Her Mother's Hope

Powerful, thought-provoking, and emotionally engaging--this story takes the reader from Switzerland to France, England, Canada, and finally the United states as it follows Marta on her life's journey. Marta grows up longing to escape the control of her domineering father who seems to value her only for her ability to work. Trained as a domestic servant, she longs to open her own hotel, boarding house, or restaurant someday and--once she is encouraged by her mother to flee the family--she begins to collect recipes and experience as she works her way through France, England, and Canada. There she marries and must learn to adapt her independent nature to married life. Eventually the family moves to the United States. The second part of the show more book shifts to the point of view of Marta's daughter Hildemara. Hilde is pushed by her mother to overcome her timid nature--and while Marta has good reasons, HIlde does not know why her mother seems to treat her different than her brothers and sisters. Hilde becomes strong in her own right, and as the story unfolds the tensions of the mother/daughter dynamic are just as dramatic as the events of World War II cause great changes to come to this family.
I found myself mulling over the events of this book and the dilemmas and choices that the characters faced over and over again as I was reading it. First of all, it was a treat to travel across Europe and the Atlantic--on a steam ship just after the Titanic sinks--and see many historical events and details through the eyes of these characters. But it was the depth of character that Marta displays that really drove the story, as she thoughtfully weighs each challenge she faces against her own ambitions and the guidance she finds in the words of her mother who believed in her, and the faith she has in God. I especially found the depiction of her struggles to adapt to married life powerful and revealing, not at all like the fluff of a romance novel, but true to the daily compromises couples have to make to keep love alive and growing. Hildemara's story is a bit less powerful, but full of details about how she trains to become a nurse and finds a love of her own--as well as how she grows as a person and also uses her faith to guide her. I feel that my review cannot give this book justice, and I highly recommend it to readers of historical, thought-provoking fiction. And be sure to check out the sequel--Her Daughter's Dream as well. show less

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this book. Some of Rivers’ books have been top-notch, while I struggled with others. She’s a talented author; the way she describes her characters and setting and creates her plots are all intriguing and engrossing. When I picked this book up, I wondered how long it would take me to get through it—it’s a chunker, coming in right around 500 pages! In the end, it only took me four days to read it, even though it came at a fairly hectic time. This was a gripping story.

There was a lot to enjoy in this story. I was able to relate to both Marta and Hildemara, and loved following along their life journeys. This could easily have been a fairly boring read: “They did this, then they did show more that…” but it wasn’t, and I’m so glad! I felt like I was there with the characters, and that was great!

I did struggle with some elements of the story. I felt like intimacy in marriage was mentioned way more often than necessary, and while it was generally only vaguely referred to, it was still more than I’m comfortable with. I was also hoping this would have a stronger Christian theme than it had, in the end—neither character seemed to have a living relationship with Jesus, until maybe in the last few chapters.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It deals with some very difficult themes, but it’s a well-written, gripping novel, and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel eventually. show less

This was a very good book and very interesting to see how the main character grew into who she became and how her daughter was influenced by her mother's past. If there was one thing that I could change in this book, personally, is that there would be more honesty in the marriages within the book. I felt as if the marriages were all examples of dishonest marriages or a very destructive marriage. It would've been nice if one marriage had a more successful side. I am aware that marriage has its struggles, but that doesn't make them all dishonest which was what I felt was in this book. Other than that aspect, I did enjoy the book and it was definitely a page turner.

Do you ever have that feeling that no matter what you do, your dreams and hopes will never come true? That you will always be a disappointment to the people who should be cherishing you the most no matter what? Well, that is exactly what happened to Marta, the young girl in this novel. My heart was immediately captured from the beginning, when she, just a girl of 12 years old, went through so much struggle, pain and heartache. I was hooked through the whole book, seeing Marta become a woman and then, later, a mother. It was truly powerful. The Swiss dialect was an added bonus!

Though this book is written to be a fictional one, there is fact woven through the story, based on Francine's history. I think that just adds the soul-capturing show more realness of the book. It was as if I was flown back in time to Marta's life and feeling the things that she felt. All because of the amazing work of Francine Rivers. I was not fortunate enough to have read any of Francine's other books, like Redeeming Love, but, oh how I wish I had read her other works too! If they are as amazing and heart-felt as this captivating story then I want to go back and read ALL of her works!

The story has history,family, love, fight, forgiveness, broken trust, new trust and most importantly, the work of God. A wonderful, powerful, riveting combination. I am struggling right now with the fact that the book actually ended, and now I have to WAIT for book, Her Daughter's Dream. I know that book 2 will be as fascinating as book 1.

If you are looking for a book that will capture you heart and soul and mind, then I HIGHLY suggest you read this amazing book. I am rating it with the highest of 5 stars possible (though I truly wish at a time like this that it could be the highest of 500 stars!) and wonderful praises to the author for such a soul capturing story! Well done! show less

At age twelve, Marta knows what she wants out of life - she wants to continue learning, leave her family home behind, and own her own boarding house or hotel. Her abusive father takes her out of school and makes her work for families in their hometown of Steffisburg, Switzerland, but Marta makes the most of all she learns so that she can attain her dream. Family ties back home threaten to break her, however, for her sick mother and her gentle sister Elise stay behind. Her mother encourages her to fly, and Marta determines to do so regardless of her father's plans for her.

Covering about 50 years from 1901 to 1951, this is the story of Marta and her oldest daughter, Hildemara, and how their relationship is shaped by Marta's past. The two show more of them have very different temperaments, and their points of view dominate the story, but I connected and sympathized with both women. Unfortunately, none of the other characters are as fleshed out as Marta or Hildie. Time moves by fast, too, so that I was left wanting more information, though the story covers nearly 500 pages. Maybe I'm just not cut out for family sagas - I wanted Marta to have a story of her own, with more details instead of the broad brush strokes required to cover so much time in a short space. show less

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 .

Excellent book - I haven't enjoyed a good Francine Rivers book for a long, long time (since I wasn't into her past series). Bad cliff-hanger but if next book is released in the fall as stated in this book, I'll forgive. Really delves into the complicated relationships of family, especially mother-daughter, and shows how even the most damaged of relationships can be redeemed.