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barbaraskalberg's review against another edition
3.0
Took a few chapters to get into, but interesting premise with the Catholic church and the priest scandals in the news several years ago.
pattiillbee11's review against another edition
5.0
I couldn't put this down. Well written story about the Boston catholic church crisis with a family caught in the middle.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
Sheila grew up in a respectable Irish-American household near Boston. Her older half brother even became a priest, a great source of pride for her mother, although her father, now falling into dementia after a lifetime of alcoholism, has never had much respect for the Church. Then her brother is accused of molesting a child.
Jennifer Haigh is good at bringing out the nuance of situations and creating complex characters. In this she reminds me of Tom Perrotta; she never takes the expected path. In Faith she's taken a controversial topic that everyone has strong opinions about and tells a story, not of monsters and victims, but of damaged, complicated people with histories and reasons. And all without having written anything that feels exploitative. [Faith] is also a vivid picture of a specific place and culture.
Jennifer Haigh is good at bringing out the nuance of situations and creating complex characters. In this she reminds me of Tom Perrotta; she never takes the expected path. In Faith she's taken a controversial topic that everyone has strong opinions about and tells a story, not of monsters and victims, but of damaged, complicated people with histories and reasons. And all without having written anything that feels exploitative. [Faith] is also a vivid picture of a specific place and culture.
bethtmorris's review against another edition
3.0
Still processing this one. Strong writing, I especially liked how we felt in on the story but not all the way.
clare_tan_wenhui's review against another edition
4.0
Priesthood isn't an easy life. It's a solitary life. It demands a certain temperament. It gets harder with age. Priests make a great many sacrifices.
pg 286
The novel cleverly uses the backdrop of the Boston church scandals, to pose certain questions (what is the identity of a priest) and dispell other myths (not all who have suffered child abuse follow along the trajectory of becoming a predator themselves later in life), which was the big value add. If there's any slight grouses I have, it is with the narrative format of the novel, told through the eyes of Shelia, who seems to be the person least involved in the entire sequence of events. This "in hindsight" kind of narrative feels a bit messy to me, though thankfully it doesn't discount the character development of the protagonist Fr Arthur.
pg 286
The novel cleverly uses the backdrop of the Boston church scandals, to pose certain questions (what is the identity of a priest) and dispell other myths (not all who have suffered child abuse follow along the trajectory of becoming a predator themselves later in life), which was the big value add. If there's any slight grouses I have, it is with the narrative format of the novel, told through the eyes of Shelia, who seems to be the person least involved in the entire sequence of events. This "in hindsight" kind of narrative feels a bit messy to me, though thankfully it doesn't discount the character development of the protagonist Fr Arthur.
clare_tan_wenhui's review against another edition
4.0
Priesthood isn't an easy life. It's a solitary life. It demands a certain temperament. It gets harder with age. Priests make a great many sacrifices.
pg 286
The novel cleverly uses the backdrop of the Boston church scandals, to pose certain questions (what is the identity of a priest) and dispell other myths (not all who have suffered child abuse follow along the trajectory of becoming a predator themselves later in life), which was the big value add. If there's any slight grouses I have, it is with the narrative format of the novel, told through the eyes of Shelia, who seems to be the person least involved in the entire sequence of events. This "in hindsight" kind of narrative feels a bit messy to me, though thankfully it doesn't discount the character development of the protagonist Fr Arthur.
pg 286
The novel cleverly uses the backdrop of the Boston church scandals, to pose certain questions (what is the identity of a priest) and dispell other myths (not all who have suffered child abuse follow along the trajectory of becoming a predator themselves later in life), which was the big value add. If there's any slight grouses I have, it is with the narrative format of the novel, told through the eyes of Shelia, who seems to be the person least involved in the entire sequence of events. This "in hindsight" kind of narrative feels a bit messy to me, though thankfully it doesn't discount the character development of the protagonist Fr Arthur.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
4.0
a quick and engaging read. this takes a look at a family torn apart by father art's accusation of molestation by a young boy in his parish. the story is told from her half-sister's perspective and takes some unexpected twists and turns.
lhollis's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to audio version. Loved the narrator. This is one of the first books I put on my TBR Goodreads list back in 2011. Can't believe it has taken me this long to pick it up. The author writes beautifully and has a way of unfolding the plot. I have a vivid picture of the characters and setting. I will be reading Jennifer Haugh's back list.