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chlosophis's review against another edition
2.0
It was a good holiday novel, but nothing that inspiring.
I'm not into the whole "My husband is controlling me" scenario.
I'm not into the whole "My husband is controlling me" scenario.
skyring's review
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10281308
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10281308
rachel_lee's review against another edition
3.0
"I've got a book that you'll love" said a friend a few months ago, "it's about this guy who's a control freak and manages to send his wife to a psychiatric hospital to stop her from leaving him".
"Sure!" I said, "sounds good".
Out pops Faith by Peter James.
This is the moment I metaphorically kicked myself for being such a book snob. Peter James is not an author I ever envisioned myself reading. Having spent the past year and a half working in a bookshop, we've always had a steady stream of his work moving on and off the shelves, along with the Dan Brown's, PD James' and Lee Child',s which all seem to asexually reproduce in a matter of days. It's the kind of stuff my dad would read and I think that's what put me off. Not that I have anything against my dad, just that our tastes in literature are very different - he's more Andy McNab war stories and spy thrillers whereas I'm firmly in the classics/Shakespeare/psychological thriller corner.
I was pleasantly surprised by Faith and I'm glad I've read it, but it's not amazing.
"Sure!" I said, "sounds good".
Out pops Faith by Peter James.
This is the moment I metaphorically kicked myself for being such a book snob. Peter James is not an author I ever envisioned myself reading. Having spent the past year and a half working in a bookshop, we've always had a steady stream of his work moving on and off the shelves, along with the Dan Brown's, PD James' and Lee Child',s which all seem to asexually reproduce in a matter of days. It's the kind of stuff my dad would read and I think that's what put me off. Not that I have anything against my dad, just that our tastes in literature are very different - he's more Andy McNab war stories and spy thrillers whereas I'm firmly in the classics/Shakespeare/psychological thriller corner.
I was pleasantly surprised by Faith and I'm glad I've read it, but it's not amazing.
midlifehedgewitch's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first Peter James book I've read. If the quality of the writing, the excellent characterisations, and gripping plot lines in 'Faith' are any indication of his other works, I'll be back for more.
This is a true descent into evil, where a fractured man tries to control his wife and will stop at nothing to keep her under his control. Having endured a relationship where I was controlled by a man who expected me to stay home, gave me a car and restricted where I could drive it, and banned me from going to uni (hah! I have a PhD now, so stick that in your bum), I could relate to Faith, the wife, and main protagonist. Whilst I am a staunch sceptic and the alternative medicine story lines bugged me, they weren't too flaky or woo-woo, and you could easily overlook them.
This is a faced-paced psychological thriller that you won't be disappointed with.
This is a true descent into evil, where a fractured man tries to control his wife and will stop at nothing to keep her under his control. Having endured a relationship where I was controlled by a man who expected me to stay home, gave me a car and restricted where I could drive it, and banned me from going to uni (hah! I have a PhD now, so stick that in your bum), I could relate to Faith, the wife, and main protagonist. Whilst I am a staunch sceptic and the alternative medicine story lines bugged me, they weren't too flaky or woo-woo, and you could easily overlook them.
This is a faced-paced psychological thriller that you won't be disappointed with.
hayley_bopp's review against another edition
2.0
Nowhere near as good as the Roy Grace series. I found the storyline far-fetched and the characters contrived.
rhirhireader's review against another edition
3.0
**SPOILERS**
This took a while to get used to! For a good 30 chapters I couldn't catch the psychological thriller vibe! Instead it felt very much like an average family drama story. Faith hinted that her husband Ross was controlling and abusive but All I could see was how much he loved her! (ok maybe this shows the talent of the author who tricked me for a while)
So for me, the story began when Ross hires a private detective to watch Faith. He's certain she's having an affair, and whats worse is that she's getting medical advice from her ‘lover'! And Ross is a highly experienced doctor who is admired by all! This attention is something he can do without.
A little over halfway through the book came the real nitty gritty of James' brilliant work. Faiths' diagnosis of a rare disease means he is truly devastated but also, finaly he can show her how much he loves her by using his popularity in the medical field to pull some strings for the best treatment possible.
How does Ross react to news of Faith discarding the medication and following a more alternative way of finding a cure? The answer: not good at all. And this is where we are introduced to Ross the psychotic monster. The chapters on the hallucinations really were great! Loved the way I was drawn in and felt a little bit away with the fairies myself! The first time with the ‘eye drop' saga really made me feel sick. What a horrendous thing to do! It just got worse and worse and I was even scared of this man by the end.
For me, a lot of the book could have been edited down to probably 300 pages. The action didn't happen for a long time, but when it did I loved it (despite feeling angry that Ross got away with so much)
Things I enjoyed;
The hallucinations. These were just creepy and believable. The chapters from the 70s giving us an insight to why Ross was such a creep.
Things I wasn't fussed on;
The extra quick romance that came out of nowhwere between Faith and Oliver. They declared their love at the second meeting Im sure! The hipnotising of Ross in the lift... although this was quote fun to read, it felt very unrealistic. Then again with little Alec in the Attik.
A good read for fans of thrillers. Might be frustrating to those used to James' other work (RoyGrace series) slow development of plot. But when it gets there its good.
3 stars.
This took a while to get used to! For a good 30 chapters I couldn't catch the psychological thriller vibe! Instead it felt very much like an average family drama story. Faith hinted that her husband Ross was controlling and abusive but All I could see was how much he loved her! (ok maybe this shows the talent of the author who tricked me for a while)
So for me, the story began when Ross hires a private detective to watch Faith. He's certain she's having an affair, and whats worse is that she's getting medical advice from her ‘lover'! And Ross is a highly experienced doctor who is admired by all! This attention is something he can do without.
A little over halfway through the book came the real nitty gritty of James' brilliant work. Faiths' diagnosis of a rare disease means he is truly devastated but also, finaly he can show her how much he loves her by using his popularity in the medical field to pull some strings for the best treatment possible.
How does Ross react to news of Faith discarding the medication and following a more alternative way of finding a cure? The answer: not good at all. And this is where we are introduced to Ross the psychotic monster. The chapters on the hallucinations really were great! Loved the way I was drawn in and felt a little bit away with the fairies myself! The first time with the ‘eye drop' saga really made me feel sick. What a horrendous thing to do! It just got worse and worse and I was even scared of this man by the end.
For me, a lot of the book could have been edited down to probably 300 pages. The action didn't happen for a long time, but when it did I loved it (despite feeling angry that Ross got away with so much)
Things I enjoyed;
The hallucinations. These were just creepy and believable. The chapters from the 70s giving us an insight to why Ross was such a creep.
Things I wasn't fussed on;
The extra quick romance that came out of nowhwere between Faith and Oliver. They declared their love at the second meeting Im sure! The hipnotising of Ross in the lift... although this was quote fun to read, it felt very unrealistic. Then again with little Alec in the Attik.
A good read for fans of thrillers. Might be frustrating to those used to James' other work (RoyGrace series) slow development of plot. But when it gets there its good.
3 stars.
undomiel's review against another edition
2.0
One of James' earlier works that as usual I found difficult to get in to, as he had not yet mastered his writing style that is affluent in his more recent work. A very slow start to what was not an overly gripping plot, I made it to the end, however found myself forcing myself to read it, as opposed to being excited to pick the book up. No discredit to James, who is a fantastic author, but this was one of his far less notable works.
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