Product Description

One of America's most powerful and thought-provoking novelists, New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult brilliantly examines belief, miracles, and the complex core of family.

When the marriage of Mariah White and her cheating husband, Colin, turns ugly and disintegrates, their seven-year-old daughter, Faith, is there to witness it all. In the aftermath of a rapid divorce, Mariah falls into a deep depression -- and suddenly Faith, a child with no religious background whatsoever, hears divine voices, starts reciting biblical passages, and develops stigmata. And when the miraculous healings begin, mother and daughter are thrust into the volatile center of controversy and into the heat of a custody battle -- trapped in a mad media circus that threatens what little stability the family has left.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15969 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-01
• Released on: 2006-02-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Fans of Picoult's fluent and absorbing storytelling will welcome her new novel, which, like Harvesting the Heart, explores family dynamics and the intricacies of motherhood, and concludes, as did The Pact, with tense courtroom drama. In the small town of New Canaan, N.H., 33-year-old Mariah discovers that her husband, Colin, is having an affair. Years ago, his cheating drove Mariah to attempt suicide and Colin had her briefly committed to an institution. Now Mariah's facing divorce and again fighting depression, when her eight-year-old daughter, Faith, suddenly acquires an imaginary friend. Soon this friend is telling the girl how to bring her grandmother back from the dead and how to cure a baby dying of AIDS. As Faith manifests stigmata, doctors are astounded, and religious controversy ensues, in part because Faith insists that God is a woman. An alarmed Colin sues for custody of Faith, and the fear of losing her daughter dramatically changes meek, diffident Mariah into a strong, protective and brave womanAone who fights for her daughter, holds her own against doctors and lawyers and finds the confidence to pursue a surprising new romance with TV atheist Ian Fletcher, cynical "Spokesman of the Millennium Generation." Though the novel feels a bit long, Picoult's pacing stabilizes the increasingly complicated plot, and the final chapters, in which Mariah fights for Faith's custody in court, are riveting. The mother-daughter relationship is all the more powerful for being buffeted by the exploitative and ethically questionable domains of medicine, media, law and religion; these characters' many triumphant transformations are Picoult's triumphs as well. Agent, Laura Gross.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
When seven-year-old Faith White and her mother, Mariah, swing by the house on the way to ballet class, they find that Daddy is home and he's brought a playmate. This is not the first time he's been caught cheating. After the fuss and feathers have settled and Dad has moved out, Faith begins talking to an imaginary friend who, it seems, is God. And God is not male but female. Faith is able to effect miraculous cures and is also occasionally afflicted with stigmata. When the media gets wind of this, the circus begins. The local rabbi takes an interest (Faith and Mariah are technically Jewish), and the local Catholic priest pays several inquiring visits. There is also a gaggle of psychologists. Throw in a professional atheist for the romance angle and a vicious custody fight with an egomaniacal lawyer, and you have a riveting read. Picot (The Pact, LJ 2/15/98) gets better and better with each book. If you can suspend disbelief on one or two points, this is an entrancing novel. Highly recommended.ADawn L. Anderson, North Richland Hills P.L., TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Picoult blends elements of psychology and spirituality into a mesmerizing morality play, where conventional notions of faith and honesty are put to the test by a seemingly impossible series of extraordinary events. After emotionally fragile Mariah White discovers her husband in an affair, she lapses into depression. Confused by both her mother's inertia and her parents' impending divorce, seven-year-old Faith White begins receiving mysterious visitations from a woman she refers to as her "guard." In addition to obsessing about her imaginary friend, the religiously unschooled Faith also begins spouting passages from the Bible and healing the seriously ill. Rousing herself from the brink of mental collapse, Mariah brings her daughter to see so-called experts, including a psychologist, a rabbi, and a priest. When the media jump on the bandwagon, Mariah and Faith are besieged by an alternately awe-struck and angry host of believers and nonbelievers. As her life spins out of control, Mariah must fight public opinion, the legal system, and her outraged ex-husband in order to retain custody of Faith. Margaret Flanagan

Customer Reviews

Very disappointing
I was very disappointed in this book. It is not up to the level of Jodi Piccoult's other novels. The storyline lacked believablity, the writing was poor, some of the characters were either cardboard cutouts or unrealistic (and one in particular was lifted from The Rainman), and the book needed serious editing. After the first 100 pages, I skipped large chunks in a valiant effort to reach the end. If I hadn't already read many of Jodi Picoult's other novels before this one, I would have thought she was a bad author. She didn't do herself justice with this one. She is capable of a lot more.

Great read
Another tender novel by a talented writer. She has become one of my favorites. As usual, the ending surprised me. I like Jodi's style of writing, and find her novels easy and enjoyable to read. I've read almost every one of her books, and always look forward to a new book.

My first Picoult - and wonderful
This is my first Jodi Picoult book (my library is always out so I had to buy it) and I loved it. I really enjoy books where religion or spirituality is part of the characters lives even though I am not currently affiliated with any religion. I was raised as a Catholic, so many of the ideas were familiar to me, and I appreciated the insights into the Jewish faith. But there was so much more to make this an interesting story: child custody issues and trial lawyers, TV and media aspects, family relations, love and infidelity. I can't wait for my next Picoult book.