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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Although I liked this book simply because it was a Jodi Picoult book, it wasn't her best work. So much of the story was awkwardly paced and just plain weird.
First, Mariah, the mother, goes from being a terrible and unlikeable character to mother lioness in the blink of an eye, which isn't believable. I get that Picoult was trying to show the contrasts of who Mariah was with who she finally became, but it was too drastic a change to happen so suddenly.
Second, I HATE stories where the romance comes out of nowhere and the reader is left wondering why the two people were drawn together in the first place. That's what happens here. "I'm in love with you," is proclaimed and all I could think of was, "Why?" Again, it's a 0 to 60 transition with nothing to back it up.
Then throw in the usual Picoult formula of courtroom drama, controversy, "what do you belive?" of it all, blah blah blah, and there you have Keeping Faith. Fun, but not the best.
First, Mariah, the mother, goes from being a terrible and unlikeable character to mother lioness in the blink of an eye, which isn't believable. I get that Picoult was trying to show the contrasts of who Mariah was with who she finally became, but it was too drastic a change to happen so suddenly.
Second, I HATE stories where the romance comes out of nowhere and the reader is left wondering why the two people were drawn together in the first place. That's what happens here. "I'm in love with you," is proclaimed and all I could think of was, "Why?" Again, it's a 0 to 60 transition with nothing to back it up.
Then throw in the usual Picoult formula of courtroom drama, controversy, "what do you belive?" of it all, blah blah blah, and there you have Keeping Faith. Fun, but not the best.
Miracles DO happen. This book was a real page turner for me as I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. Picoult has another winner here. It kept me up way past my bedtime in several nights... until it was gone.
Loved it!
Loved it!
I really like Jodi Picoult writing style BUT this book was just too out there for me. Maybe it's just me, because I like realism and as soon as an alien comes into the picture it's all over... I usually read through books pretty fast but this book took me almost a month because I couldn't get into it. It wasn't so much that it was controversial but that it was just plain weird and unrealistic. I do like the characters she creates and Mariah's mother was my favorite! But, all through this whole book I kept finding myself wondering WHY, if neither parent had no interest in any religion or FAITH, why did they name their child that?
I read this years ago and saw it on my old Nook recently. I was unsure if I had ever read it so I started it. I quickly realized how familiar the story was and knew I’d read it before, but I didn’t remember what happens. It’s such a good story. Love the faith aspects it has in it. So different than some of Jodi’s other books.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was happy that this book ended pretty much the way that I wanted. It started off a bit slow for me and I disliked the mother in the beginning, but as the book went on she became more likable. Her flaws make her a more realistic character. I often find that I dislike the mothers in Jodi Picoult books because they seem to be too hard on their children or they show favoritism to a particular child, while ignoring their other children. This mother character I actually grew to like though. Ian Fletcher also became more likable as the book went on. All of the twists and turns at the trial were very intriguing. This is definitely not one of my favorite Jodi Picoult books, but like all of her other books it is very interesting.
I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. One thing that has been criticized in this book is regarding the ending. It is rather ambiguous but I think it was done intentionally because this is a book about faith and ultimately there are not clear cut answers when it comes to faith. I thought the ending was a perfect reflection of that. I loved the mix of religion with court room and family dramas mixed in. It was a fun ride
The religion and divine magic of it all annoyed me
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes