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- Losing Faith
Losing Faith
Editor reviews
After Brie gets back into her normal schedule, she encounters someone who might have the answer to some of her unanswered questions. Should Brie continue on this path, even if it means her own life is in danger?
Losing Faith is a story of loss, searching for faith and answers. Brie's character's reaction to the death of her older sister is very realistic. So are the reactions of her friends and parents. Brie struggles with how to belong again after the funeral. The awkwardness of classmates and friends rings true. I mean, what exactly do you say to someone who rumor has it had a sister died by her own hand? And how do you deal with gossip and avoidance because your friends feel awkward around you? This is shown in vivid and very believable detail.
Religion does play an important part of this story. Brie's sister was with a religious youth group and her family is actively involved with church. So the whole questioning aspect felt right on the mark.
One of the things I did have trouble with was the one character who was homeschooled. I homeschool my own son through a charter school. No way are we over the top religious. Also the whole fanatic religious group was a tad bit extreme.
What I really liked about Losing Faith was how the author showed a character dealing with a tragedy in her family and how she struggles with her own grieve through questioning and also wondering about her own faith. Brie shows lots of inner strength as she tries to solve the truth of what really happened to Faith. Brie's courage will resonate with readers.
User reviews
Denise Jaden does a wonderful job on writing the book. At times the book does go slow, but this is not a topic that needs to be rushed.
And since this is a teen book, clearly there has to be some romantic situation. Brie's first boyfriend was a jerk. No need to comment on that one more. But, what I liked about the way the author incorpporated Alis (short for Alistair) was wonderful. Tessa and Alis were definitely round characters. Each of them had their own spying methods to help Brie figure out the mystery of her sisters death and they were usually cool or hilarious.
If you are thinking about reading it: read it. Maybe don't read it all, but read a couple of chapters and then decide whether or not to read the rest. But the book is good.
Losing Faith is an emotional book with a spoonful of mystery. The characters are likeable and well written, the plot moves along nicely. It kept me interested and I didn't want to put the book down.
Though Losing Faith deals with religion, it never came across to me as preachy. It could have been a real life situation, and I think that Brie examined things and gave fair weight where it was due. Dealing with a cult, of course there is a pinch of truth and then taken to extremes along with a lot of lies. So, yes, we see these things in the book, but there are also examples of good christians.
Losing a sister and a daughter has to be heartwrenching and we get an inside look through Brie and her parents. Jaden really conveys different ways of handling grief and I can almost feel their pain along with them.
Though I felt I knew where the book was going and what the answers were going to be, it was a wonderful ride to with Brie to find the answers. I was right for most things, but there were still things that surprised me.
My favorite characters in the story are actually Tessa, an 'outcast' who befriends Brie and shows her what being a friend really means-- also what getting into trouble means, but that is part of the fun. My other is Alys, the love interest. He is awkward but loyal, and caring.
Also published on my book blog: blkosiner.blogspot.com
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