Faithful: A Novel

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage of Opposites and The Dovekeepers comes a soul-searching story about a young woman struggling to redefine herself and the power of love, family, and fate.
Growing up on Long Island, Shelby Richmond is an ordinary girl until one night an extraordinary tragedy changes her fate. Her best friend’s future is destroyed in an accident, while Shelby walks away with the burden of guilt.
What happens when a life is turned inside out? When love is something so distant it may as well be a star in the sky? Faithful is the story of a survivor, filled with emotion—from dark suffering to true happiness—a moving portrait of a young woman finding her way in the modern world. A fan of Chinese food, dogs, bookstores, and men she should stay away from, Shelby has to fight her way back to her own future. In New York City she finds a circle of lost and found souls—including an angel who’s been watching over her ever since that fateful icy night.
Here is a character you will fall in love with, so believable and real and endearing, that she captures both the ache of loneliness and the joy of finding yourself at last. For anyone who’s ever been a hurt teenager, for every mother of a daughter who has lost her way, Faithful is a roadmap.
Alice Hoffman’s “trademark alchemy” (USA TODAY) and her ability to write about the “delicate balance between the everyday world and the extraordinary” (WBUR) make this an unforgettable story. With beautifully crafted prose, Alice Hoffman spins hope from heartbreak in this profoundly moving novel.
Growing up on Long Island, Shelby Richmond is an ordinary girl until one night an extraordinary tragedy changes her fate. Her best friend’s future is destroyed in an accident, while Shelby walks away with the burden of guilt.
What happens when a life is turned inside out? When love is something so distant it may as well be a star in the sky? Faithful is the story of a survivor, filled with emotion—from dark suffering to true happiness—a moving portrait of a young woman finding her way in the modern world. A fan of Chinese food, dogs, bookstores, and men she should stay away from, Shelby has to fight her way back to her own future. In New York City she finds a circle of lost and found souls—including an angel who’s been watching over her ever since that fateful icy night.
Here is a character you will fall in love with, so believable and real and endearing, that she captures both the ache of loneliness and the joy of finding yourself at last. For anyone who’s ever been a hurt teenager, for every mother of a daughter who has lost her way, Faithful is a roadmap.
Alice Hoffman’s “trademark alchemy” (USA TODAY) and her ability to write about the “delicate balance between the everyday world and the extraordinary” (WBUR) make this an unforgettable story. With beautifully crafted prose, Alice Hoffman spins hope from heartbreak in this profoundly moving novel.
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Community Reviews
thenextgoodbook.com
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
255 pages
What's it about?
Shelby is a normal 17-year-old girl until one snowy night an auto accident seriously injures her, and kills her best friend. This novel explores grief, guilt, and love in equal measures.
What did it make think about?
The first fifty pages I just wanted Shelby to get a grip- as the story moved on I became more engaged in it. Alice Hoffman does a nice job of pacing Shelby's recovery. I am sure a trauma like this would impact your life in ways we can't imagine. The book was also a sweet reminder of what a mother-daughter relationship can be.
Should I read it?
I am an Alice Hoffman fan so I say "of course"!
If you liked this try-
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
Language Arts by Stephanie Kellos
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
Elegies for the Broken Hearted by Christie Hodgen
8 1/2 stars
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
255 pages
What's it about?
Shelby is a normal 17-year-old girl until one snowy night an auto accident seriously injures her, and kills her best friend. This novel explores grief, guilt, and love in equal measures.
What did it make think about?
The first fifty pages I just wanted Shelby to get a grip- as the story moved on I became more engaged in it. Alice Hoffman does a nice job of pacing Shelby's recovery. I am sure a trauma like this would impact your life in ways we can't imagine. The book was also a sweet reminder of what a mother-daughter relationship can be.
Should I read it?
I am an Alice Hoffman fan so I say "of course"!
If you liked this try-
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
Language Arts by Stephanie Kellos
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
Elegies for the Broken Hearted by Christie Hodgen
8 1/2 stars
I was provided a copy of this e-galley from the publisher through Netgalley.
I began this heart-wrenching novel in the wee hours of the morning on my kindle when I was forced to put down my current book so the light wouldn't keep my husband awake. I ended up reading it throughout the day and finishing it, unable to set it aside and return to my other novel. The characters in this book were lovely, nicely fleshed out and memorable. This isn't my first Alice Hoffman novel, and I tend to like her straightforward style with a little bit of magic thrown in. While there wasn't anything terribly new in this story that I haven't read before, it was a good story with a good message that left me satisfied.
I began this heart-wrenching novel in the wee hours of the morning on my kindle when I was forced to put down my current book so the light wouldn't keep my husband awake. I ended up reading it throughout the day and finishing it, unable to set it aside and return to my other novel. The characters in this book were lovely, nicely fleshed out and memorable. This isn't my first Alice Hoffman novel, and I tend to like her straightforward style with a little bit of magic thrown in. While there wasn't anything terribly new in this story that I haven't read before, it was a good story with a good message that left me satisfied.
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