The Blind Faith Hotel

Zoe has always had a love affair with nature. Growing up on the Northwest coast and spending all her free time with her father on his fishing boat, practically made her one with the sea. When her mother and father separate and her mother drags her halfway across the country to the Midwestern plains, Zoe thinks her world has come to an end. Why do they have to move? They've moved a lot in the past several years, but that's been moving to keep up with work. Having her father gone for months at a time on fishing boats is just part of life for Zoe, her older sister, Nelia, and her younger brother, Ollie. They seem to take it in stride. Why can't their mother do the same? This time is different for some reason. Zoe's mother packs them and all their belongings up in a U-haul and they head east. They're going to the town where their mother grew up. The old family house is now hers and she insists it is just the place for a bed-and-breakfast. Just what does her mother know about running a business, anyway - and how can she take them away from their father? After a grueling trip where nothing goes right, they finally arrive. The house that supposedly holds so many memories for her mother turns out to be a rundown mess. Just about everything needs replacing, so workmen are soon swarming all over the place. With her mother knee-deep in renovations and her sister and brother busy with newfound friends, Zoe finds herself feeling like she usually does - out of place. She makes one new friend, but that hardly makes up for the fact that she hates school and misses her father more than she could have ever imagined. Zoe gets more attention than she bargained for when she makes the stupid mistake of shoplifting some bust-enhancing cream. When she tries to return it and right her mistake, she is taken to the police station and later appears in court. Her sentence is a list of strict guidelines and community service work at a nearby nature preserve. It may not be the saltwater sea she is used to, but the sea of prairie grass where she spends her Saturdays soon becomes a fascinating and magical place. That, along with a mysterious boy named Ivy, might make this new place a home Zoe can learn to love and appreciate. Author Pamela Todd takes readers on a journey not only across the country, but also into the life of a young girl forced to leave behind the father she loves and the only place she's ever felt at home. Todd gives readers a feeling for Zoe's pain and loneliness, and at the same time, artfully describes the Midwest prairie as nature's ultimate garden. THE BLIND FAITH HOTEL is not a book filled with rock em' sock em' action, but anyone who appreciates a story with emotion, feeling, and the beauty of nature is sure to enjoy this one. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

This funny, wise coming-of-age book is perfect for mother-daughter book groups. I particularly enjoyed the sibling dynamics and the on-target patter. The focus on the environment, particularly the prairie, is a plus. I read this book straight through during one of our stormy Midwest weekends.

I just finished reading "The Blind Faith Hotel" and I must say I enjoyed it immensely up until the last page! Please note: Possible spoiler comment here!: Without wanting to spoil anything for any future readers, I need to have other reader's opinions of the ending. I assume the author left the ending rather dubious on purpose as to who was on Zoe's porch at the end; her father or the boyfriend character of Ivy. (Frankly, I'm rooting for Ivy.) I guess the author just wanted us to believe that the main character; teenager Zoe, was coming to terms with some valuable life lessons: "People who are lost can still help you find your way in the world." So with that said, I then must assume it doesn't matter which character was on the porch that night. I must also add that the characters were very appealing; strong, well defined and basically funny as hell! (especially Zoe's siblings Nelia and Ollie) All in all, a four star review recommended for teens, pre-teens and readers like me who still love to read juvenile and YA fiction as much as adult novels.

Pam Todd has succeeded marvelously in writing a tender and gripping story of a young woman's struggles within her family and herself as she defines her way in a precarious world, complicated by her father's absence and her own development in a new arena. The prarie itself is a character--alive and thirsting, in danger of extinction. Destined to be a classic, this book offers joy on so many levels with an abundance of exquisitely written scenes and characters. "The Blind Faith Hotel" is a satisfying and deeply engaging novel; I am eager for more of Todd's work.

This is a charming and insightful book that both young teens and adults will enjoy, and might in fact be a perfect choice for parents and kids to read together. It's a story about coming home--to a place, to a mindset, to understanding, to peace, to oneself. There are passages that make you laugh out loud and those that move you to tears. This is above all a beautiful tribute to nature, to family, to love and forgiveness. It's a tribute to Pam Todd's skill as a writer that I cared for and was invested in every single character in the book--even Booda the bear.