Keeping Faith: A Novel (P.S.) Reviews

• Extremely addictive book!

  
  By A2HR1Y2FK5KTWM on 2000-10-23
  This is my second novel by Jodi Picoult, Plain Truth being my first. Both novels have such a great sense of reality that it makes it difficult to believe that I'm reading fiction and not a letter from a friend. In Keeping Faith, Mariah is an abandoned wife trying to deal with that loss at the same time her daughter Faith realizes she is being watched over and spoken to by God Herself (Faith sees a woman). The press catches wind of this, and immediately Mariah and Faith's lives are turned upside down. While Mariah takes Faith to various psychiatrists, Rabbis and priests, Mariah's ex-husband, Colin, decides that Faith is in imminent danger from her mother and takes Mariah to court for full custody of Faith. Fortunately, Mariah finds solace and friendship in a seemingly dangerous televangelist looking to disprove Faith's guardian. Overall, this is a great story of faith, forgiveness and growth. I highly recommend it!
  
  

• Could "Guard" really be a woman?

  
  By A3HTKV1AW14EDB on 2000-12-11
  Seven-year-old Faith is caught in the middle of her parents crumbling marriage and in much need of a friend to confide in. That is when her imaginary friend "Guard" steps in. Not long after, miracles start to occur around Faith, and this small town in New Hampshire starts to realize that Faith is not only speaking to "God", but that her God is a woman.

  The faithful start to arrive on Faiths' doorstep in search of miracles; along with the media led by a card carrying atheist whose TV show thrives on disproving such hype. They are all found camping out, waiting to have a moment, or a word with Faith. In the mean time the custody battle between Faiths' parents flares up leaving her torn between them as well as more confused with each passing day. The complications heighten when this innocent child exhibits the bleeding hands of the stigmata, leaving the doctors completely baffled.

  Jodi Picoult is an author that will keep you coming back for more and will easily make a fan out of you. She takes a story and makes you question it every turn of the page. Something that may appear to be blatantly true is transformed into the totally unexpected, you will find yourself doubting just about everyone in the book at one point or another.

  I suggest another of this authors books if you haven't had enough, "THE PACT, A LOVE STORY" which is about a teen suicide, another great read. The end of every chapter leaves you wondering about the veracity of each characters statement. Sometimes she does it with just one word, turning your idea of things "head over heels" when you thought you had it all figured out. Picoult is a truly talented author and worth watching and reading, you will certainly be entertained.
  
  

• A FASCINATING NOVEL

  
  By AW1D6P2T7TF4 on 2000-05-02
  Mariah White catches her husband with another woman (the second time during their marriage), her 7 year old daughter, Faith, witnesses the whole ugly scene. Mariah goes into depression and Faith retreats to a world of silence until she begins talking to her "imaginary friend". Mariah has little concern about the "friend" until her daughter begins reciting passages from the Bible, performing miracles and experiencing stigmata.

  Once the media hears of the little girl, they endlessly try to find out more, turning Mariah and her daughter's life upside-down.

  Mariah tries to find out what is happening to her daughter as well as shelter her from the frenzy caused by the media.

  Ian Fletcher is the newsman who broke the story about Faith and started out to expose her as a fraud. As he becomes involved with the White's, he begins believing that Faith may actually be God's messenger.

  The novel has several different themes...religion, media, and child custody.

  I have only read one other novel by Jodi Picoult, The Pact (excellent novel as well), but she is an auther whose talent is endless. She writes novels that are suspenseful, controversial, and powerful.

  Everything about this book works, the characters, the pacing and the plot.
  
  

• Makes you wonder

  
  By A2XRAHH2EI3EMM on 2000-06-13
  In 380-ish pages that seem to turn themselves, Jodi Picoult makes readers stop and think about several issues as simple as mother-daughter relationships and as complex as God. Mariah White, for the second time in their marriage, catches her husband with another woman. The first time, she was pregnant with their daughter, Faith. The second time, Faith was with Mariah when Colin was caught in the act. The first time, Mariah tries to kill herself. The second time, Colin leaves and Faith's "Guard" shows up. The seven year old starts performing miracles, attracting media attention, develops stigmata and quotes the Bible, although she's never been subjected to it. Mariah tries to shield her daughter from the attention while trying to find out for sure what is wrong with her. The reader switches back and forth several times, wondering if Faith is seeing God or if her mother is seeking attention. The book ends with a custody battle between Colin and Mariah and the reader wondering how much "Faith" they really have and would have if in a similar circumstance. The book is filled with colorful characters, perhaps the best Mariah's hold-no-punches mother, Millie. A GREAT book that you won't put down, and won't forget after you do.
  
  

• Convoluted and unengaging

  
  By A12AEXV3QZR9XK on 2006-08-10
  For years I have avoided Jodi Picoult novels and if this one is typical, with good reason. For my book club, I am plowing through the nauseating minuate that bulks this novel to over 400 pages. The constant, brief shifts in first-person narration are too fast and give views on characters, such as a judge who likes show tunes, that are irrelevant to the novel at the expense of more fully developing the title character. The first-person narration works for important characters but otherwise I think the author is using an easy narrative device to propel the action of her novel, which is, even with this technique, infuriatingly slow and has the effect of jarring the reader every page or two as one must determine the narrator yet again.
  
  Also, the focus on the child-custody battle removes attention from who I think is the most interesting character--the child Faith. If one can get past the didactic symbolism of the name Faith White, and the constant phrasing such as "here is a story about faith" (p. 275) followed by "he'll do whatever is in his power to make sure I keep Faith," (p.291), which makes me cringe at each repetition, the child seeing or hearing God is, to me, the most interesting aspect of the plot but one that receives little attention.
  
  Overall, I think this novel is heavy-handed, overly descriptive and replete with such obvious symbolism and detail it makes my eyes hurt. The characters never seem real and I never sympathize with any of their easily predictable reactions and emotions, but find the potential of the plot is never fully realized in any engaging way. Try a different novel- many others dealing with religion exist that are far better written and much more interesting.
  
  
• Tiresome and Trite
  By A1VMFAFL0WMUVF on 2000-08-24
  I am not one to rail against novels; if I don't like something, that's well and good, but I'd rather let others form their own opinions on things. I so disliked this book, though, I have been driven to say something to counter all the positive reviews. The novel is entirely trite and predictable. I could anticipate the events, the actions, what the characters would say (no shock when the Jewish grandmother would exclaim "oye!") - even the last page of the book. Every hot topic was pulled out to drag in the reader: an affair, a divorce, an attempted suicide, a possible god-sighting, miracles, stigmata, love, good vs. evil, Christian vs. Judaism, exploitation, mental illness, gender empowerment, and a court room climax. Eye-rolling plot aside, it did not read well, either. The speaker would often shift from first person to third with a pattern that I couldn't pick out. Chapters would begin with feeble assertions ("The Priest had never seen a crowd so large." or "The Private Investigator had learned never to trust anyone." etc.) that sounded as if a high schooler was composing his first creative writing paper. The book screams for a Lifetime adaptation for movie of the week, and begs to be chosen for Oprah's book club (though it is not of that caliber). Spiritual novels about love and family can be a joy to read, but everything rang so false in this book that I'm still kicking myself for wasting time on it.
  
  
• A Page Turner!
  By AX54G5AL870Q8 on 2004-04-25
  KEEPING FAITH by Jodi Picoult

  This was my second book by Jodi Picoult, and I will definitely be reading more by her. As with THE PACT, KEEPING FAITH centered on a controversial topic, something that would be seen in today's headlines. In KEEPING FAITH, there are two themes - one of a family being torn apart by infidelity and divorce, and the other one centering on the child that is caught in the middle. But this is not any ordinary child custody story. What happens here is something that is only seen in Catholic history books and other religious literature: Seven-year-old Faith is discovered to have powers that are akin to miracles performed by Catholic saints.

  Faith's news brings the media to their home town, everyone wanting to witness and spread the tale of this little girl who can bring back the dead, who is suffering from stigmata (spontaneous bleeding from the hands and feet), and can perform other miracles. Her mother Mariah is trying her best to deal with this plus deal with her broken marriage. With the help of her mother, Mariah tries to make sense of what is happening. When her ex-husband Colin finds out what is happening to Faith, he uses this to point fingers at Mariah, telling the world she is causing her own daughter to suffer and become a media circus. He files for custody, when only a few months ago he had walked out the door, not bothering to look back. Faith is torn between her two parents, and at the same time finds herself in the middle of this mystery about herself, not knowing why she is able to do what she does.

  KEEPING FAITH is a riveting, complex story that will keep the reader interested till the very end. It is what I definitely call a page-turner. Highly recommended!
  
  

• Frustrating
  By A1ZNQ7A51PJMZ4 on 2000-10-10
  I was really looking forward to this novel because the storyline really intrigued me. However, I couldn't get past 100 pages and even those were a huge chore. Picoult's writing was unimpressive. Her characters and dialogue were plastic. The situations were overwhelmingly derivative and farcical. I have no problem becoming immersed in another world or believing the unbelievable when directed by a capable author. In other hands, this could have been a great story. But with Picoult, there was no getting past the fact that this was fiction, and poorly written at that. Truly disappointing.
  
  
• Disappointed with the Ending, but Still an Excellent Read
  By AG2IEP1MJQHFS on 2005-07-25
  Jodi Picoult takes religion in her novel "Keeping Faith." Mariah White and her 7-year-old daughter Faith return home unexpectedly one afternoon and find Colin White, Mariah's husband and Faith's father, with another woman. Colin announces he is leaving Mariah for the other woman, and shortly thereafter, they divorce. Faith is particularly impacted by the divorce and she begins to speak to an imaginary friend that she calls her "Guard." Mariah doesn't think too much of it at first, but becomes worried and takes Faith to a psychologist. Over time, they come to realize that Faith's "Guard" is God. And God appears to Faith in a female form. The media swoops in on the story as soon as Faith performs her first miracle. She raises the dead. Then, she cures a baby who had AIDS. But Faith's visionary status takes a turn for the dramatic when the little girl begins to experience stigmata. Colin, thinking Mariah is somehow inflicting the stigmatic wounds upon Faith and that Faith is in danger, sues Mariah for custody of Faith.
  
  This novel was tremendously intriguing and I would have been more than happy to give it a 5 star rating, if it had not been for the ending. Usually, Picoult answers any questions and ties up all the loose ends by the time the reader reaches the last page. I don't felt she did that in this book. I still had many questions that were left unanswered at the end of the novel, making me feel disappointed by it.
  
  Overall, it was a great book and I would definitely recommend it.
  
  
• Grabs your heart at the word go!
  By A29PID3J2CRSWL on 2000-06-14
  Once again, Jodi Picoult has written a masterpiece. One that not only keeps the reader enthralled but gets you thinking as well.

  Mariah White and her daugheter Faith have been through a lot but it is when they return home early one afternoon to find Mariah's husband in the bedroom with another woman that things really start to happen.

  This is not the first time that Mariah has gone through this with her husband but it is the first time that Faith has had to witness it. Mariah once again goes into a depression and Faith finds an imaginary friend to help her through the tough times. While imaginary friends are not unique, Mariah's Guard seems to be something entirely different. Shortly after the Guard comes to visit, Faith begins quoting the bible and is able to spontaneously heal people.

  This turn of events brings proclaimed aethist and anti-televangalist Ian Fletcher to the scene determined to discredit Faith and her supposed conversations with God.

  Along the way, Mariah, Ian and Faith must learn to trust one another, love one another and learn from one another as not only is Faith's health in question but Mariah's right to keep her child is questioned as her ex-husband takes her to court.

  All in all, there is more than one story written into Keeping Faith and how wonderful they all are. Jodi Picoult can write like very authors can - she keeps you on the edge of your seat while you fall in love with the characters and she makes then jump off the page as if you have known them for years.

  Her titles are always creative and have a double meaning which I simply love. If you enjoy Keeping Faith you should try The Pact and Harvesting the Heart - two of her other excellent offereings.

  Jodi is one of the most talented writers to hit the scene in ages - make sure to savor every last word!
  
  

• Picoult is an amazing novelist!
  By A1S4YVC8H46F0R on 2000-05-24
  Plain and simple...Jodi Picoult takes my breath away. With each book she writes, Jodi Picoult just keeps getting better. Like KEEPING FAITH, the story of a little girl who seems to be a religious visionary, Picoult takes controversial topics and weaves incredible stories from them. KEEPING FAITH is not only a story of the love of a mother for her child, but an examination of the issues of religion, and the effects of media oversaturation. Picoult writes with an overwhelming grace, beauty and deep sensitivity, and her novels are always thought provoking. Picoult gives her loyal readers the gift they've always wanted with each new book. To those who have not had the pleasure of reading her books, pick up KEEPING FAITH. And then, do yourself a favor, and pick up the rest of her novels as well.
  
  
• Keeping Faith Kept Me Awake
  By AA65995LM0TVX on 2001-02-09
  Keeping Faith is the first novel by Jodi Picoult I have read but it will not be the last. I already have an order in for two more novels of hers. This book kept me turning papges longer after my eyes were burning for sleep. It combined many elements of good story telling that will attact most women. Mariah's rat of a husband has cheated on her,twice,and had her committed to a mental institution. While she is keeping a tenuous hold on her sanity her daughter, Faith, develops an invisible friend who turns out to be God in a female form. Mariah's house is besieged by those who want to know more about Faith including Ian, a ferocious non-believer. Faith and her mother are subjected to investigations by the Catholic Church, the court system and the medical community. Mariah is a brave but flawed woman, as are most of us are. This story certainly has some improbable situations but the basic story is one that every woman can relate to. The extra ordinary situations add to the suspense. Ms. Picoult is a sensitive writer with a flair for twists and turns.
  
  
• One of Picoult's best
  By A255H8BACCZ6LU on 2005-01-02
  Jodi Picoult writes Oprah-esque books, but while I stopped reading Oprah's choices because they got too depressing, I've kept reading Picoult. She explores interesting topics, and covers lots of perspectives. This is one of my favorites, dealing with the nature of God, the impact of the media, and the meaning of family. If you like Keeping Faith, check out Second Glance.
  
  
• Losing Faith in Picoult
  By ANSWOG3NY79MO on 2007-09-11
  As an avid Jodi Picoult fan, I was sorely disappointed by this novel. Normally, I can't put down her books while reading them, but by the middle of this one, I was only reading it so that I could finally finish it and move on to something else. It was unengaging at best, and just plain boring at worst. KEEPING FAITH tells the story of a young girl who has a special relationship with God. Page after page, Faith talks to God, Faith performs a miracle, Faith talks to God some more, Faith performs some more miracles, and ooh wow Faith knows things that she couldn't possibly know so it must be real! Not much else happened, save a custody battle toward the end, which was the only aspect of the book I actually found to be engaging. One of the frustrating things was that there wasn't much of a plot to this book. Essentially, after the first twenty pages or so, the plot is pretty stagnant up until the denouement, but the characters are all unsatisfied with things, and then post-exciting climactic stuff, things essentially return to exactly they were before, and that's the end.
  
  One of Jodi Picoult's trademarks are her twist endings, which are often
  aren't unexpected, but there was not one single thing about this novel that wasn't completely and utterly predictable. Insecure, self-loathing mother Mariah ends up falling for the "bad boy" atheist Ian. Shock. The worst thing about their relationship was that despite the fact that it was inevitable from before the two characters even laid eyes on one another, Picoult didn't bother to actually develop it. I'm normally a big fan of the bad boy type, and of relationships in which the bad boy falls for someone and finally opens up, but this didn't really happen here. Ian's a jerk one day, then sees Mariah and thinks she looks like an angel and suddenly he's a saint! His insomnia is also instantly cured by her radiant beauty! They're in love and want to live happily ever after, and of course along the way they manage to completely change each other's personalities for the better as well. This takes place over the course of a week or so, naturally.
  
  Nothing is more annoying to me in literature than relationships that aren't developed properly, and while we're on the topic of things that are annoying about this book, let's look at a few other things that just don't quite add up. It seems just a tad unfeasible to me how everyone immediately jumps on the bandwagon and thinks Faith is telling the truth and how much of a celebrity she becomes. If this happened in reality, the only media source covering it would be The National Enquirer. "Hollywood Tonight" would not be covering the story unless Faith decided to sacrifice Paris Hilton to her God, and they certainly wouldn't be camped out on her family's lawn for months at a time. A final note of frustration was the fact that for no apparent reason, the point of view keeps inexplicably switching from first person to third person, which is just jarring enough to throw the reader back out of the story and confusing because it really doesn't seem to serve any purpose. By the end of this novel I was just left wondering what the point of it was.
  
  
• Our 7th Reading Club Selection
  By A2CVNW7DIVC4D4 on 2000-08-24
  I get so happy when I make a selection for my Reading Group that really meets the needed criteria for a wonderful group discussion! "Keeping Faith" certainly fits the bill. The subject of this book first intrigued me, as did my interest in reading one of Jodi's books. I jumpd into reading the book thinking, I hope the storyline is not too contrite, too predictable and most of all not too "science fiction". I was pleasantly surprised. I found the characters well developed and almost to the point that if I saw them walking down my street, I would recognize them. This book, in my humble opinion, involves three life changing factors: Faith, Trust and Healing. Having Faith leads you to achieving the trust in your relationships and that is which allows healing to occur. In this book, through the fast paced drama and constantly weaving plot structure, we are positioned in the lives of people who have lost their Faith, rejoin them when they are questioning and reclaiming it, and finally at its conclusion, observe them move forward in their lives acompanied by the healing which all were in search of. Our discussion is scheduled for September and I can hardly wait to discuss the characters, and the components of this novel. One question I will be asking is, What was the greatest miracle Faith performed? I am sure to get many differing responses!

  I cannot wait to read another of her books..I hope they are equally as entertaining and mind challenging.
  
  

• Disapointing read
  By A1HA13WQFI28JB on 2001-09-20
  I had several recomendations for this book and was anxious to read it. I was disapointed in the writing and the progression of the story. I found the story compelling in the beginning, but it lagged in the middle and turned too much into a ridiculous romance and less about the relationship between the mother and child. In the beginning, the mother was insecure, unsure of herself in her marriage and in her role of a mother...She was real and I related to her insecurities. However, as the book progressed and the more confident she became the less interesting and the less real she and the book became. I felt the character development was lacking and created an enviornment that I didn't really care about most of the characters, anyway. Finally, the medical information was innacurate, it could have easily come off a TV medical drama. I did find the concept to be interesting and it was a quick read.
  
  
• Couldn't finish it
  By A1Q1MV3EV08IW0 on 2006-10-18
  First let me say this was my first exposure to Jodi Picoult, so maybe her authorship of many novels may imply talent, I can't comment beyond this book. That said, this was one of the few "novels" I was always reluctant to resume and ultimately abandoned halfway through. In addition to another reviewer's comments on shifting POV (for what reason?, I couldn't come to terms with it), unrealistic characters, and soap-opera-type scenes, it was jarring to come across a lack of basic writing skills in some passages. "Pop lit" came to mind immediately, and while I tried to finish this book loaned by a friend, I found it an irritating endeavor. Despite some popularity, I'm not likely to pick up another Picoult book.
  
  
• Please stop telling people the whole book when you review it
  By A1FEDNIESCE8S0 on 2008-08-25
  I was going to buy this book, but after reading the reviews I have lost interest. God people are you really readers? No one wants to know what's in the book before they buy it. You guys review the book by telling most of the story.
  
  
• Child as pawn for others' needs
  By on 1999-05-02
  It's a pleasure for a reader to follow the development of style and substance of a writer. For me, reading each new work by this immensely talented author, has been a delight. KEEPING FAITH is the story of a seven-year-old girl who, suddenly, seems to see a "guard" (read god) that is invisible to all others. She seems to develop powers of healing that bring scores of people to camp on the lawn of her house (where she lives with her recently divorced, rather emotionally fragile mother). What ensues brings into play the exploitation of this child, the frenzy of the media with a "hot" story, with cameras and microphones at the ready, as well as actions and reactions from Faith's family - her mother (who needs a good shake for her wimpiness with her former husband) and Faith's feisty, gutsy grandmother. An interesting beautifully written book including a riveting court custody hearing and an ending that will keep you discussing the work long after you have completed it.
  
  
• This is a must read!!
  By A3JCVDCHEZEM4T on 2003-03-10
  I have now read three books by Jodi Picoult, and this is my favorite. It really raises some interesting questions about God, faith and religon. 7-year old Faith White starts seeing God and healing people after she witnesses her father in bed with another woman,which of course is very hard on both she and her mother. This book had a very interesting plot intersected with some equally as interesting sub-plots. Ms. Picoult does a wonderful job also of creating a cast of rich, unforgettable characters that totally engross the reader. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars is that there are times when the point of view changes from that of the mother to an omniscient one, but even that doesn't really detract from the wonderful qualities of this book.
  
  
• My favorite thus far...
  By A32NMQ775E6WGW on 2004-09-15
  This story swept me away from the beginning. I was charmed by the premise. The delightful little girl with the "imaginary friend" or could she be talking to God? Very well written, very insightful. I found the mother to be quite unusual in her open-mindedness. I loved the quest she took talking to priests, rabbis, psychiatrists, etc. The ending....A-1.
  
  
• Interesting concepts
  By A3U86QYIMNUUR3 on 2005-12-10
  I recently finished the book "Keeping Faith". I found the book fascinating to read, I had no idea where Ms. Picoult was going with the story, so I kept reading to find out. Although the book does not match my own personal beliefs, I enjoyed reading a story which challenged my pre-conceived notions, and made me think a little.
  
  
• Addictive!
  By A3HBW9GGRB8FWT on 2006-03-20
  I couldn't put this book down. I loved it! Picoult did a wonderful job of making sure you felt like you HAD to know what happened next.
  
  This book really makes you think about God and peoples relationships with God. Something that is rarely done in modern literature.
  
  The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the ending leaves you second guessing as to what you just read and how you precieved the book up until that point. Which, depending on the person, could make it a better read or leave you confused.
  
  
• WOW - what a fascinating book this is!!!
  By AINRTJ8VUFDAV on 2006-06-21
  At first, I found this book to be difficult to digest because it appeared to be heading in a direction that was in sacrilegious conflict with my beliefs as a Christian and a catechist in the Catholic Church. Yet a part of me was also highly fascinated and captivated by the story, especially since I work as a mental health professional. As I keep reading, I discovered that it wasn't sacrilegious at all but rather a story of general faith and hope, of the extent a mother would go through to protect her child, and of the intrusive nature of the media. I particularly liked the strength Mariah showed during this conflict, despite her past history of nervous breakdown. And I like the way the character of Ian evolved from a sleazy teleaetheist to a caring and more moral man. The secondary characters were all wonderful, in particular Mariah's mother and the lawyers on both side. I thought the trial was once of the most interesting parts of the story.
  
  As with all Picoult books, this was a deep and heavy novel which wasn't easily breezed through, but it was definitely a compelling and awesome book to read!
  
  
  
• Even a cynical reader will find this compelling
  By A29905GT8752TE on 2000-07-13
  Stigmata. Issues of beatification. Spirituality. None of these are topics that would lure me to a section of a bookstore, no less to the cash register. Nevertheless, this compelling story of a girl who sees something -- maybe God -- kept me up until 2AM, and then back up at 5AM to finish it before work. At its core, this is a book about a relationship between mothers and daughters. Faith sees God. Faith's mother loves her daughter. Faiths grandmother loves her daughter. These three well-drawn characters cope with the adversity of the judgement of others, the adoration of strangers, and the accusations of the alienated with full human dimension and fine insights. The additional dimension of the catholic church struggling with the vision of God as female, fringe and mainstream rabbis offering talmudic (and eccentric) thoughts, the medical providers dealing with the unexplainable medical events around faith, and an atheistic investigative reporter provide the perfect adversaries to read a moving story of mother love and all of the forms it takes. This book is a great read.
  
  
• SPELLBINDING!
  By A1RECBDKHVOJMW on 2003-07-27
  Fortunately I began Jodi Picoult's "Keeping Faith" on a weekend, because I couldn't put it down. Thanks to my daughter, who provided me with nutritional sustenance while I turned the pages, I was able to read the book straight through at one sitting. I have read all Ms. Picoult's novels, and this is her best so far.

  Mariah White, and her seven year-old daughter Faith, come home unexpectedly one afternoon, and surprise Colin White, husband and father, with his lover. Divorce proceedings ensue. Faith, understandably, is traumatized by what she saw and doesn't understand, and by the sudden separation of her parents. She finds comfort in an invisible friend, her "guard," a seemingly benign female figure who calms her, and answers her painful questions.

  When Faith's beloved grandmother has a fatal heart attack, Faith brings her back to life by breathing into her mouth. Then she cures a baby dying of AIDS. It seems that her "guard" is God, and a female to boot. Faith has been brought up in a home where no religion is practiced. Her mother is a nonobservant Jewess, and her father, a non-practicing Episcopalian. She has never read the Bible or been taught to pray. Doctors convey that the resurrection of Faith's grandmother, and the healed infant, appear to be almost miraculous recoveries. There is no logical, medical explanation for their sudden improvement. A child psychiatrist, who examines Faith, is certain that the little girl is not psychotic, or making believe. Then Faith manifests stigmata.

  Out of nowhere, crazies rain down upon the house of Faith White, seeking to be cured, seeking to cure their curiosity, looking for a Big story, hoping to reach God by praying there, etc.. And Faith's and Mariah's lives are forever changed.

  Colin, alarmed for his daughter's welfare, blames Faith's visitation on his wife's past emotional instability, and seeks to gain sole custody of his daughter. A big name talk show host, Ian Fletcher, famous for his outspoken atheism, targets Faith and Mariah, bent on proving them fakes...with surprising results.

  The story builds in complexity and suspense. The characters grow and change, as do their relationships. The issues here are more about ethics than about God and religion. Jodi Picoult has proven to be a talented writer. She is at her best in this unique novel.
  
  

• Keeping Faith is a keeper!
  By ARYF8JUHY2S1X on 2004-01-21
  I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult and have purchased every novel she has written thus far. I am never disappointed when reading one of her books; Jodi has this wonderful storytelling ability that grabs readers from the beginning and does not let go.

  Keeping Faith is the story of a little girl named Faith. After witnessing a scene between her mother and father that culminates in a divorce, Faith suddenly begins having conversations with an imaginary friend. Not a big deal, until Faith, who was not brought up in a religious household, begins quoting scripture. Could this 'imaginary friend' really be someone more spiritual? Maybe even God? When Faith begins to develop stigmata and heals others around her, people from all over the country flock to the town to get a glimpse of this miraculous healer.

  There is more to the story that that, of course, most of it dealing with the divorce of Faith's parents, custody arrangements, and how Faith's new-found celebrity plays into it all. I found this book to be one of the best of Jodi's books (right up there with Plain Truth, my favorite), and certainly one that would spark an interesting conversation in book groups.

  Jodi, you continue to outdo yourself with every book you write. I can't wait for new releases and more opportunities to delve into your world. Kudos on Keeping Faith -- a masterpiece in my opinion.
  
  

• Refreshing Read...
  By A387T1SOYG2SHM on 2004-08-19
  Such a unique premise... with wonderfully written characters. I enjoyed this book immensely. It took a little longer than most of Picoult's books to really get into... but it was enjoyable till the end. If you haven't had the chance to read Jodi Picoult yet, do it! She is truly an amazing writer...
  
  
• A truly wonderful novel
  By A1WUPRPQBV4FB8 on 2005-04-29
  I recommend this book not only for fans of Jodi Picoult, a genuinely gifted storyteller, but for anyone who enjoys sinking teeth into a great novel. Extremely well crafted and well written, it's a tough one to put down.
  
  It's not everyday that you read about a seven-year old girl who exhibits symptoms of stigmata, talks to (a female) God and has miracles follow in her path. And she's only the most interesting character of many. Picoult rounds out the story and broadens interest by making the little girl, Faith, of Jewish heritage. She brings in the Roman Catholic Church and a television atheist, a couple of high-powered attorneys, a philandering father and Prozac mother, along with a colorful, outspoken grandmom.
  
  A great read. Don't miss it.
  
  Michele Cozzens, Author of A Line Between Friends and The Things I Wish I'd Said.
  
  
• A definite page-turner
  By A315QZJ3XH5V8E on 2005-06-19
  A friend chose Jodi Picoult's novel for our most recent book club. It honestly took me about 75 pages to get into this book, but once I settled in -- I had a hard time putting it down. I had never read anything like this book -- stigmata, a female God, etc. -- and it instantly intrigued me. I liked the concept of a mother believing in her child, no matter what. That unconditional love and support was what made me finish the book in one night. I would definitely read another book by this author!
  
  

• Harvesting the Heart: A Novel
• Mercy
• Salem Falls
• Picture Perfect
• The Pact: A Love Story