Her Mother's Hope (Marta's Legacy, #1) (2024)

...I have to admit, this book's cover appeared to me a bit fluffish, promising the kind of tame, hopeful message dipped in sugar that some faith-inspired books tend to have. I have noticed with a great many Christian novels this attempt to show that having a relationship with Christ suddenly fixes everything and makes it better. I love that about faith fiction, but I realized at some point that I was reading them for escape in much the same manner that I watch Disney movies... everything ties up neatly at the end. It makes for emotional stories that pull at my heartstrings but never quite hit me in the gut. Because the truth is that even while we live our faith in hope, suffering continues to exist, whether in our relationships with others, our misunderstandings of God, or in bearing the hardships others might bring, or even in recognizing, over and over again, our own weaknesses. The books that dismiss the strenuous challenge of persevering with God, one moment at a time, are day-lily types of books.

Francine Rivers has the ability to write an inspiring novel without sugar-coating the hard edges of life. She made it possible to love Marta even when Marta often says some very cruel things to her daughter. I was able to identify with both Marta and Hildemara Rose, even while feeling the angst and the near-misses of their relationship. Sometimes I wanted to laugh and cheer Marta on - her fearlessness of people, her gift of challenging others and bringing out their best, was such a fun thing to watch unfold. Until she started yelling at her husband all the time and failing to trust him when it was clear that he deeply loved her and God - then I felt like shaking her. And Hildemara Rose - there were times when her deep faith and ability to pray for her teacher even under constant criticism were very beautiful - then again, there were also times when, like Marta, I wanted her to show some backbone. Sometimes Marta had the perfect action or word for her daughter - often, she said or did the exact thing that would most injure Hildemara.

What I take away from this book is that each of us have our particular gift, beautiful in itself, but none of us are at our best without others who compliment these gifts and show us ways other than our own. Painful or not, Marta needed Hildie's "gentle as doves" way of faith, and Hildemara needed someone like her mother to show the "crafty as serpents" way. Secondly, I saw that most of us in our deepest relationships would benefit from slowing down, not reacting so quickly, and learning to listen quietly to the other. Marta never learned to react to Hildie apart from seeing the bad consequences of her own sister, whom Hildie resembled. We can often be so blind to what is in front of us because of the past which is behind us. Last, I saw that despite our best intentions, it is hard to escape the little chafings we give each other as we grow in character and faith. It is easy to imagine "the perfect family" who never argues or says hurtful things, but we all do, and the painful process of learning to love each other in these circ*mstances is often more redeeming than if we were the type of family which could exist in constant harmony.

An absolutely fantastic saga covering 40 years in a family. I am so anxious now to read the second book and find out what happens. Literally could not put it down and reminded me why Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors.

I'm usually a fast reader, but it took me a whopping five days to finish this book!

However, I stuck with it because the story gripped me.

The two protagonists, Marta and Hildemara, seemed very real to me; flawed, but with their hearts in the right place.

As for the story, it really took me back in time, and made me realize that "the good old days" may not be as wonderful as they now seem.

I've read others by this author, but this is the best one I've read in a while; I now feel a serious sense of accomplishment for finishing it!

Though not her most popular novel, Her Mother's Hope is still compelling and heartfelt. The characters are true to life, the story is dramatic, and the writing is beautiful. This is a long book, but the content is also appropriate for younger readers for whom Redeeming Love and other books by this author may not be appropriate. Her Mother's Hope is great for a rainy day or a long car ride, and I would also recommend it to readers of historical fiction, Christian fiction, and/or women's fiction.

Whoa ... my emotions are everywhere! Francine Rivers's novels usually do that to me, now that I think about it. Haha. Anyway, Her Mother's Hope is the first book of a two-book series called MARTA'S LEGACY. It follows the lives of a mother and daughter and their relationship during the eras of World War I and II.

How to describe my feelings? I really, really loved this book ... sort of. The story, the writing, the emotion - superb. Francine Rivers's books are so epic! The characters are so real. Their lives so intriguing. But my emotional state while reading this book, um, not so good. Marta is really a piece of work! She made me so mad sometimes! I know her childhood was hard and everything, and I really felt for her at times, but that's not excuse for her to have such conditional love for her daughter. Grrr! I did really love Hildie's part of the story, (besides being angry at Marta for how she treated Hildie). Now Trip, he was like my favorite character. When he appeared on the scene, my heart was happy. ^_^ He was just a good man; I really liked him. And him and Hildie together!

So overall? Her Mother's Hope was definitely a five-star read for me. Even if it wreaked havoc on my emotions. I'm looking forward to the next book with hopes that apologies will be exchanged and relationships healed! Grand story from Francine Rivers, once again!

And if it (life) were easier, would i have given my heart so fully to God? Put your hope in Him, and you won't be disappointed by what life offers
First Sentence: Marta usually loved Sundays.

What a beautiful tale of dreams, love and the hardship of life.
This book is partly base on a true story; making it more real than and heart wrenching.

I'm in the very fortunate potions of not having to wait for the next book. So on I will read now...

This book is so complex.

I loved it and didn't at the same time, because the characters were just so REAL. I could like them, despise them, get angry at them, be happy for them, sad and even worried about them. I came to adore so many of them.... Marta, however, is still my favourite.
I love Trip and Niclas, Boots and Jones. Even Cloe has a bit of my love. Bernie is seriously a pretty awesome brother and husband to Hildemara and Elizabeth. I don't know if I like Elizabeth, but I did when she was just a child, befriending little Hildemara.

Hildemara. I can't decide whether to love her or not. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I want to just sigh in frustration. I wish she knew how much her Mama really loves her. How Marta tried so hard to make Hildemara strong. How she pushed her to stand up to people. How Hildie had always been her favourite --perhaps subconsciously-- and Hildie never knew. It made my heart break for the both of them.

I loved this book for so many reasons I don't have proper explainations for. I know part of it is that I love history, and this takes place in the past, surrounded by a lot of it. I know I love strong female leads, which made me love Marta right from the start. (But that doesn't mean I never got frustrated with how she talked to Niclas or did things behind his back.) I like books where things aren't always bright and shiny, with rainbows and flowers all around. I like books that are REAL. Where people are born, and people die. And people get sick. Where people get teased and loved. Hurt and healed.
A book with only good things is no good at all to read; it settles you into wanting an ideal that is never, ever going to come true in your life. Nothing and nobody in this life on Earth is perfect.
Only the Lord above and His Son Jesus have kept us from drowning in our sin and never having a chance at Heaven. Let me just say how glad I am that I get this chance.

A great book: five stars for sure.

Francine Rivers has long been one of my favorite authors, and though it has been several years since I last read one of her books, I was really looking forward to this one. I ended up feeling disappointed. The writing seemed elementary, and the general feel of the book was depressing and frustrating. It seemed a little unrealistic that the young Marta would transform so completely into the older, meaner Marta. It seemed as if the story of Marta's life was more of an exercise in checking off the boxes of a person's biography...she moved here, then she moved there, then moved here again...I discovered at the end in the note from the author this was indeed the case. She was inspired by the biographical details of her own grandmother's life. I give her credit for using real life as her inspiration for this story, but it just didn't seem quite realistic enough to me. I felt like it almost would have been a better story had she not been trying to adhere so closely to her grandmothers biography. Lastly, the story ended abruptly....I usually prefer a story that can stand on its own, even if it's part of a series.

All of this said, I have extremely positive memories of every other Francine Rivers book I've read...I feel like I should go back and read them again to see if I still feel the same or if my tastes have changed.

I was nervous about starting this because I really disliked the last book I read by the author (The Atonement Child). I am glad to say that I worried for nothing.
This book hooked me right from the beginning. The characters were so well-developed. It was really nice to see that the book spanned so many years. Eventually, it switched from Marta's POV to Hildemara's and then back to Marta's. Even by the end of the book, there is still a lot that those two have to work through so I would recommend keeping book two since there is a cliffhanger.

5 Stars

Content: As with all of Francine's books, I'd say 18+.

Nora came down to during the month of June, and she was dead set on buying me a birthday gift. We went to the bookstore to see if we could find a few titles related to a series she was reading, and I noticed Francine Rivers had published a new book. It was pretty thick, but I didn’t mind because I’ve read some of her other books, and I know she is a master story teller. Redeeming Love is my favorite love story ever written, and I was intrigued by the title of her new book. I was also in desperate need of some fiction to read since I’ve been devouring “teacher books” lately. Summer is a good time to read a grown up novel for fun!

The story started off kind of slow. When the book began, Marta was an eight year old girl living in a tiny village in Switzerland. At first, I got lost a lot, because I had a hard time understanding the cultural nuisances of the European people and the time in history when the story takes place. The first chapter is dated 1905. There were a lot of German words, and I could make sense of some of them because we had read A Paradise Called Texas this year in class.

There were a few scenes that were emotionally tough to read because Marta was physically abused by her father. She out performed her brother on school exams, and her dad was angry that she had embarrassed the family. He was a cruel man who mistreated Marta and her mother. I felt so bad for Marta because although her mother encouraged her to fly, she always felt guilty about abandoning her family. When her mother died and she found out her little sister had committed suicide, I was shocked. I think I would have left my homeland too, and started a new life where I didn’t have to be reminded of my grief daily. Of course, the heartache followed her and she ended up allowing her wounds to harm her own family.

About half way through the book, the main character changed from Marta to her daughter Hildemarie. At first I was bothered by this because the narrator switched roles, but now I think the author was just trying to get me to see how the mom and daughters lives were woven together like a tapestry. I felt sorry for Hildie because Marta was so hard on her. She projected her unresolved feelings about her sister, Elise, onto her daughter, and it eventually caused Hildie to resent her mother.

This book affirmed what I already know about how generational secrets create havoc in the lives of children. I found myself reflecting on why people were so closed off in the past, and why we refuse to be honest about our struggles and heartache. I am so glad we live in a world today where vulnerability and transparency are valued instead of shunned. While reading this book my husband had a candid conversation with his children about their parents’ divorce. He laid all the cards on the table which helped Hunter and Chandler process and see the big picture. Secrets and shame can cause a lot of heartache if we allow them to.

I was totally bummed when I turned to the last page of the book and discovered that this is a series. I have to wait until the fall to read the next installment and find out if Marta and Hildie get past their differences. I appreciated the author’s note where she explained that these characters are based on real people in her own family. I don’t know if this would be considered biographical or not, but I love when authors blend truth with fiction. Francine Rivers is an author I plan to follow for years to come!

I listened to this story as an audiobook, and it was an excellent production. It was easy to get into the story, although frustrating to read about Marta’s constant troubles with her father. (I think I’ve been reading too many books about women being oppressed!) Marta proves to be a strong and driven woman who doesn’t stop until she achieves her dream… until she meets Niclas.

After Marta marries Niclas, the story begins to go downhill. Marta is no longer the independent woman she had been, but is now simply Mrs. Waltert. She gives up her life’s work to submit to the will of her husband and continues to follow him all over Canada and into California to help him fulfill his dreams, neglecting her own and living in a tent simply because her husband is too proud to admit that his wife has the ability to be more successful than him.

The story becomes increasingly frustrating as the viewpoint shifts to that of Hildemara Rose, including letters told from Marta’s viewpoint. Marta is now shown through a different light, harsh and even cruel to her oldest daughter. Marta’s parenting of Hildemara becomes very much like her own father’s parenting (minus the physical abuse). It is frustrating to see the story progress in that manner, even as Hildie becomes independent and leaves home. Marta continues to be cruel to Hildie, despite the fact that she has proven that she is not Elise. Personally, I would love to have a daughter who would come home and start helping out with chores around the house!

When the story shifts back to Marta’s viewpoint, I find it so hard to believe that it took half of her daughter’s adult life to realize that she was such a mean parent. It seems totally out of character that the Marta from the first part of the story, who is so intelligent and thoughtful, would take so long to realize her terrible mistakes in raising her daughter. I understand that she did not want Hildie to become like Elise, but I think she went about it in a terrible way.

As frustrating as I found Marta’s shift in character, I do want to read the second book to see how the story will end. Hopefully it is not too late to repair the relationship between mother and daughter. I also look forward to discussing this book at book club to see how other people interpreted the story.

A great saga about mothers and daughters. It also touches on how our experiences with those in our family as a child effect all or our relationships later in life. It takes a very realistic look at husbands and wives as well. I liked this book so very much because it was the first Christian Lit. book that showed the good and bad, ugly and sinful, along with the redemptive and righteous in believable characters. Rivers (the author) shows how Christians, and non-Christian alike, are imperfect people. And forgiving others imperfections is a life-long battle. This family sage starts in Sweden at the turn of the century, trips throughout Europe, to Cananda, and eventually ends in California just after WWII. The writing is great, the story line keeps you hooked, and has just enough romantic, sexy, very tasteful maritial scenes to keep us pathetic romance readers happy. I loved the main character Marta. Some readers won't, depending on your own personality most likely. Her daughter Hildemara, who the second half of the book is about in a bit annoying at times, but she is supposed to be.
A great page-turning, well-crafted, and God-honoring book

Francine Rivers writes epic novels. Novels that span seas and time and continents. Relationships are uncovered and unearthed and emotions are displayed in the rawest of forms.

I enjoyed this novel, but I didn't love it. Marta is extremely unlikeable and even though I know and understand what has made her this way, her constant rough behavior towards her daughter was so hard to swallow. The middle section of the book was exhasting to read.

However, the end is why I gave the book 4 stars. In the end of the book I saw her changes and while I don't wish to give away the plot the end of this book just might make me pick up the next book in the legacy. It did tug on my heart strings.

I think over all the dynamics between Marta and Hildemara were hard to read, but the progression to the end and the hope of a better conclusion for book two made the read worth it.

Per usual, Francine Rivers hit me right in the gut with this book/series. I read them back to back which I don’t always do in a series but I had to know the rest of the story. Rivers based this series on her own family which was raw and vulnerable of her to do. Mother daughter relationships can be fabulous or otherwise and there was a lot of otherwise going on here. So many things to consider but so far my biggest takeaway is that a mother’s love might not always seem like love and that we can have absolutely no idea how our actions affect those closest to us especially if we don’t properly communicate.

Dieses Buch hat mich sehr gepackt. Nur ein paar wenige Kapitel in der Mitte habe ich als eher langwierig empfunden. Abgesehen davon, konnte ich nicht aufhören es zu lesen.
Die tragische generationenübergreifende Geschichte mit vielen Schicksalsschlägen hat mich sehr berührt. Ich fand es schon immer interessant, mehr von dem zu erfahren, was meine Großeltern und Eltern zu den Menschen gemacht hat, die sie heute sind. Dieses Buch hat mir dies in gewisser Weise offengelegt.
Ich freue mich sehr, den zweiten Teil zu lesen.

Would for sure read it again! (Ist allerdings nichts leichtes für Zwischendurch würde ich sagen)

I've been waiting for years to read a new release by Francine Rivers and this book went beyond my expectations. It left me breathless. The thing I love so much about Francine's storytelling is that her characters are so realistic and three dimensional that you can't help but care about them even when they are stubborn and difficult and make bad decisions.

Her Mother's Hope is a story of joy and heartache, of lessons learned as well as regrets that can't be changed, but most of all it's a novel of faith and the legacy that is passed on to children. It's so cool how the characters in this story experienced faith journeys in different ways. Some had no faith at all and some were angry with God. Others remain faithful and ministered to an entire community by offering love to them through acts of grace and service. I got choked up so many times I lost count. It started with the teacher overhearing Hildie telling her sister they needed to pray for her because she was hurting. I'd say my eyes leaked tears five or six times, at least. And all for different reasons.

The author really knows how to get you to feel for her characters. I read the last four hundred pages straight through in one day. I was 100% invested in the characters' fictional lives. I cheered for them and grieved with them. This is a powerful story that has it's heart-tugging moments that are as unforgettable as the beautiful romances within the pages. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one in the series!

Though it was a bit long for a novel (over 500 pages) it didn't drag at all and in my opinion it was the perfect length because I really got to know the characters over the course of the four generations that transpired. That is a very effective technique in helping me to better understand a family's dysfunction then just showing everything in the present day and talking about the past. Now I'm just itching for more. One year seems awfully far away! This is making my best fiction of 2010 list.

Beginning in 1906 in Switzerland, Marta Schneider is twelve years old with a deep love for learning, she has aspirations of going higher in her education. But a father who is a tailor and a drunk, has different plans, he will hire her out to do any type of work to bring in money to his house. Marta has good employer's and she is a hard worker but she has much more ambition than being a serving girl all her life.

Working her way across Europe, and eventually into Canada she realizes her dreams. First she opens a boarding house and is very successful running it, and then she falls in love and marries. Her husband a engineer, however has no desire to run a boarding house. Often making poor decisions, financially Marta and her husband and children find themselves in California, after World War One living in a tent.

A story of a young Marta who dreams big, growing into a woman who has aspirations and who has a purpose to make sure her children are not weak. This story will have you laughing at the antics of Marta and crying with her as she looses loved ones in her life. Truly a story I could not put down start to finish. 386 pages $24.99 US Hardcover 5 stars.

For more information about this book and the author go to her website http://www.francinerivers.com/

This book was provided by Tyndale for review purposes only no payment was received for this review.

If I had to sum up this novel in one word, it would be "WOW"! "Her Mother's Hope" is an emotionally gripping story based on the lives of the author's mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. It was researched and written when the author wanted to understand more about her mother's and grandmother's relationship. This is and absolutely unforgettable story of love and determination, faith, friendship, and most importantly family.

This is my first exposure to anything written by Francine Rivers, and it certainly won't be the last! She is a brilliant storyteller - perhaps one of the best I have ever come across. Her delivery is powerful and she has a masterful way of delivering her story. The characters grip your heart and will pull you into their lives. They will become part of you, as if you had really grown up with them. In a sense, maybe one does.

"Her Mother's Hope" is definitely one of the best stories I have ever read. It has made my most favorites list. I do know that it's going to seem like forever before the next of the series "Her Daughter's Dream" becomes available later this year! I can't wait to continue the story.

I had a hard time deciding on a rating for this book. When I started reading, I was at a 2 because I struggled to get through the section about Marta's life. Halfway through the book, I started to feel a little more interested and was always curious what would happen to the main characters next. Unfortunately, I was not impressed by the author's writing style. When I was in college, my English profs reminded us that a good writer "shows instead of tells." There was a whole lot of telling in this book. If a character was tired, Rivers just said she was tired. There wasn't a whole lot of detailed imagery at all. I was very intrigued by the mother-daughter relationship, and the challenges Marta and Hildie experienced was interesting as it unfolded. However, Rivers didn't need to just point-blank explain why Marta treated her daughter the way she did. She showed us that through the letter correspondences and the conversations. The ending was really a letdown to me, as well. After all the hurt that both mother and daughter went through, do you really think their relationship will be saved just by Marta baking goodies in her daughter's hour of need?!

This was a great saga of Marta beginning in Switzerland and taking her through many countries before settling down in California. Her journey was amazing although I had difficulty with her brash headstrong ways. Her struggles are real and heartfelt; I can comprehend what is behind her harsh words and behavior but at times I just wanted to shake her and then hug her! It will be interesting to see how the stormy mother/daughter relationship between Marta and Hildemara progresses in the second book.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book depicting life from Steffisburg, Switzerland in 1901 to California 1951-ish. What a tale about overcoming tremendous obstacles (life) and pulling up your pants to turn those obstacles into positive experiences; then pay it forward.

The book begins in 1901, Switzerland, Marta is 12 and loved school. Her cruel father pulled her out of school and hired her out as a work hand to various people. She adjusted. Her father then sent her to "server" school mainly because she did not want to be a server and wanted an education. She learned to excel at that. Talk about making lemonade from lemons! This book is full of hurdles to climb. Having the courage to set you goals in a direction and to move toward that goal. Marta would find new places to work and she excelled, made good money, friends and then decide it was time to move on. She promised herself to learn French and English and to do that, she moved to those countries to work. She finally ended up in Canada, met Niclas and they had a very rough life. More obstacles. I was ticked at him! She had built so much for herself and he wanted her to leave it all for his dream when he had not accomplished all that she had.

The family ended up in California (another pipe dream from Niclas) and after living in a tent for too long, they bought a farm--with Marta's money she had saved--and raised their children. Life was hard, but Marta was very headstrong and she was always thinking of ways to earn money. The woman had many talents! Cooking was one of her best.

The book shifts focus on Marta and Niklas toward the ending and Hildemara (oldest daughter) becomes the main character. She was a fragile baby, child and teen. Rarely speaking her mind. Marta didn't want her to turn out like her own young sister (Elise) who was never comfortable away from her home/mom.

The dynamics between Marta and Hildemara were hard to read at times. Marta was very hard on Hilde and Hilde felt unloved by her mom. Marta treated the others with love and kindness, but not Hilde who she was often cruel to.

The book doesn't end, so if you are enjoying it you'll want to have the next book on-hand because a cliffhanger is built in this book.

Very nicely written. This tale of courage pulled at my heartstrings and had me thinking of how much we and our children take for granted and what our relatives did to come over to the United States as foreigners and start from scratch.

I loved this book. This book inspired me in a lot of ways. I felt connected with this book while I was reading it because of the detail and significance Francine Rivers put into it. I couldn't seem to put the book down. This story was about a girl named Marta who was raised in an environment where her father was abusive to her. Her mother was the opposite. Her mother wanted her to fly, to accomplish her own dreams, to leave their home and to never come back... so she did. While out on her own she meets this man named niclas who becomes her husband and they start their own family. She gives birth to three daughters and one son.
In Marta's past she has learned to be tough and to always defend and stand up for herself. Her oldest daughter Hildmadra is not like Marta. She has a servants heart and is a lot more submissive then her mother. Marta's other daughters are strong and can stand up for themselves and know what they want out of life. Before Marta had children she promised herself that she was going to teach her children how to stand on their own two feet, to be strong, and to go after what they want out of life. Throughout Hildmadra's life Marta tries to push her to establish confidence and the will to survive. This is a spirtual book that talks a lot about God, to help input faith and hope.

Wow - I picked this book up on it's release a few years ago but for some unknown reason never did get around to finishing it. So this time, made a concerted effort to read both titles in this two book series. And was I rewarded!!

This is what I call an epic tale in the lives of two generations. We meet Marta, as a young girl at the turn of the 20th century. Finding her wings and living out her Mother's hope is the theme which flows naturally through into Marta as the other to Hildermara. Both women are so different and yet in many ways similar but have a hard time communicating their true feelings.

Reviewing these two titles is pretty hard without revealing too much of the storyline which is not the way to read them. Francine River's is an author who I generally buy title purely as they are written by her as recommendation enough. This definetly lived up to that name.
The 400+ pages simply flew and with a cliff hanger ending of sorts I was just lucky that I didn't have to wait to the next title to be printed - just pull it off the shelf.

I read this book purely on a 5 star recommendation of a friend here on Goodreads. I don’t usually pick up faith-inspired books, but in saying that I do like to read them. I found I really, really enjoyed this book. In fact, this would be one of the best faith-fiction I have read. This book is an excellent portrayal of the relationship between a mother and daughter and also husbands and wives too. The characters were very believable and realistic. Her Mother’s Hope begins in 1901 in Switzerland, then we go to other countries in Europe, then Canada and finally the United States. The relationship between mother and daughter is told from both sides so you really become connected on a couple of different levels – it is quite powerful. And with the magic of Kindle, I finished this book and in an instant downloaded the second (also on the recommendation of my friend who only just finished it) so I’m looking forward to seeing how issues resolve for this family in the next 500 odd pages!!! I recommend this emotional, unforgettable story of love and family……

This book was absolutely beautiful. It was touching, convicting, powerful, and tear-jerking. It pulls at your heartstrings and gives you an accurate view of family life.

Quick review for a progressive read. If there's something I'm learning from reading Francine Rivers's books, her books always take me into the heart of another time and firmly through the mental, physical, and emotional journey's of her characters. This was a mammoth of a book to get through, not so much for length as it was for the dramatic rollercoaster it takes you on.

This is the family focused story of a woman named Marta and her daughter Hildy. The first part of the story is told through Marta's eyes as she grows up in Switzerland under an abusive father and loving, faithful mother. Marta's a determined young woman, attempting to carve out a life where she's subservient to no one. Her father forbid her to get a traditional education, forcing her to go to a special school for maids. She goes through various uses and abuses but ultimately thrives and uses her education to make her own life as she travels through Europe to do so. But pursuing her own life comes with various costs and hardships. Ultimately, Marta marries, has children, and ends up moving to live on a farm in California. The story shifts to her daughter Hildy, who struggles to have the courage to speak up and establish a life on her own terms compared to her brothers and sisters. Marta sees Hildy as weak and pushes Hildy much harder than her other children. In time, Hildy grows up during the course of two World Wars as she tries to carve out her own existence and faith.

"Her Mother's Hope" was very well researched and blends a story of faith with historical fiction, romance, family drama, grief, and coming of age. I really enjoyed the journey overall, and thought the audiobook was well paced and narrated. Sometimes it was frustrating to see the lack of communication and misunderstandings between the characters, but I knew that was intentionally done. However, I should warn others that this story is incomplete and ends on a cliffhanger. It's at least at a point where there's a conclusive turn in events, returning from Hildy's perspective to Marta at a crucial point in the story. I'm planning on reading the follow-up in this duology soon.

Overall score: 3.5/5 stars.

What a saga! I was expecting a drawn out book considering it is about 500 pages, but it kept my attention every time I sat down to read.

Marta sure was a strong-willed, firey girl/woman. It certainly carried through throughout her life. I do like how the author ended it. (No spoilers. ;))

Oh Hildemara... I can relate to her so much. Shy, wanting to help others, and thinking herself boring were just some of the ways I could identify with her. I, as well, do have a bit of a fire inside of me, just as Hildemara received some of the embers of her mom's flame. Maybe one day I will find my "insert Marta's exciting, outogoing soulmate."

I recommend for readers 16+
I definitely would not give this book to my pre-teen/early teen self to read.

I did not give the book five stars as much as I enjoyed it. There were a few scenes and mentions of things that surprised me and made me uncomfortable. Marriage things... There was also a mention of and affair somewhat detailed.

I am not saying that "marriage things" are wrong, however, I just did not think they were necessary were they were placed. Some may not agree, but everyone is in intitled to his own opinion. :)

Spanning many years, this book follows the life of a woman who becomes mother to a daughter she fears for. I was not very eager for this story early on, but now that I have come to the end, I appreciate all the setup of Marta’s past. I was very irritated with her at times and often felt for Hildemara Rose. However, as the years went by, I could understand Marta more and more. This is a story about a complicated mother-daughter relationship filled with love and a lack of communicating it clearly. Every daughter should read it. Every mother should read it. There may be some portions that are hard to get into when reading them initially, but the latter part of the book is highly rewarding and well worth the wait. I loved the character conviction and development that takes place, and now I can’t wait to see how it continues in the sequel.

From mother to daughter to grandaughter a legacy goes on. This story is mostly about Marta and her daughter Hilda. Marta's father was very hard on her and she left at an early age to better herself. Marta's adventures led her from Switzerland to France to England to Canada and finally to the United States. She was determined to that Hilda make something of her life too but Hilda was determined to be a nurse. Their personality differences cause them to be estranged from each other. This is an extremely well-written account of family life regarding several generations.

Have you ever loved a book but had a love/ hate relationship with the main character? Once you read it, you will understand! I can’t wait to read the 2nd book. Maybe I will learn to love Marta again. #teamhildie
(PS I gave it a 4 star because of the ending… it doesn’t exist lol.)