read and like I said before, this author has a formula and Keeping Faith follows it to a tee. In this case, the controversy is a little Jewish girl popping out Christian miracles like a Pez dispenser. Said miracles begin in the midst of a messy divorce between her cheating father and mentally unstable mother, and result in a media hailstorm right outside her front door. Throw a dollop of court room drama, a pinch of inevitable romance and a smidgen of plot twist, and you got a perfect Picoult prose! Unfortunately, it just didn't do it for me this time.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Suggested With: A long break from Picoult.
Book Review: Don't waste your time
Summary: 1 Stars
Keeping Faith is primarily a story about a young girl who suddenly starts seeing God and performing miracles. My impression was that readers would be allowed to come to our own conclusions about this (whether it was real, invented by Faith, invented by her mother for attention, etc.), but it doesn't work out that way: clearly, within the context of the story, Faith is healing people, experiencing stigmata and so forth. The story of how her mother Mariah, the local churches and the media react to this phenomenon is somewhat interesting, but hardly requires a book of this length.
And the romantic side-story involving Mariah and the television atheist, Ian, is terrible. Can you say "wish-fulfillment fantasy"? I'm sure every middle class, newly-divorced woman fighting for custody of her child would love the ego boost of a rich, handsome single man falling madly in love with her for no apparent reason, but.... yeah right. It's unclear why he's even interested.
I've read two Picoult novels now, to give her a fair chance, but don't kid yourself: the unique-sounding plotlines are really just a cover for poorly written melodrama and even more poorly written romance. Unless this is your taste in guilty-pleasure reading, I'd recommend moving on to books of real quality.