Rating: 
Summary: Extremely addictive book!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Pageturner!
Review: I just finished this book by Jodi Picoult. I read two of her books, "Mercy" and "The Pact", and although they were both very readable, I felt a little unsettled by the overall topics, and decided that I didn't need to read any of her other books. I'm glad I received "Keeping Faith" and decided to give it a try.What a great book! Faith is the 7 year old daughter of Mariah White, a 32 year old woman that is in the middle of a painful divorce. As she begins to settle into life as a single mother, her daughter starts to talk about seeing her "guard". Miraculous things start to happen to others when Faith is around. Of course, then the media and the clergy must investigate these claims, and create an ensuing scandal. The story is told in a very interesting way, through journal-like dated entries and frequent changes of point of view. I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it as one of my favorites of the year. I now look forward to reading more books by this author.
Rating:
Summary: A Page Turner!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: This is a must read!!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: thought provoking
Review: i had recieved a gift voucher from a friend, and looking through the shelves at my local book store I could find nothing except for this book which caught my eye. I was interested, of course, so i got the book. I wasn't dissapointed. This is a story about a little girl who is seeing her "guard", who might be god, as in THE GOD, christian god. It then brings up many questions to do with faith, right down to family. I read this before THE PACT, so I think it is better than that book. After reading the pact and this book, I realise that Jodi Picoult books are all the same, so if you read one, you've read them all. It has kind of scared me off reading any more of her work.
Rating:
Summary: Picoult is a fine storyteller
Review: There are those authors that are fine writers and those that are fine storytellers. It's always a pleasure to come across an author that is endowed with both gifts. Keeping Faith is a highly readable, thought provoking look at religious dogma, family secrets and modern relationships. What would you choose to believe if confronted with the unexplainable? Can true religious miracles exist in this age of doubt? Picoult does not try to steer us in any one direction, just poses the questions and provides the fodder for thought and discussion. For that she gets 4.5 stars. My only negative comment pertains to the point of view, which jumps between a third person and first person narrative. I often found it confusing and rather offputting and would have preferred a consistent type of narration.
Rating:
Summary: Great Novel
Review: Annotation: 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 begins to confide in an imaginary friend, which leads to reciting passages from the Bible, developing stigmata, and beginning to perform miraculous healings, Mariah wonders if her daughter-a girl with no religious background-might actually be seeing God. As word spreads and controversy flares, Mariah and Faith are besieged by believers and disbelievers alike, caught in a media circus that threatens what little stability they have left. Author Bio: Jodi Picoult grew up in Nesconset, New York. Her previous novels include "Plain Truth," "Mercy," "Keeping Faith," and "The Pact." Jodi Picoult received an A.B. in creative writing from Princeton and a master's degree in education from Harvard. The recipient of the 2003 New England Book Award for her entire body of work, she is the author of ten previous novels, including "Second Glance", "Perfect Match", and "Salem Falls." Jodi Picoult's novels center on family, relationships, and the balance of love. Riveting plots bring to light questions and issues that remain with a reader long after the last page is turned. Eleven of her published books have been critically acclaimed. Evaluation: Many people have their own opinions of Mariah and Faith. When it came to the custody battle between Mariah and Colin, Mr. Metz took advantage of the fact that Mariah was institutionalized. He made her out to be a mentally unbalanced person, as well as an unfit parent. Many people as well as the media felt that Mariah was the one who made Faith pretend she was seeing God. Towards the end of the novel, Mariah won custody of Faith. Everything worked out for the better. Also, the curious people still didn't know if Faith was really seeing God or not, because everyone had their own opinions and beliefs about it.
Overall, "Keeping Faith" is an extremely well written novel. Jodi Picoult kept me reading until the end. I just couldn't seem to put this novel down. It deals with love, heartbreak, judgments, battles, and religion. There are so many elements that keep the reader wanting to know what happens next. I love the fact that at the end, the people are left not knowing whether or not Faith was really seeing God. It just depends on your opinion or belief. I definitely recommend that everyone should read "Keeping Faith," by Jodi Picoult.
Rating:
Summary: A Faithful Novel
Review: Keeping Faith is a magnificent novel for teens or adults that keeps you thinking to the very end. It's a book that you absolutely just can't put down. It keeps you interested from cover to cover. The main character, Faith, begins to believe that God is communicating with her. Jodi Picoult's imagery that she has created in this novel is absolutely amazing. It makes feel like you know Faith and her family. Faith trys to convince everyone around her that she really is talking to God. She keeps her composure while dealing with her mom's depression after catching her husband in the act of an affair for the second time. The characters come alive in this marvelous book, and it's almost like you can feel what their feeling and what they're going through. It's truly a fantastic book that can convince anyone that when times get hard, to just "keep faith."
Rating: 
Summary: Her Guard
Review: Keeping Faith was an awesome and incredible book. I read this book at a very good time. I started reading it during Lent and finished it a few days before Easter, on Good Friday. Everything that Faith experiences in this book comes to life. I absolutely loved this book. The plot was awesome and some of the sudden changes in events were very surprising.
This book is about a little girl who's father has once again cheated on her mother and the trials that she experiences throughout the divorce. When everything seems to be going wrong and the world turns its back on Mariah, Faith develops an imaginary friend whom she says is "her guard" . Soon Faith begins to experience stigmata, perform miracles, and recite Bible verses that she has never heard or seen before. Pretty soon everyone thinks that Faith is seeing God and instead of being a normal child, Faith is turned into and international icon. Religious people, show hosts, and news crews are all outside camping in the Whites' front yard. The story goes on to explain about the people that help Mariah and faith get through this hard time when all they want is to be a normal family again. On top of Faith's visions, her father sues her mother for custody of Faith. The story is suddenly turned into a double situation. Mariah does everything she can to keep Faith safe and in her care. In the end everything turns out okay, but I won't spoil the ending for you.
Because my family and I are very religious, this book really hit home for me. I could relate and understand what the child was experiencing. Although it is very hard to believe that something like this can happen, I feel as though I was in the book and believed in Faith and her visions. I could almost feel Faith's confusion, frustration, and her pain. This is a wonderful story for people to read. At Sunday Mass my priest was talking about The Passion and the Crucifixion of Jesus. When he started his Homily and began with that I immediately thought of the book that I was reading and I really thought about that book. This was an amazing story that I would sit and ponder about for hours on end.
Rating:
Summary: I think I'll Read it again
Review: Keeping Faith, by Jodi Picoult, was a very moving and realistic novel. I enjoyed reading this book very much. It seemed so real and was written so well th at I could actually see this happening. I never wanted to put it down, it just kept pulling me in farther and farther into the plot line. Half of the ending was predictable while the other half surprised me very much. The way the author wrote this novel was just so real and so normal and the Whites were such a normal family, but she wrote it in a compelling way and it truly amazes me that she can write about regular life in a way that you do not see in regular life; this author is gifted. Some parts of the book were utterly predictable, while others had me scratching my head and picking guesses from a hat.
Some would argue that this book is for only the religious Christian, Catholic, or Jewish believers, but I would recommend it to all people. This novel really shows all views of all characters in the spectrum, it is not religious, it simply portrays people doing what they want and some are religious yes, but in real life there's always going to be someone who's religious and then those who are not; that's one of the reasons that I think this book is so close to home on so many levels for so many different people. Jodi Picoult is just stepping out her range of views and trying to give equal views. Although this book was somewhat confusing at several parts it would catch you up to speed soon after and I personally loved it, and I think I'll read it again.
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