Francine Rivers Reviews

Added February 22, 2010

Her Mother's Hope

Martha's Legacy, Book One

Author: Francine Rivers
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Available At: Bookstores everywhere
Publishing Date: March 16, 2010
Genre: Christian/Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Price: $24.99
ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-1863-9
Author Email/Website: http://www.francinerivers.com/
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Her Mother's Hope is a touch of history interwoven with inspiration from the author's own family ancestry. The result is a book that is more like an invitation into the parlors, kitchens and bedrooms of characters that border on the edge of reality. Author Francine Rivers sensitively, yet passionately, explores the complex relationships between mothers and daughters. The novel takes readers across continents and time periods, providing pivotal moments that shape the future and give meaning to the past.

Near the turn of the 20th century, Marta, an independent woman with an entrepreneurial spirit (rare qualities in a woman of that day) leaves Switzerland to pursue her success. She eventually settles down in California with a husband and children, but her ambition doesn't rest. Her oldest daughter, Hildie, was always a frail and fragile child, so Marta prods her with tough love. Hildie trains to be a nurse but she longs for a mother's kindness and acceptance. As the years pass, these women try to connect but often clash, leaving tears in their wake. The novel closes on a note of both hope and heartache, as Marta and Hildie's time together may be fleeting.

The author skillfully captures the tenuous line that mothers and daughters walk, as their relationship changes with the years. Marta is a strong-willed woman, living out the legacy of her own mother's dreams as well as escaping the harshness of her father. Hildie, on the other hand, needs to move out of the shadow of her mother, yet longs for a hug and words of acceptance. The pages turn with purpose as the years move steadily forward, filled with normal events, cataclysmic moments and days that forever altered the future.

Her Mother's Hope is rich in details, clothing the characters with the foibles and fidelity of mothers and daughters everywhere.

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This page was last updated on February 22, 2010

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