Books For The Road - Two from Francine Rivers

There is no doubt that Francine Rivers can turn out a good book or two. On our recent trip I hurriedly downloaded Her Mother's Hope not realizing that it was a part one of a two-part saga. Once I had read the first I needed to read the second, Her Daughter's Dream. Both books are titled with "Marta's Legacy" in parenthesis with very good reason. Marta is the catalyst for this family story.

It begins near the turn of the 20th century with Marta Schneider striking out on her own, partly in rebellion of her father's harsh ways but mostly to fulfill her mother's hope for a better future for her daughter. Thus begins a lineage of relationships between mothers and daughters that ultimately ends in the 21st. century in the second book. Mothers and daughters often have a difficult relationship but this story tells of how those strained relationships can be passed down through generations. I kept thinking of the verse that says the sins of the fathers will be passed down to generations. Only in this case it is the sins of the mothers in how they raised their daughters and how they competed for their attention.

The dynamic as you trace through the legacy is amazing and is based, as Rivers tells the reader in the afterword, on a similar story in her own heritage. I liked the second book better than the first but even though Rivers sums up at the end of the second book in a way that tells you the history included in the first book, you truly need to read them both to enjoy the full spectrum of this engaging and touching story.

Good books for the road--just be sure to tuck a tissue in your pocket if you're a weeper. You may need it in a few spots.