Keeping Faith

Book Description

6 Reviews

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  Is it just me or does Picoult seem to write about controversial subjects almost flawlessly? This is the second book I've read of her's where religion played a large factor in the book. I was awed at the ease with which she discusses hot religious topics, without offense. Great storyteller. I will co ... (continue)

  Is it just me or does Picoult seem to write about controversial subjects almost flawlessly? This is the second book I've read of her's where religion played a large factor in the book. I was awed at the ease with which she discusses hot religious topics, without offense. Great storyteller. I will continue to keep reading.

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  Leahrussell76 said on Jul 24, 2009 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• *** This comment contains spoilers! ***

  

  ???

  I'm an atheist but I don't dislike reading this kind of books, but this one has not an ending! I kept reading til the end looking forward for some kind of explanation, rational or not, but at least a sort of ending! Instead the book ends without explaining anything... is Faith really seeing God? Is ... (continue)

  I'm an atheist but I don't dislike reading this kind of books, but this one has not an ending! I kept reading til the end looking forward for some kind of explanation, rational or not, but at least a sort of ending! Instead the book ends without explaining anything... is Faith really seeing God? Is just her imagination? Were the miracles real or not? Does the crowd of people keep staying in front of their house or do they go away? Will Faith live a normal life? This Ms Picoult doesn't tell us. So why writing this book? Is it about spirituality? But if this is not an essay and you introduce a plot with a start you should end this plot or at least write a sequel...
  Maybe it's just me, I didn't understand the "message" of this book. Two stars because it's well written.
  Please feel free to answer this comment, I would like very much to know your opinion!

  PS: I'm sorry for my poor english...

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  ♪ La Spalmatrice ♫ said on Aug 18, 2011 | Add your feedback

• 

  Good enough for 5 stars. That says it all!
  Quite a strange story with funny and unrealistic courtroom's dialogues.

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  jelabino said on May 4, 2011 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• More controversy ...

  Another of Picoult's dramas based on the controversial topic of religion, a story that will draw you in and keep you page-turning until the end.

  Within a disintegrating marriage, a child of a mixed marriage (Jewish-Episcopalian) suddenly says that she talks with a female God, spouting Bible verses ... (continue)

  Another of Picoult's dramas based on the controversial topic of religion, a story that will draw you in and keep you page-turning until the end.

  Within a disintegrating marriage, a child of a mixed marriage (Jewish-Episcopalian) suddenly says that she talks with a female God, spouting Bible verses, and developing stigmata. True or hoax? Is it a ploy to get her parents' attention? Is there any evidence of abuse? All angles are examined, and yet no one can discount the possibility of a miracle.

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  guiltlessreader aka screamingbanshee said on Dec 4, 2009 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• Comments

  I absolutely loved this book in terms of subject matter and character development. It's the run-up to the new millennium. Faith, a seven-year old girl, starts to see her "Guard" after her parents' divorce, develops stigmata and heals people. The title "Keeping Faith" - a wordplay - is ... (continue)

  Comments

  I absolutely loved this book in terms of subject matter and character development. It's the run-up to the new millennium. Faith, a seven-year old girl, starts to see her "Guard" after her parents' divorce, develops stigmata and heals people. The title "Keeping Faith" - a wordplay - is very apt: it could either refer to the custody battle or be interpreted literally. The author doesn't shy away from controversial topics: a Jewish girl seeing and communicating with God, God is female, Catholic doctrine, involvement of different faiths and religions, persistent media coverage and paparazzi...

  At the beginning there is a scene where a couple, previously in an acrymonious divorce battle seeking counselling, is getting back together because of Faith's presence. If that was the case then why couldn't Faith get her own parents back together? (Well, I am quite glad she didn't - but this is just something in the back of my mind.)

  This is the first book I read by Jodi Picoult and I enjoyed her style so much that I am on the lookout for other books written by her - and from what I have seen so far I am certainly spoilt for choice!

  Synopsis

  Somewhere between belief and doubt lies faith. For the second time in her marriage, Mariah White catches her husband with another woman and Faith, their seven year old daughter, witnesses every painful minute. In the aftermath of a sudden divorce, Mariah struggles with depression and Faith seeks solace in a new friend… a friend who may or may not be imaginary.

  Faith talks to her "Guard"constantly; begins to recite passages from the Bible— a book she's never read. Fearful for her daughter's sanity, Mariah sends her to several psychiatrists. Yet when Faith develops stigmata and begins to perform miraculous healings, Mariah wonders if her daughter-- a girl with no religious background-- might indeed be seeing God. As word spreads and controversy heightens, Mariah and Faith are besieged by believers and disbelievers alike, caught in a media circus that threatens what little stability they have left.

  What are you willing to believe? Is Faith a prophet or a troubled little girl? Is Mariah a good mother facing an impossible crisis— or a charlatan using her daughter to reclaim the attention her unfaithful husband withheld? As the story builds to a climactic battle for custody, Mariah must discover that spirit is not necessarily something that comes from religion, but from inside oneself.

  Fascinating, thoughtful, and suspenseful, Keeping Faith explores a family plagued by the media, the medical profession, and organized religion in a world where everyone has an opinion but no one knows the truth. At her controversial and compelling best, Jodi Picoult masterfully explores the moment when boundaries break down, when illusions become reality, and when the only step left to take is a leap of faith.

  Author's Note

  Keeping Faith is about a little girl who, in the wake of a family crisis, develops an imaginary friend who turns out to be God. And female. In this chapter, Faith and her mother Mariah realize that their lives are about to change: a cult takes up residence on the front lawn to uphold Faith as the new Messiah; and a Winnebago arrives bearing the infamous Ian Fletcher, an atheist with a television pulpit, who's come to prove that Faith is a hoax. But then she works a miracle…

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  wgeddert said on Aug 26, 2008 | Add your feedback

• 

  I wish I could feel differently about this book. I didn't finish it, but I finished as much as I wanted to or could finish. Not one of Jodi's best books.

  http://community.livejournal.com/bookopolis/5044.html

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  mndy said on Apr 7, 2007 | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
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• English Books
• Paperback 432 Pages
• ISBN-10: 0688177743
• ISBN-13: 9780688177744
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Pub date: May 01, 2000
• Dimensions: 1355 mm x 903 mm x 194 mm Just how big is that?
• Also available as: Mass Market Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette, School & Library Binding and Others

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