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Raising Hope
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.
339 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
March 26, 2020
Fun and heartwarming story of what really makes a family work. I especially enjoyed the continuing change of narrator.
November 16, 2012
Twelve years ago Hope's mother died in childbirth and her father left town, leaving his newborn daughter in the care of his sister Ruth and his ex-girlfriend Sara Lynn. The two women, who didn't even like each at the time, moved into the same house, along with Sara Lynn's mother, Mamie, and raised Hope together.
Raising Hope focuses on the summer before Hope becomes a teenager, although there are many flashbacks that explain how these women came to live together and how they became the people they are. Events during the summer, while not huge and earth-changing, are life-changing to the people involved. Ruth learns about something that will change her relationship with her secret boyfriend. Hope falls in love for the first time, and Sara Lynn finally opens up to a new man in her life. Throughout these events, the characters learn about themselves and each other, and their complicated relationships become even stronger. The first person point-of-view switches between the four main characters, but each voice is so distinct that the reader is never confused about who is talking.
Raising Hope is a sweetly sentimental novel that never crosses the line into saccharine melodrama. The characters are a realistic blend of good intentions and self-centered focus, people who truly love each other but still manage to inflict pain on each other with their words and actions.
Raising Hope focuses on the summer before Hope becomes a teenager, although there are many flashbacks that explain how these women came to live together and how they became the people they are. Events during the summer, while not huge and earth-changing, are life-changing to the people involved. Ruth learns about something that will change her relationship with her secret boyfriend. Hope falls in love for the first time, and Sara Lynn finally opens up to a new man in her life. Throughout these events, the characters learn about themselves and each other, and their complicated relationships become even stronger. The first person point-of-view switches between the four main characters, but each voice is so distinct that the reader is never confused about who is talking.
Raising Hope is a sweetly sentimental novel that never crosses the line into saccharine melodrama. The characters are a realistic blend of good intentions and self-centered focus, people who truly love each other but still manage to inflict pain on each other with their words and actions.
January 20, 2019
NEW HAMPSHIRE
I was conflicted reading this book. The story of a girl raised by two guardians seems like a premise of another one of these movies/books that are already out there. Some of the characters were very cliché:
angry teenager, uneducated small town waitress, big city lawyer, however, when we take all of it out, there are still some good and surprising parts. Unfortunately, this book does not read as easily as expected.
I was conflicted reading this book. The story of a girl raised by two guardians seems like a premise of another one of these movies/books that are already out there. Some of the characters were very cliché:
angry teenager, uneducated small town waitress, big city lawyer, however, when we take all of it out, there are still some good and surprising parts. Unfortunately, this book does not read as easily as expected.
February 28, 2018
Raising Hope was an interesting story that had some complex storylines and characters. I liked the way it ended and but there was one loose end that was not tied up at the end, which left me a little disappointed.
September 3, 2017
Sometimes a book comes along and is exactly what you need when you need it.
October 13, 2020
The book tells the story of the lives of two women who have grown up in the same town and the way that their lives have intersected over the decades. Sara Lynn was an only child raised by wealthy parents, Ruth grow up with a hard scramble kind of life. Throughout their school years they didn't like or trust each other. But when Ruth's sister-in-law dies and child birth and the father, Ruth's brother, runs off, he appoints Sara Lynn and Ruth as the baby Hope's guardians. The story begins when Hope is twelve and rebellious. The three are living together with Sara Lynn's mother in the big fancy house that Ruth's mother had cleaned when Ruth was a child. The story goes through each of their trials and tribulations and there is a happy ending. The book was o.k. but the writing style wasn't very smooth and the story jumped around too much and didn't tie up all the loose ends at the end of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2020
Great light read with a good message.
April 20, 2020
This was a cute story and fairly quick read. Some parts got a bit boring/borderline cliche, but the plot would pick back up.
February 13, 2021
I could not get through this book. Got up to page 63 and just gave up. I can’t relate to any of the characters, nor were they even likable.
January 13, 2022
First, way way way too many “GDs” in this one. They didn’t add anything at all to the story or the character. This was a really sweet story. I enjoyed it very much, but just too many loose ends for me to really love it. I love a plot twist too and this one just didn’t deliver, even though there were plenty of options to make it so.
November 27, 2024
A delightful book.
Read
December 21, 2024Happy hopeful ending
Wish there was a sequel
Enjoyable characters
September 2009
Wish there was a sequel
Enjoyable characters
September 2009
February 6, 2025
Heartwarming, easy read about a non traditional family.
March 18, 2017
Raising Hope does exactly that... it raises the hope in family, love and friendship.
January 16, 2020
Raising Hope by Katie Willard, set in a small New Hampshire town, peeks in on the 12th summer of a girl named...you guessed it...Hope. She's not just any 12 year old girl though. Her mother died in childbirth, and her grief stricken father (Bobbie) couldn't cope with both his emotions and a newborn, so he signed over guardianship rights to his sister Ruth and his ex-girlfriend Sarah Lynn. The problem is, Ruth and Bobbie grew up in a poor home. Their single mother cleaned houses for a living...one of them being Sarah Lynn's mother's mansion of a house. Her father is one of the most hot-shot lawyer's in town after all. So the two guardians of newborn Hope grew up resenting/looking down on each other, live in two completely different worlds, and have nothing in common. Sounds like a realistic and viable home for raising a child right?
Each chapter is told from one of four viewpoints: Ruth, Sarah Lynn, her mother (Maimee), and Hope. Willard does a decent job giving each narrator a unique voice, the dialogue is above average, and the storyline moves along at a brisk pace. Like typical women's romance genre fiction though, much of the conflict/tension feels contrived. I wanted to shake each of the main characters, look them in the eye, and say "Really?" There are some words of wisdom buried in the cookie cutter blah blah blah that elevate the book above 1 star tripe though. I'll end the review with a few examples.
Sarah Lynn realizing that she's a fool for not following her heart: "He bounded down the steps and pulled me close, and I realized that what Ruth had said was the truth: When someone makes you feel alive, you walk toward him, not away."
Ruth realizing that she isn't an outcast in her town after all: "Chet's standing in the doorway to the kitchen, shaking his head and beaming with joy. He starts it--puts his hands together and claps--and then everyone else gets on their feet and joins in. They're all clapping and cheering for me, and I swear, I feel like that idiot Sally Field getting her Oscar. you like me, I want to tell them; you really like me."
Hope getting a lesson in gardening that parallels growing up: "'We don't want the roots to keep growing in a circle when we put it in the ground; we want the roots to spread out so they can take in the nutrients and water the plant needs. We want the roots to expand.' I move my fingers apart to show her what I mean. 'So you need to tease those roots on the bottom, to separate them and spread them out.' She begins to pick at them, then says, 'Uh-oh. I broke some.' 'That's okay. That happens. The plant will thank you for it, because it'll really thrive when ti's in the ground. You're setting it up to establish itself well.'"
Bottom line: If you're looking for a feel good novel, with a decent helping of romance, good dialogue, and a nicely packaged ending tied up neatly with a bow then this might just be the book for you. If unrealistic plots annoy you, characters with petty problems blown out of proportion frustrate you, and contrived angst makes you shutter then look elsewhere. Given 2.5 stars or Above Average.
Each chapter is told from one of four viewpoints: Ruth, Sarah Lynn, her mother (Maimee), and Hope. Willard does a decent job giving each narrator a unique voice, the dialogue is above average, and the storyline moves along at a brisk pace. Like typical women's romance genre fiction though, much of the conflict/tension feels contrived. I wanted to shake each of the main characters, look them in the eye, and say "Really?" There are some words of wisdom buried in the cookie cutter blah blah blah that elevate the book above 1 star tripe though. I'll end the review with a few examples.
Sarah Lynn realizing that she's a fool for not following her heart: "He bounded down the steps and pulled me close, and I realized that what Ruth had said was the truth: When someone makes you feel alive, you walk toward him, not away."
Ruth realizing that she isn't an outcast in her town after all: "Chet's standing in the doorway to the kitchen, shaking his head and beaming with joy. He starts it--puts his hands together and claps--and then everyone else gets on their feet and joins in. They're all clapping and cheering for me, and I swear, I feel like that idiot Sally Field getting her Oscar. you like me, I want to tell them; you really like me."
Hope getting a lesson in gardening that parallels growing up: "'We don't want the roots to keep growing in a circle when we put it in the ground; we want the roots to spread out so they can take in the nutrients and water the plant needs. We want the roots to expand.' I move my fingers apart to show her what I mean. 'So you need to tease those roots on the bottom, to separate them and spread them out.' She begins to pick at them, then says, 'Uh-oh. I broke some.' 'That's okay. That happens. The plant will thank you for it, because it'll really thrive when ti's in the ground. You're setting it up to establish itself well.'"
Bottom line: If you're looking for a feel good novel, with a decent helping of romance, good dialogue, and a nicely packaged ending tied up neatly with a bow then this might just be the book for you. If unrealistic plots annoy you, characters with petty problems blown out of proportion frustrate you, and contrived angst makes you shutter then look elsewhere. Given 2.5 stars or Above Average.
January 22, 2016
n the small town of Ridley Falls, NH, Hope Teller, who has just had her 12th birthday, has been raised by two women, neither of whom is her mother. Bobby Teller, Hope's father, left infant Hope with his sister Ruth and his high-school flame Sarah Lynn after Bobby's wife died giving birth. Ruth and Sarah Lynn have known each other all of their lives; Sarah Lynn was the well-to-do daughter of a lawyer and Ruth was the daughter of the woman who cleaned Sarah Lynn's family home. Sarah Lynn was the perfect child who was beautiful and talented and smart - valedictorian of her high school, graduate of law school with a boring job at a prestigious Boston law firm. Knowing this is not the life she wants Sarah Lynn quits her job and returns to Ridley Falls. Ruth joked that she would have won the award for "most detention" at her high school graduation. She was a tough, outspoken girl who worked with her mother cleaning houses until her mother's death and now she waitresses at the local diner. To say the two women were not fond of one another would be an understatement but they come together as a family unit to raise Hope in a happy, loving environment.
This was such a sweet story about love, acceptance and forgiveness. I loved both of the characters of Ruth and Sarah Lynn and much of the novel is about their backgrounds which helps the reader to understand why they became the women they are. Hope was the least likeable of the three because she seemed terribly bratty to me at times. I certainly felt sympathy for her, however, because she spent her young life thinking her father abandoned her because he did not want her and she lashes out in anger at times. Then again, she's 12 so I guess it's understandable. There is a good deal of humor in the book and a bit of romance so if you're in the mood for a feel-good, light read I recommend this one.
This was such a sweet story about love, acceptance and forgiveness. I loved both of the characters of Ruth and Sarah Lynn and much of the novel is about their backgrounds which helps the reader to understand why they became the women they are. Hope was the least likeable of the three because she seemed terribly bratty to me at times. I certainly felt sympathy for her, however, because she spent her young life thinking her father abandoned her because he did not want her and she lashes out in anger at times. Then again, she's 12 so I guess it's understandable. There is a good deal of humor in the book and a bit of romance so if you're in the mood for a feel-good, light read I recommend this one.
November 7, 2012
This is a light, spring/summer-type read with some funny parts and four very different narrators. The structure and writing are solid, as each character is quite distinct from the other. This is something not all authors accomplish well, but Willard succeeds here.
However, the whole book borders on the ridiculous side... the premise of these two women raising this girl together just seems more than unlikely. Although the most unbelievable thing is how these four women (well, the three women plus Hope) all lived together for a dozen years and didn't seem to know one another at all. That’s an awful long time to keep so many secrets. All of those secrets definitely create the interesting part of the story, but realistically speaking, it never quite made it there. It seems to me that Hope’s origins were where the real story lay, but the book instead focuses on the “happily-ever-after” part of their life with Hope. There isn't much conflict, or struggle in the book. It hints at past passions, past agonies, but none of this is realy shown in the book. It seems that the story on the way to where the book begins would just be SO much more interesting than the book itself
.
Really, and not to harp on this, but It is just mind-boggling to me that they made it a dozen years in that house without any resolutions and living more or less like strangers. And why were the men’s roles left so undefined? There could have been resolutions with Hope’s father, or least more of a mention of him! And why not have that sweet boy, Dan, play a larger role? I mean, it is a cute book, I guess... but other than the strength of the narration, nothing ever feels really earth-shatteringly good.
However, the whole book borders on the ridiculous side... the premise of these two women raising this girl together just seems more than unlikely. Although the most unbelievable thing is how these four women (well, the three women plus Hope) all lived together for a dozen years and didn't seem to know one another at all. That’s an awful long time to keep so many secrets. All of those secrets definitely create the interesting part of the story, but realistically speaking, it never quite made it there. It seems to me that Hope’s origins were where the real story lay, but the book instead focuses on the “happily-ever-after” part of their life with Hope. There isn't much conflict, or struggle in the book. It hints at past passions, past agonies, but none of this is realy shown in the book. It seems that the story on the way to where the book begins would just be SO much more interesting than the book itself
.
Really, and not to harp on this, but It is just mind-boggling to me that they made it a dozen years in that house without any resolutions and living more or less like strangers. And why were the men’s roles left so undefined? There could have been resolutions with Hope’s father, or least more of a mention of him! And why not have that sweet boy, Dan, play a larger role? I mean, it is a cute book, I guess... but other than the strength of the narration, nothing ever feels really earth-shatteringly good.
December 28, 2016
When Hope's mom died in childbirth, her father was devastated. He felt like he couldn't raise the baby himself, so he drew up legal papers making his sister and his ex-girlfriend co-guardians of his little girl. Then, he took off.
Problem was, Ruth Teller, his sister, and Sara Lynn Hoffman, the ex-girlfriend, were not friends. Not even close. They despised each other. Sara Lynn came from a wealthy family and had always been good at everything she did. Ruth came from a poor family and had developed a reputation as a fiery, opinionated gal. The two them were forced together to raise this little baby.
It could have been chaos. But, it wasn't. The two former rivals decided they both loved this little baby and they wanted the best for her. So, they put their differences aside and did the best they could, together. And, they did a pretty good job.
The story centers around the year Hope turns 12. Sara Lynn falls in love with a much younger man and Ruth falls in love with a much older man. Poor Hope is left wondering if she will be forgotten.
It's a coming-of-age story told from multiple points of view in alternating chapters. It's also a heartwarming story of friendship and love and angst and forgiveness and so many other things.
Enjoy!
Problem was, Ruth Teller, his sister, and Sara Lynn Hoffman, the ex-girlfriend, were not friends. Not even close. They despised each other. Sara Lynn came from a wealthy family and had always been good at everything she did. Ruth came from a poor family and had developed a reputation as a fiery, opinionated gal. The two them were forced together to raise this little baby.
It could have been chaos. But, it wasn't. The two former rivals decided they both loved this little baby and they wanted the best for her. So, they put their differences aside and did the best they could, together. And, they did a pretty good job.
The story centers around the year Hope turns 12. Sara Lynn falls in love with a much younger man and Ruth falls in love with a much older man. Poor Hope is left wondering if she will be forgotten.
It's a coming-of-age story told from multiple points of view in alternating chapters. It's also a heartwarming story of friendship and love and angst and forgiveness and so many other things.
Enjoy!
September 3, 2012
This is an excellent novel about a 12 y.o. girl who has been raised by her father's sister and his former lover after her mother dies giving birth to her. The girl is named Hope. She is trying to come to terms with who she is, why her father left and was never heard from again. And she really wants to get her period so she's not a little girl anymore. Her aunt and her father's old girlfriend grew up hating each other, the aunt being from the wrong side of the tracks, the old girlfriend being from a wealthy family. They must learn to live together, along with the former girlfriend's mother, as they co-parent Hope. The story is told through the eyes and experiences of Hope, Ruth (her aunt), Sara Lynn (the old girlfriend), and Mamie (Sara Lynn's mother), going back and forth from the present to the past. It weaves a good story and shows the strength of each woman as they build a family based on love and respect.
December 17, 2013
When Bobby Teller's wife dies in childbirth just weeks after his mother dies, he realizes he needs to escape - to another state - and without his newborn baby. Despite the fact that his sister, Ruth, and ex-lover, Sara Lynn, are polar opposites and never liked each other one bit, Bobby makes them legal guardians, forcing them to live together in Sara Lynn's extravagant home along with her mother, Aimee. This is a very poignant intergenerational story set in the year Hope turns twelve while providing the back story through the four unique voices of this unlikely family. Raising Hope is a classic story of mothers and daughters and family relationships, for better and for worse, with each woman's individual story interwoven.
August 11, 2011
Raising Hope by Katie Willard was told from the perspectives of four very unique voices rom three generations. The story is bout mothers, daughters and how a family becomes a family despite no blood ties and how life manages to get in the way of almost everything. Nicely done with honest dialogue and well developed characters. Raising Hope by Katie Willard was told from the perspectives of four very unique voices rom three generations. The story is bout mothers, daughters and how a family becomes a family despite no blood ties and how life manages to get in the way of almost everything. Nicely done with honest dialogue and well developed characters.
October 28, 2010
This was enjoyable, but not fabulous. The characters could have been developed more, and have been more realistic, even though I enjoyed them.
There are a couple of lines that really spoke to me:
"We broke something between us, and on the surface it looks mended. But we both can see the cracks, and we know not to push too hard on the bond between us, lest it give way and the whole thing fall to the ground in pieces."
"...I walk into the house will all the goddamn words I'd like to say trapped inside where no one can hear them."
There are a couple of lines that really spoke to me:
"We broke something between us, and on the surface it looks mended. But we both can see the cracks, and we know not to push too hard on the bond between us, lest it give way and the whole thing fall to the ground in pieces."
"...I walk into the house will all the goddamn words I'd like to say trapped inside where no one can hear them."
April 7, 2012
Nice "summer read" I guess. A sweet book but terribly unrealistic. Two women who have always hated each other, one a tough diner waitress, the other a rich, prissy, ex-lawyer, suddenly find themselves sharing custody of a baby. They move in together, never get to know one another, raise the child.... how, exactly? You could guess immediately how the book would end, both women in love with wonderful men, eveything tied up in a neat bow. Fine for an easy feel-good read, but nothing much there.
December 16, 2013
Billie Letts praises "Raising Hope" as "a lovely story." True. I liked the switches between narrators. Hope's 12-year-old angst is well-drawn. Characters are eminently likable. But the basic premise of a father abandoning his baby to the custody of his sister and his former girlfriend doesn't ring true. Nor does the triangle of Hope, her mother, and the tennis pro. Nor the . . . Well, you get the drift. The ending is more of the same: some story strands are resolved in a most unlikely (albeit charming) way. The other strands are left loose in the wind.
May 26, 2016
What a wonderful exploration of women relationships within a family. An unusual family - a 12 yr old girl, her aunt, her dad's old girlfriend & that girlfriend's mother. This family was brought together when the girl's mom died giving birth to her and her dad took off after making his sister & old girlfriend joint legal guardians. Each family member is so drastically different, yet they make it all work creating a tight family.
August 8, 2011
An interesting little story that caught my eye while back in the stacks.
I enjoyed the switching of narrators and the flashbacks so you could really get to know the dynamics of this unusual family.
Liked that most everyone got a happy ending, although I didn't like that the dad angle wasn't wrapped up. Also, at the OBGYN's office they hear the heartbeat at 8 weeks, and that is fiction. It's usually 10-12 weeks when you can first hear the heartbeat.
I enjoyed the switching of narrators and the flashbacks so you could really get to know the dynamics of this unusual family.
Liked that most everyone got a happy ending, although I didn't like that the dad angle wasn't wrapped up. Also, at the OBGYN's office they hear the heartbeat at 8 weeks, and that is fiction. It's usually 10-12 weeks when you can first hear the heartbeat.
January 26, 2009
This was a light/cute "family" story about a young girl whose mother dies in childbirth, abandonded by her father, and is raised by her aunt and her father's ex-girlfriend.
It hit upon all the adolescent woos and family drama that you would expect. There were a few tear jerker moments, some laughs, dog-ear pages, and a happy wrapped up ending.
It hit upon all the adolescent woos and family drama that you would expect. There were a few tear jerker moments, some laughs, dog-ear pages, and a happy wrapped up ending.
February 19, 2008
I found this book at Dollar Tree (for $1!!), and thought it might be good, and if not then I only paid $1! Turns out, the book was quite good. It had a good storyline and interesting family dynamic. I'm very glad I picked it up.
June 25, 2008
I loved this book! I especially liked reading the chapters told by Hope, the 12-year-old. She's really realistic & I enjoyed reading her thoughts. She reminded me of me at that age. I lied the other characters too & it was a really good story.
March 8, 2009
What it would be like if I were a single career woman and a former boyfriend wills me his baby daughter after his wife dies and then he takes off never to be heard from again. Of course, what's helpful is that his sister was designated as partner in the upbringing of the child. A very nice story.
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