The relationship between women have always fascinated me, but that of mothers and daughters even more so.  Recently, while looking for a new book to read on my Kindle, I came across Her Mother’s Hope on the New York Times best seller list.  Upon reviewing the book summary, I thought it would be a nice read.  Little did I know I would breeze through this book only looking forward to finding out what happened in the sequel, Her Daughter’s Dream.

Francine Rivers, the author of Her Mother’s Hope and Her Daughter’s Dream, takes us on an incredibly journey of  mother – daughter relationships over several generations.  It starts with Marta, whose father declares she will never amount to anything, even though it is Marta who is the most gifted and driven of her siblings, and some might argue she is also more intelligent than her own father.

Similar to the Stieg Larrson Millennium Trilogy, I found myself incredibly attached to the characters.  The author brings them to life, shares their vulnerabilities, and gives us a unique perspective on perhaps why mother – daughter relationships are so complicated.  Having had a not-so-perfect relationship with my mother, this book helped me empathize with her more, realizing how hard being a mother, especially to a daughter, might be.  The author does this by sharing both the mother and daughter perspective on various situations, and she brings the story full circle by showing the reader the impact each generation as on the next.

I noticed many Biblical references in the book, and learned the Francine Rivers used her own experiences with faith and examples from her own family for crafting the characters.  This was interesting to me because my parents grew up in Communist Hungary where going to church was not allowed, so when they came to the States, we did not attend.  However, growing up in the Bible belt, I felt like an outcast.  I even had a friend call me up my senior year of high school telling me that if I did not read the Bible every day and preach the word of the Lord to everyone I met, I would go to Hell.  I was devastated.  In my family, religion was private and we simply respected other people’s faith.  However, given that religion was forced upon me by the community, I became turned off.  Francine’s references to the Bible was the first time I truly began to understand how faith can be used to get through life’s rough times, and it was an incredible lesson….and gift.

Unlike Stieg Larrson’s Millennium Trilogy, with Her Mother’s Hope and Her Daughter’s Dream, I felt closure.  I did not feel sad, hoping to spend more time with the characters.  The author did a nice job in closing the tale.

Whether you consider yourself a mother, daughter, or both, I highly recommend this book.  It will give you a whole new perspective on mother – daughter relationships and shed light on how communications and miscommunications can shape these relationships in ways we never thought imaginable.

Happy reading!