Raising Hope

by Katie Willard

Book Overview

In the tradition of "The Secret Life of Bees" and "The Joy Luck Club," this moving and heartwarming debut explores what it means to be a mother, a daughter, and a family. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446576875
• ISBN13: 9780446576871
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Warner Books (NY)
• Length: 311 Pages
• Weight: 1.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful

This story was so great...I just couldn't put the book down. The characters just pop off the pages and you feel like you've known them forever. I've passed the book on to my mom who is loving it as much as I did.

'raising hope' is raising my faith in gentle reads

what a great gentle read about a dysfunctional family. usually gentle reads=BORING ... not this one, it is very sweet

Exquisite, loving look into the female psyche

Raising Hope is the ultimate depiction of four women finding the balance between loving others and staying true to themselves. Ruth Teller, a tough-talking woman, faces life head on. Sara Lynn has sacrificed everything, including her first love, in order to meet others' expectations. Aimee Hoffman has devoted her entire life to raising the child she never thought she'd have, and Sara Lynn has been perfect. Almost. Unusual family dynamics complicate Hope Teller's typical teenage concerns about puberty, friendships, and the future. Raising Hope is an exquisite garden, the beauty of which brought tears to my eyes. A long time has passed since any author has delved so lovingly into the female psyche, and Ms. Willard has made the wait worthwhile. This novel is a must read! Read the rest of my review at (...).

A lovely story about the importance of friends and family

Raising Hope is the story of Ruth Teller, a rough-around-the edges, down-to-earth, tough waitress who's been knocked around a bit by life, and Sara Lynn Hoffman, a smart, beautiful ex-lawyer. The girls hated each other when they grew up together in the small town of Ridley Falls, New Hampshire. But when Ruth's brother (and Sara Lynn's ex-boyfriend), Bobby, makes Ruth and Sara Lynn legal guardians of his baby daughter, Hope, after his wife dies, the girls must put aside their personal differences and not only live together but raise a child together. The story is set in the summer after Hope's twelfth birthday. Sara Lynn's overbearing mother, Mamie, has moved in, and the summer is a rocky period for everyone involved. Ruth is carrying on a secret romance with her boss, Sara Lynn is falling in love with Hope's (much younger) tennis instructor, and Hope is going through one of the most tumultuous and confusing times of any girl's life-adolescence. Throw in some family tension-Hope has a crush on the same tennis instructor that Sara Lynn is dating; Sara Lynn keeps clashing with her mother (who's still more than a little disappointed with some of the choices Sara Lynn has made, and she's not afraid to say so); Hope is desperate to find out more about her "real" parents-and you have a recipe for a coming-of-age story that celebrates the bonds of family. The book is written by first-time novelist Katie Willard, and it's an excellent debut. She does employ some interesting storytelling tactics-like the way each chapter is written from the point of view of a different character (Ruth, Sara Lynn, Hope, or Mamie). I wasn't sure I liked that approach at first (whenever I started a new chapter, it took me a couple of minutes to figure out who the new speaker was), but it turned out to be a really effective way of rounding out the story. It lets the reader get into all of the characters' heads in a way that would be impossible otherwise. The book also travels back and forth in time to Ruth and Sara Lynn's childhoods and young adult periods-to let us more into their worlds and their respective histories. Raising Hope is a lovely story about the importance of friends and family. As Ruth and Sara Lynn struggle to raise a young lady, they remember their not-always-perfect relationships with their own mothers. This novel reminds you that you can't choose your family-but you can definitely make do with what you've been given. No matter who you are, you should be able to identify with at least one of the characters (for me, it was Sara Lynn). It's a pretty quick read, too. I'd recommend it for some light summer reading-or maybe as a belated Mother's Day gift.

Aterrific family drama

Twelve years ago in Ridley Falls, Bobby Teller could not handle the death of his wife in childbirth three weeks after his ma died. Though the infant lived, the grieving Bobby left town as he saw no hope in remaining behind. The newborn was left to be raised by Bobby's uncouth sister Ruth and his meticulous former lover Sara Lynn Hoffman. Since Sara Lynn's house is much bigger than Ruth's dump, the three females reside in the former's home. Not one of the townsfolk would predict that this abnormal arrangement would work as the two females are polar opposites with Ruth cleaning houses for a living and former class valedictorian Sara Lynn on the path to greatness. However, Hope needs nurturing so they put aside their differences in order to raise the child. Surprisingly Sara Lynn's somewhat snobbish mother Aimee joins the twosome providing a grandmotherly nurturing to RAISING HOPE. This is a terrific family drama using four switching perspectives to provide a deep look at relationships. Each of the key quartet member and to a lesser degree Ruth's mother and brother come across as deep fully developed characters. Obviously a character study with no major action, readers who appreciate a powerful definitive look at what really makes a loving caring family will appreciate this fine inspirational tale that should be required reading for the "family values" snake oil peddlers.--- Harriet Klausner