Book Review of Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers

Francine Rivers is a gifted novelist and Her Mother's Hope is a fine example of her writing skills. From page one the reader is pulled into the story which comes alive with descriptions of fresh alpine meadows and the horrors of tuberculosis. The book starts in 1901 and ends after World War Two. It is the first of a two part series.

The Storyline of Her Mother's Hope

Her Mother's Hope tells the story of Marta Schneider and her family. The Schneiders live in Steffisburg, Switzerland, and Marta, in spite of wanting to remain at school, is sent to learn domestic skills. This leads her to a number of positions where she works hard and begins to dream of owning a hotel.

After a few years, she decides to head to London and becomes a companion to Lady Daisy. Her dreams fall by the wayside until Lady Daisy encourages her to leave London and follow her desires.

Excited by the future, Marta boards a ship to Montreal, Canada and buys an old home that she turns into a boarding house. The work is hard and the hours long but she is fulfilled and enjoys the companionship of the boarders. It is here that she meets Niclas Waltert and after a brief courtship they marry.

Niclas is an engineer but wants to be a farmer so they pack up and head to the prairies of Manitoba which are icy in winter and scorching in summer. Their first children are born here but life is hard and conditions harsh. After four years they pack up and head to California.

At this point, the focus of the story turns to Marta's second child '" Hildemara. Hildie was a small weak infant and Marta treats her harshly, hoping to toughen her up. When Hildie decides she wants to be a nurse, her mother refuses to help with the fees, feeling it is a waste of money. Hildie goes on to qualify, marries and has a daughter of her own, Carolyn.

The Settings of Her Mother's Hope

Her Mother's Hope starts in Steffisburg in Switzerland and the reader is exposed to the lifestyle of a working class family. Marta's parents are tailors and she learns the craft from them.

After living in various parts of Switzerland, she moves to London and becomes ill from the icy wet weather. After recovering, she finds a good job and takes her employer to Kew gardens each day in a wheelchair.

Marta finds happiness in running a boarding house in Montreal, Canada, but struggles when she moves to the Winnipeg area with her new husband. Housing conditions are rough and the work hard. When a chance arises to move to California, the couple and their children seize it.

After a couple of years in California, Marta sells her boarding house in Montreal and uses part of the money to buy some land and a dilapidated house. With hard work and effort, the land starts to produce and the couple settle into a happy routine.

Francine Rivers has a gift of drawing the reader into her books and Her Mother's Hope is no exception. Snippets of the story are based on her own family history and her ancestors were also from Steffisburg, Switzerland. This revelation only adds to the appeal of the book and the historical references to the World Wars and life in the early 1900's make it a fascinating read.