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109th out of 178 books
—
93 voters
Blind Faith
A Simon & Schuster eBook
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
December 4th 2007
by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
(first published June 20th 2006)
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1,105)
Feb 03, 2011
Samantha
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
gallant-gentlemen,
creeptastic
This book is amazing. The story of both of Liz and Nathan's tragic losses somehow winds into a perfect story of love and tragedy. Liz is a down-to-earth narrator who uses music as her way of escaping from her run-of-the-mill life. As it is with most books of this genre, at least one of Liz's parents is slightly scatterbrained and nonchalant when it comes to caring for Liz, and this explains her extreme independence and the need she feels to always be at peace with her mother.
Nathan's character i...more
Nathan's character i...more
May 18, 2013
Janie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
5-stars,
best-ever,
i-own,
issues,
mental-illness,
missing-mom,
psychological,
terminal-illness
This did a magnificant job of juggling the many different issues in the book. Terminal illness, grief, spirituality, interpersonal relationships, etcetera etcetera etcetera. More later
I will admit this book was actually really good for me just picking it up in the library. What I didn't like was the fact that it was somewhat of an easy read but I did like the characters. This book is about a girl who gets new neighbors after her grandmother passes. The neighbors move in with the cranky old lady accross the street and Liz later finds out that its her daughter and her grandchildren. Later in the book she starts handing around with Nathan who is her age and his little sister Cou...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Feb 17, 2012
Jenni French
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
genre-contemporary-fiction,
age-5-grades-9-12
Death and dying seem to be fairly common topics in young adult literature. It's as though authors everywhere have decided that teens do not have the skills to cope with death and dying and that these skills are best taught through novels that the teens may or may not check out of the library.
Liz is coping with the loss of her grandmother, Bunny, and her mother's insistence that her Spiritualist church helps her to stay in contact with Bunny. Enter Nathan and his little sister, who move in acros...more
Liz is coping with the loss of her grandmother, Bunny, and her mother's insistence that her Spiritualist church helps her to stay in contact with Bunny. Enter Nathan and his little sister, who move in acros...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
When Liz Scattergood's grandmother, Bunny, passes away, her entire family is shocked. Her mother does not handle this well, and begins to attend a Spiritualist church because she believes they can help her communicate with Bunny from beyond the grave.
Liz does not know what to think of this. Just when she begins to recover from the first punch, a new boy moves into the neighborhood with his sister and mother - who has terminal cancer.
Blind Faith focuses on the things people need to believe in jus...more
Liz does not know what to think of this. Just when she begins to recover from the first punch, a new boy moves into the neighborhood with his sister and mother - who has terminal cancer.
Blind Faith focuses on the things people need to believe in jus...more
Aug 08, 2009
Sophia
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everybody =]
Recommended to Sophia by:
teenreads.com
Favorite book ever.
Liz was in a state of shock after Bunny, her grandmother, died. Bunny was active, interesting, and lively. Everyone found it unbelievable that her life ended so abruptly. Liz's mother, for one, became severely depressed, and when she was offered the chance to speak to Bunny spiritually, she jumped at the offer. Liz didn't know what to make of Spiritualism. She found it disconcerting that her mother spent so much more time with her dead mother than her living daughter. This new religion, welcomed...more
I think that the author was trying REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hard to sound like a teenager, which sort of took something away from the story. I mean, it was a great premise and I would have loved it a lot more if the woman just let go of her inhibitions and written naturally. Everything that was said was very forced.
Liz's grandmother, Bunny, has just died and has driven her mother into a fit of depression. To get rid of her sadness, Liz's mother decides to go to a weird Spiritualist church tha...more
Liz's grandmother, Bunny, has just died and has driven her mother into a fit of depression. To get rid of her sadness, Liz's mother decides to go to a weird Spiritualist church tha...more
May 03, 2008
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews,
jens-personal-read
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
It was bad enough when fifteen-year-old Liz Scattergood's grandmother, Bunny, died. It's even worse now that her mother seems to have gone crazy. For weeks her mom wouldn't get out of bed, wouldn't eat dinner with Liz and her father, wouldn't even brush her hair. Although Liz understands that her mother and Bunny had a special bond, were more like sisters, in fact, than mother and daughter, Liz doesn't understand the extreme depression. That was almost preferab...more
It was bad enough when fifteen-year-old Liz Scattergood's grandmother, Bunny, died. It's even worse now that her mother seems to have gone crazy. For weeks her mom wouldn't get out of bed, wouldn't eat dinner with Liz and her father, wouldn't even brush her hair. Although Liz understands that her mother and Bunny had a special bond, were more like sisters, in fact, than mother and daughter, Liz doesn't understand the extreme depression. That was almost preferab...more
My overall impression of this book is one of calmness, despite its depiction of family upheavals resulting from the sickness and death of loved ones. I think it's because Liz, despite her own struggles, is the dependable one in the story (along with her dad - I liked him too), trying to support her grieving mother as well as her new neighbors across the street whose mother is dying of leukemia.
This sounds like a heavy plot, but Ellen Wittlinger balances the sadness and confusion with hopeful ent...more
This sounds like a heavy plot, but Ellen Wittlinger balances the sadness and confusion with hopeful ent...more
this is one of the best books i've ever read. it really jumps into the emotions one goes through when losing someone very close to them. the relationship that liz and nathan were able to come into was one of the most perfect book relationships i've ever seen. ellen wittlinger is a brilliant writer and i would suggest this book to anyone and everyone. it was very well written and one of the best books ever published, in my opinion.
After having this book on my bookshelf for several years, I finally decided to read it. I became totally absorbed, learning the affects that a death can have on a family, and how much a friendly neighbor can make a difference. The author wrote this book so a person who may not have had these experiences first hand was easily able to feel the pain, frustration, and sadness that the two main families went through.
Blind Faith is an interesting look at death and beliefs about life after death. Wittlinger approaches the confusion and pain of the situation well. However, I didn't feel drawn to her characters. It was an interesting look at spiritualism versus atheism, but it didn't feel comforting or helpful to me. An interesting story, but not one I would really recommend to help a teenager through such a situaion.
Oct 02, 2012
Colleen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
relationships,
young-adult
This is a teen book that I read to see if it was appropriate for my 14 year old daughter. (It was.) After her grandmother’s death, 15-yr old Liz has to deal with her mother’s inability to cope and the fact that two kids have moved in across the street whose mother is dying. Deals with questions of faith, mortality, friendship and spirituality. A good read for young adults.
A lot happens in the book! Liz's grandmother dies, and her mother enters a deep depression. The thing that draws her out of it is a church that can contact the dead. The neighbor across the street has terminal cancer. A possible divorce, a romance. A strange church experience. A lot going on here, but it makes for a good read.
Layered story of a teenaged girl whose mother (a potter) turns to a spiritualist church after the death of her mother. Combines family strife, friendship, romance, death, illness and religion in an interesting read that tugged at my emotions. A small complaint... the last line, although okay, was only okay.
I really enjoy Ellen Wittlinger's books and this one is no different. Liz's grandmother, Bunny, has just died, and Liz's mom copes with this by attending a Spiritualist church in hopes of reaching Bunny on the other side. Liz spends most of the story battling with her mother, wanting to be her daughter as much as her mother was Bunny's. It's an interesting relationship where the teen seems more adult than the mom.
Adding to the mix is a neighbor, dying of leukemia, who has brought her two kids ba...more
Adding to the mix is a neighbor, dying of leukemia, who has brought her two kids ba...more
A teen book about grief and loss and friendship and family; and about searching for answers to some of those "big" questions about faith and spirituality and God. I like that it deals honestly with tough subjects without trying to give you all the answers, but it's hopeful rather than depressing.
Not what I was expecting having read other Wittlinger stuff, especially for an introduction. I couldn't sustain my interest and will move on to other books. I expected gritty and overtly sexualized teens, instead I'm reading about a girl looking for her mother's love and affection.
This book was in a way different from books that i tipically read. It has many of the elements that are in books i read,but the story to it was kind of different. Like, it has a teenage girl and of course an imaginably cute guy, but there are certain parts that just get weird.
Ellen Wittlinger is an author that I have much to learn from. I absolutely loved and cried over her first book, "Hard Love," and "Blind Faith" is something definitely worth reading.
Framed by two funerals, the story is an exploration of faith and relationships in crisis.
Framed by two funerals, the story is an exploration of faith and relationships in crisis.
Wittlinger did a good job capturing the upheaval in the mind of a teen who encounters death, first of her grandmother and then a friend's mother. I'm not sure I liked the questioning of God (sometimes referred to as "he, she or it," but I could see where the character would be askig questions like she asked.
How much can I say I loved this book. So people can know I really do.
It was brilliant. The drama was so heartfelt and realistic i loved the romance so innocent and so real. It doesn't get more real then this book
It was brilliant. The drama was so heartfelt and realistic i loved the romance so innocent and so real. It doesn't get more real then this book
Feb 26, 2010
Thorn MotherIssues
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2010
Teen reading challenge. I was all excited to read this since it was supposed to be about atheism vs. spiritualism within a relationship, but that part fizzled and the rest was melodrama. Sad.
Really amazing book. I read this a while ago but I still remember enjoying it and feeling like it was one of the first really deep books I ever read. I really loved it.
I saw it several times at the library, but I didn't really want to read this book. The blurb described it as exploring "how a loved one's death impacts those left behind." Not a very fun read. But I ended up picking it up once I'd read all of Wittlinger's other books at the library. And I ended up enjoying it a lot — not the torture and sorrow I expected. Wittlinger's characters are complex and engaging. She mixes serious themes — here death, parent-child relations, religion — with funny moments...more
this book hase its own ring to it the things she had done and the things she had said are rational. this is one of the few good books i read.
Blind Faith is a book about Grief, lose, hope, and love. It's a really great book and I'd recommend it to anyone.
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Ellen Wittlinger is the critically acclaimed author of the teen novels Heart on My Sleeve, The Long Night of Leo and Bree, Razzle, What's in a Name, and Hard Love (an American Library Association Michael L. Printz Honor Book, a Lambda Literary Award winner, and a Booklist Editors' Choice). She has a bachelor's degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and an M.F.A. from the University...more
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Sep 11, 2011 07:00pm