Raising Hope

by: Katie Willard

Published by: Warner Books

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

Katie Willard, author of Raising Hope, has written a charming first novel. Although it is set in New Hampshire, Willard's writing has the feel of a Southern novel. And for me that is a positive. I enjoy the sense of place and being that many of the good Southern writers possess—and Raising Hope fills the bill.

Two distinctly different women from the same small New Hampshire town are brought together in an unusual manner. Ruth Teller was raised by a single mother who worked hard cleaning the houses of her town's wealthier inhabitants. Sara Lynn Hoffman came from one of the wealthy families that Ruth's mother worked for. Ruth barely graduated from high school and began working for her mother. Sara Lynn was the valedictorian of their class and became a lawyer.

Because of the vast differences in their lives and circumstances, these woman should never have come into contact with each other following graduation. But life sometimes laughs at us and our preconceived notions. Not only did they meet again but they are sharing a home and raising a twelve-year-old girl named Hope. This child, who came into their lives shortly after her birth and as a result of a tragedy, has changed their lives and their outlook on life.

The novel moves back and forth in time and is told from the perspective of Ruth, Sara Lynn, Hope and Sara Lynn's elderly mother, Mamie.

Armchair Interviews says Raising Hope is a delightful novel about mothers and daughters—and also about unconditional love. It proves that family can be anywhere and can be anyone.

Visit www.katiewillard.com