Rivers finalizes her two-book series, "Marta's Legacy," with the sequel to Her Mother's Hope. Hildemara, the daughter in the first book, ages and becomes a mother, then a grandmother. As the sequel opens, Hildemara is confined to her bed with tuberculosis. Her mother, Marta, comes to help with the family, caring full time for Carolyn, Hildie's young daughter. Of necessity, Carolyn becomes dependent on her oma (grandma) Marta. Hildemara feels left out of her daughter's life, even after she recovers her health. Carolyn then heads to college, and her brother leaves for the Vietnam War.

When Carolyn returns home after experiencing San Francisco counterculture, she is expecting a baby, unwed, and horribly broken because her dearly loved brother has died in the war. When May Flower Dawn is born, Carolyn must work and attend school, so Hildemara cares for the child. History repeats itself as the grandmother becomes the caregiver, and the mother looks on, wishing for the role.

As each generation learns more about relationships, May Flower Dawn understands that these generational curses cannot go on, and she works to bring her mother and grandmother closer together. Her prayers and planning have an impact on hearts made hard by fear.

Although a sequel, Her Daughter's Dream does well as a stand-alone and is a not-to-be-missed novel for anyone who enjoys good writing. Spanning the 1950s to the present, Rivers stays true to each generation.
--Beth Anderson

Her Daughter's Dream
Francine Rivers
Tyndale House Publishers
hardcover, 592 pages, $24.99
978-1-414-33409-7
September

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