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Dolan Brothers #2
With Hope
Oklahoma, 1932: Trouble seemed to be rolling up like the dust on the dry yellow horizon beyond Henry Ann's farm. Her father was dead and her two rebellious half-siblings were now her responsibility. Then Tom Dolan, a new neighbor, came into her life bringing both a ray of hope and burdens of his own. But it would take a tragedy before they could fully love each other...an innocent Tom suspected of murder...and a staunch Henry Ann standing by his side. Yet despite the dark time ahead, Henry Ann and Tom knew they had found a treasure-a bright and shining future worth fighting for.
439 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
52 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Garlock
86 books382 followersDorothy Garlock was a best-selling American author of over 60 historical romance novels, most of them set in the American West. More than 20 million copies of her books are in print, in 18 languages. Her books have been on the New York Times best seller list seven times. She was named one of the 10 most popular writers of women's fiction four years in a row, from 1985-1988. In 1997, she was awarded the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award. Garlock is also a member of the Romance Writers Hall of Fame.
Garlock worked as an editor, agent and publicist for most of her writing career. She was a native of Texas who grew up in Oklahoma then married and moved to Iowa. Garlock donated many of her manuscripts and other unpublished writings to the University of Iowa libraries.
Pen names include:
Johanna Phillips
Dorothy Phillips
Dorothy Glenn
Garlock worked as an editor, agent and publicist for most of her writing career. She was a native of Texas who grew up in Oklahoma then married and moved to Iowa. Garlock donated many of her manuscripts and other unpublished writings to the University of Iowa libraries.
Pen names include:
Johanna Phillips
Dorothy Phillips
Dorothy Glenn
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 5, 2016
This was a good story set in depression era (1930's) Oklahoma. It had a very authentic feel and good depiction of small town life in that time and place. Tom, the hero, is married to a woman who is mentally ill, and - because of that - has mistreated their young son. Henry Ann, the heroine, lives on the farm next to Tom's. As they get to know each other - and she cares for his son to keep him safe - they fall in love.
I was very moved by the character of Emmajean, Tom's wife. Even though she rejected her son and physically abused him, I couldn't hate her. There was a real pathos and poignancy about her, and she was so desperately ill, with no hope of treatment. Although her mental illness is never diagnosed in the book, it appears that she was bi-polar, and just kept getting worse. The town doctor told Tom that Emmajean had "dementia," there was no treatment, and the only treatment option was a state institution. Given the time and place, it was a very realistic totally hopeless situation. I really commend Garlock for the moving way she wrote this character. I also thought the author did a good job in describing Tom's helplessness in trying to deal with his wife, and his struggle to take care of her and do the right thing while he was falling in love with another woman.
I did have one serious problem with the book, and took off one star from my four star rating as a result. A major secondary character in the book is Aunt Dozie, an African American woman who helped raise Henry Ann after Henry Ann's mother deserted her family. Aunt Dozie lives with Henry Ann, and is a valued and beloved member of Henry Ann's family. However, I found Aunt Doozie's dialogue to be very stereotypical. The way Aunt Dozie spoke sounded like it came straight out of "Amos 'n' Andy" (ironically a radio program that Aunt Dozie enjoyed listening to) - highly stereotyped and very demeaning. The author may have been attempting to present what she considered to be authentic dialect, but it was totally unnecessary to have Aunt Dozie speak that way, and just made me cringe.
I was very moved by the character of Emmajean, Tom's wife. Even though she rejected her son and physically abused him, I couldn't hate her. There was a real pathos and poignancy about her, and she was so desperately ill, with no hope of treatment. Although her mental illness is never diagnosed in the book, it appears that she was bi-polar, and just kept getting worse. The town doctor told Tom that Emmajean had "dementia," there was no treatment, and the only treatment option was a state institution. Given the time and place, it was a very realistic totally hopeless situation. I really commend Garlock for the moving way she wrote this character. I also thought the author did a good job in describing Tom's helplessness in trying to deal with his wife, and his struggle to take care of her and do the right thing while he was falling in love with another woman.
I did have one serious problem with the book, and took off one star from my four star rating as a result. A major secondary character in the book is Aunt Dozie, an African American woman who helped raise Henry Ann after Henry Ann's mother deserted her family. Aunt Dozie lives with Henry Ann, and is a valued and beloved member of Henry Ann's family. However, I found Aunt Doozie's dialogue to be very stereotypical. The way Aunt Dozie spoke sounded like it came straight out of "Amos 'n' Andy" (ironically a radio program that Aunt Dozie enjoyed listening to) - highly stereotyped and very demeaning. The author may have been attempting to present what she considered to be authentic dialect, but it was totally unnecessary to have Aunt Dozie speak that way, and just made me cringe.
May 3, 2013
I have read other Dorothy Garlock novels and enjoyed them very much. After 100 pages, I had to give up on this one. It takes place in Oklahoma during the 1930's dust bowl. The main story line with Henry Ann fighting to keep her farm after her father dies is quite likeable and seemed to have great potential, but the side story line of Henry Ann's half brother and sister (especially the half sister) involve so much "Okie" talk about sex that it is very distracting from the storyline. I finally got to the point I couldn't stand any more of it and quit.
July 21, 2010
Dorothy Garlock has a wonderful way of weaving a story! This story envelopes the reader into the Depression Era well, and definitely gives you a feel of the time. Although some may find the story a little undeveloped, I found her writing and the story to be well thought out, and kept me intrigued to the end. This is the 1st book in a 4 book series about the Perry's & Henry's families in Oklahoma, their trials & tribulations in this time frame, and how they sought to stick together and achieve family, love and hope!
October 29, 2017
Part of a trilogy set in Oklahoma in 1932. Henry Ann Henry's mother abandoned her and her father when she was very young and eventually had two other children by other men. Henry Ann rescued the boy Johnny six years earlier, and she's just gone and retrieved the sister Isabel when her mother dies. Days after returnig from that trip her dad dies and she's left with Johnny, Isabel, black Aunt Dozie and a neighbor, Tom Dolan's son. Tom's wife is loony and has no interest in the boy. Isabel rebels and goes to live with her mother's no good moonshining relatives. Tom and Henry Ann fall in love. When his wife is murdered, the plot thickens. Lots of good characters. A good representation of the 30's.
October 11, 2018
Oklahoma 1932, Henry Ann Henry is left alone upon her father's death. She has rounded up two half siblings and brought them to Oklahoma to give them a home and a hope for the future. The things she had to put up with from them is amazing, yet she hung on to hope. Great story.
May 2, 2020
This is the 2nd book in the Dolan series. I wasn't sure I would like this one since I knew it was different characters than the 1st book, about a different brother. But I did like it. Not earth-shattering good, but entertaining enough. Am waiting on the 3rd book from eBay...
November 20, 2019
It is well written but i didnt bond with the couple.
March 13, 2021
Great book from beginning to end.
December 21, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
June 7, 2019
This is a lovely, sentimental story about the Depression years. I think Ms. Garlock does a wonderful thing with this time period. We've all heard folks talk about the Depression, saying that they were poor, but since everyone else was in the same boat, people didn't really see themselves as impoverished.
The characters are charming - particularly the leads and Johnny. Garlock does another thing only experienced authors seem willing to chance - some of the 'bad' characters change.
Garlock captures that small town feel in this story and it is nice to look back at a simpler time with nostalgia (even if it was the Depression years). She also makes a point of showing the downside of a small town - everyone knows everyone else's business.
The story starts with twin tragedies; we are introduced to Henry Ann's mother - a floozy and a `good time girl' who has abandoned her husband and daughter. Mom blows into town to demand some money from her husband and move on with her next `boyfriend.' By the tone of the questions Henry Ann asks her mother, we can see that she is level-headed and understands things far beyond her years.
The story jumps forward several years and we learn that Henry Ann's father is dying. Mr. Henry has been the rock upon which Henry Ann has built her life. We wonder how she will cope.
This is a pleasant story; the reason I didn't score it higher was that it was perfectly obvious where things were going. At times, it looked like it took a bit too long to get there.
The Dolan Brothers
1. Ribbon in the Sky (1991)
2. With Hope (1998)
3. With Song (1999)
4. With Heart (1999)
5. After the Parade (2000)
The characters are charming - particularly the leads and Johnny. Garlock does another thing only experienced authors seem willing to chance - some of the 'bad' characters change.
Garlock captures that small town feel in this story and it is nice to look back at a simpler time with nostalgia (even if it was the Depression years). She also makes a point of showing the downside of a small town - everyone knows everyone else's business.
The story starts with twin tragedies; we are introduced to Henry Ann's mother - a floozy and a `good time girl' who has abandoned her husband and daughter. Mom blows into town to demand some money from her husband and move on with her next `boyfriend.' By the tone of the questions Henry Ann asks her mother, we can see that she is level-headed and understands things far beyond her years.
The story jumps forward several years and we learn that Henry Ann's father is dying. Mr. Henry has been the rock upon which Henry Ann has built her life. We wonder how she will cope.
This is a pleasant story; the reason I didn't score it higher was that it was perfectly obvious where things were going. At times, it looked like it took a bit too long to get there.
The Dolan Brothers
1. Ribbon in the Sky (1991)
2. With Hope (1998)
3. With Song (1999)
4. With Heart (1999)
5. After the Parade (2000)
March 13, 2013
Very interesting read. I liked the authentic voice in this book. I was drawn in to the depression era and felt this was what Oklahoma was really like at the time. I normally hate a book when an unhappy married man gets involved with a tender heart like Henry Ann. Yet here, it didn't seemed not so pathetic. Not because of his wife's mental illness and issues. It is in till death due us part in sickness and in health. Maybe it was the eloquent writing by the author. Maybe it was my own maturity. If i was struggling mentally to a suicidal point or beyond. I would like to believe i would hope for my husbands happiness and my children as well. Whatever, made the difference the story came alive. It was told in such a sincere and pure voice that you couldn't put it down from one hour to the next. For me it was beyond a normal romance. It held just enough complexity to just be life. As we are all ultimately in a divine romance.
October 7, 2023
With Hope it was an amazing follow-up to Ribbon in the Sky. Like Ribbon in the Sky, With Hope has the right amount of drama, mystery, comedy, and angst. The one thing that I am beginning to appreciate about Dorothy Garlock is that her stories are seldom long winded. She kept me engaged every step of the way and I never once lost focus.
This story was about confronting your destiny and doing something about it. Face with living a lonely existence after the death of her father, Henry Ann Henry did what most women in the 1930s did when faced with a bleak future, she just moved on forward and continued to live. I came to appreciate Henry Ann as the strong woman that she was. Her love story with Tom was a wonderful read. I fell in love with a majority of the characters in this book because they felt like home to me. This novel transported me to a different place and time and I did not want to come back from it. My only setback about this novel is that it had to end.
This story was about confronting your destiny and doing something about it. Face with living a lonely existence after the death of her father, Henry Ann Henry did what most women in the 1930s did when faced with a bleak future, she just moved on forward and continued to live. I came to appreciate Henry Ann as the strong woman that she was. Her love story with Tom was a wonderful read. I fell in love with a majority of the characters in this book because they felt like home to me. This novel transported me to a different place and time and I did not want to come back from it. My only setback about this novel is that it had to end.
September 24, 2012
Very enjoyable series. I usually don't read historical fiction before the 1900's, but the librarian suggested it. I was very glad to have given it a chance!
I love the characters! Julie father has died and mother (never divorced from her father) moved out when she was young only to come back now and again for money. Come to hear that her mother was a loose woman who had 2 other children who she gave her family name too. Julie feels like she needs to take her younger sister in and she is a wild child.
I love the whole "wrong side of the tracks" storyline.
I love the characters! Julie father has died and mother (never divorced from her father) moved out when she was young only to come back now and again for money. Come to hear that her mother was a loose woman who had 2 other children who she gave her family name too. Julie feels like she needs to take her younger sister in and she is a wild child.
I love the whole "wrong side of the tracks" storyline.
August 23, 2014
"With Hope" was an enjoyable read. I got a realistic feeling for the era of the 1930's in Oklahoma.
All of the references to how the Blacks were viewed, the ladies who "lived for" spreading gossip and the bootleggers of "Mud Creek" seemed very realistic and believable. I enjoyed reading this book and have only recently been aware that there are 3 more books that relate to these characters. I hope to be able to read them as well.
All of the references to how the Blacks were viewed, the ladies who "lived for" spreading gossip and the bootleggers of "Mud Creek" seemed very realistic and believable. I enjoyed reading this book and have only recently been aware that there are 3 more books that relate to these characters. I hope to be able to read them as well.
January 3, 2026
A fantastic page turner! I had a hard time putting this book down. Dorothy's knowledge of the depression era slang is amazing. Did my heart good to see real compassion for the mentally ill. Lots of interesting, well-developed characters. Of course, it had the happy ending which is so important for me.
October 8, 2007
I read this when I was a freshman in high school. I got in this Dorothy Garlock craz. I liked it. It's mostly about falling in love but thats all her books. I love her writing and how she makes things come alive.
March 19, 2008
Poor Henry Ann, she has had more problem's and misery in her life than most people could handle. But she handles it with grace and style. Another really good book by Ms Garlock. This oneis also set in the Depression Era.
July 2, 2011
Set in the great depression Oklahoma Henry Ann falls in love with Tom Dolan. Tom has a small Son and a wife who is mentally ill and not caring for son. I thought all the character's were well written and had added to to the story. I really loved this book. (Part 1 of 3 books)
January 7, 2010
This is one of my favorites - about Oklahoma during the 1930's.
February 18, 2010
Found a Dorothy Garlock book at the goodwill and read it, she is a historical romance writer, loved her, also have every book she wrote, easy to read, easy to love!
September 1, 2010
Sweet, Hallmark channel romance.
April 29, 2011
I like this book and enjoyed reading it. My favorite books by Dorothy Garlock is her Route 66 series, it is terrific.
April 30, 2011
Set during the american depression area. Loved them for being straighforward, romantic and endearing "blue collar" romances.
July 7, 2011
Lovely story. I like this author for easy reading.
Want to read
January 31, 2012My version is a paperback.
March 19, 2012
Quick and easy read. Liked the setting of depression era Oklahoma. I get that he was stuck in a terrible marriage, but I still didn't like the cheating.
August 3, 2012
This book was an interesting book that takes place in the 1920's. Interesting characters for sure. I just did not like the way it ended.
September 17, 2014
So. Incredibly. Painful. To. Read.
August 27, 2015
This was the first Garlock I read and I loved Henry Ann and her neighbor's story. Well-written, authentic and perfectly paced. Recommended.
June 1, 2009
loved it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews