Keeping Faith, while it is over ten years old, is my latest Jodi Picoult read. I recently discovered a slew of Picoult and Nicholas Sparks titles that I did not yet have under my belt. Thank goodness!

Keeping Faith

Plot: In Keeping Faith, Picoult tackles the topic of religion. In the midst of a emotionally devastating divorce, Mariah White’s seven year old daughter Faith begins to speak to G-d. And all though they are non-practicing Jews in a broken interfaith family, Faith begins to have the stigmata. Famous atheist Ian Fletcher, the anti-Billy Graham, sets out to prove that Faith is a fraud, and sets off a gripping custody case.

I think that “Keeping Faith” has some of my favorite Picoult characters. Each character is complex and damaged in ways that are very easy to relate to. And while the stage Picoult sets them on is surreal, their personalities and reactions are very realistic.

Mariah is the needy house wife and stay at home mommy who must learn to survive on her own. Mariah does not become ridiculously strong over night; Picoult develops her slowly. While I felt she still ended a little weak, I found it a very sincere portrayal. Ian is damaged goods with situational atheism. Picoult loves to write these cynical cranky male characters who just want to be loved, and Ian Fletcher is one of my favorites, right next to Jordan McAfee from The Pact, 19 Minutes and Salem Falls. Colin, Mariah’s ex-husband, makes a deliberate mistake that may cost him the love of his daughter. You hate Colin for what he did, but completely understand his broken heart. Millie, Mariah’s mother, is the loving and sassy mother who provides perfectly times comic relief and emotional support.

The crux of the book is religion, and here the author plays it safe. She does not attack religion, nor does she make any blatant arguments. She offers no alternative or conclusions. In fact, her approach may be too subtle, but she does not make the book untouchable by tackling the topic. She writes a perspective that is very palatable, even if it does get a little lost in a series of miracles and a little romance.

Keeping Faith is one of my new favorite Picoult novels.

Grade: B

Rating: 16+ for adult situations

I’ll admit it, I have a soft spot when it comes to Nicholas Sparks. It’s predictable, entertaining, quick, and Southern. You know two people will fall in love, someone will die, and it will take place in North Carolina (this isn’t a spoiler, he says this himself in his interviews, I like that Sparks knows who he is). I like having that kind of comfort zone when my brain isn’t at 100%.

I was at Target the other day and say that “The Last Song” was on sale. Being on maternity leave with very little to do, I picked it up without hesitation. It was before I remembered it’s a new Miley Cyrus movie, and before I found out Sparks wrote the script of the movie first, just for Miley, and the book second. Oy, where have writers’ values gone?

Having read a good deal of his novels, I’m going to format this post a bit differently, so here it is, my Nicholas Sparks top 5, with some of my own thoughts.

5. Dear John: You can refer to my previous post on this sappy tearjerker here. My least favorite of Sparks’ novels. Grade: C- (won’t see the movie)

4. A Walk to Remember: I liked the movie more. Maybe because I was 14. Maybe because the book was just too sappy and melodramatic. Maybe because Sparks hits you over the head with the Christian inspiration stuff.  Grade: C

3. The Last Song: I will be writing a whole post about this, but for now: I knew someone was going to die, (this is not a spoiler, someone always dies in his books) and I just waited to see if I was right. I actually liked the story, even if some of the characters were a little flat. Grade: B (may see the movie)

2. Nights in Rodanthe: I really liked this book, even thought my bestie Ilana said the whole “fall in love in a few days thing” was totally unrealistic. I repeat here my argument that this book is about middle aged adults, not teens. When you have all ready been in love, and you have life experience, I would guess it’s easier to recognize the next time. Grade: B (way better than the movie)

1. The Notebook: I love this book. This is the Sparks’ novel I judge all others by, which is why it is no wonder he usually disappoints me. Like all his books it is a quick read, and I consider this one a delicious love story. Grade: A- (I liked the movie too, but independent of the book)

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks, just the name evokes airplanes for me. I always buy Nicholas Sparks’ new novel when I am trapped at an airport, have read all the books I brought with me, and am there is no free TV on the flight I am about to take. Don’t get me wrong, I love Nicholas Sparks. But why? Why, do I do this to myself?  I think I convince myself with each successive novel, he will produce another The Notebook. Nicholas Sparks,  has produced another sappy love story about two people who cannot seem to get their act together. Seriously, he knows how to break hearts with words.

Dear John (which of course is on its way to becoming a movie) is the tale of John, a soldier in the army pre-9/11, meets Savannah, a young innocent Christian college girl. They of course have nothing in common, other than being from the South, but this stops neither of them from falling, inexplicable, in love. John returns to Iraq to finish off his time, and he and Savannah write sappy letters to each other expressing their love which blossomed like a weed in a few shorts weeks. But just as he is ready to settle down with his girl, 9/11 strikes. Whatever will these two lovebirds do?

If you are at all intrigued, if you really believe that Nicholas Sparks will give them a happy ending, and if you cry anytime you read any of his books, this is for sure for you. I mean, even I was surprised at how much heart ache Sparks can find to wrench into people’s lives. To be fair, I didn’t see the end coming, because it was just too much of a soap opera for me. If this doesn’t appeal to you, buy it in an airport.

Grade: C: worth reading but the characters just kept driving me crazy.