Photo Credit: St. Martin’s Press
This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration.
The Hope Chest
Summary: From the beloved author of Indie Next Pick The Charm Bracelet, a story about an heirloom hope chest and the connection it inspires among three people in need of hope.
The discovery of one woman’s heirloom hope chest unveils precious memories and helps three people who have each lost a part of themselves find joy once again.
Ever since she was diagnosed with ALS, fiercely independent Mattie doesn’t feel like herself. She can’t navigate her beloved home, she can’t go for a boat ride, and she can barely even feed herself. Her devoted husband, Don, doesn’t want to imagine life without his wife of nearly fifty years, but Mattie isn’t likely to make it past their anniversary.
But when Rose, Mattie’s new caretaker, and her young daughter, Jeri, enter the couple’s life, happiness and the possibility for new memories return. Together they form a family, and Mattie is finally able to pass on her memories from the hope chest she received from her mother.
With each item—including a favorite doll, family dishes, an embroidered apron, and an antique Christmas ornament—the hope chest connects Mattie, Don and Rose to each other and helps them find hope again in the face of overwhelming life challenges.
A beautiful story about the unconditional love and support of family, The Hope Chest will remind you that hope can be found where and when you least expect it.
Traveling With T’s Thoughts:
I really enjoyed The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman last year. So, I knew I wanted to read The Hope Chest. I knew it would be sweet and even sappy at times, but sometimes we need reads like that in our life.
What I liked:
Cover. I don’t know how much input Viola has or if St. Martin’s cover squad has the magic touch, but I’ve loved each of those covers!
How each piece of the hope chest was revealed. In our current day focus of having stuff or with some people trying a form of a minimalist lifestyle, seeing items brought out that have meaning and stories and were saved for the right reasons just made me want a hope chest.
Bottom line: While it was a bit sugary sweet at times and Jeri was a bit TOO cutesy at times- The Hope Chest mainly soothed my soul and even made me cry once or twice.
*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*
**The Hope Chest is a March #FuturisticFriday selection from Traveling With T.**
Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,
T @ Traveling With T
Traveling With T 
I am still reading it. Good so far. I went to a book signing in Palm Springs. Met Wade for the second time. Got to the library and they had a burst pipe so the event was outside!
Oh goodness! Too bad about the pipe bursting, but seeing Wade and (hopefully) having some gorgeous weather = a good day!
Hallo, Hallo T!
🙂 Traveling through your review archives, today! 🙂 I had to click-through the tag at the bottom of your reviews, as I didn’t see an archive of where you house your reviews by author or genre? Hmm. I happen to love finding stories like this one: which are an uplift to the spirit to read but also, have such a cosy comfort aspect about them!?
I only wish you had expanded a bit on what you felt was too sugary and too cutesy as those are a bit broad in term to understand? Did you mean how they set their attitude to work through their current adversities or the fact they were too Pollyanna about it all? I wasn’t sure. It’s a wide interpretation! 😦
What attracted me – is in the synopsis – how despite the obstacles life gives you (esp as they generally are the things that blindside you!) there is a path back through Hope which can Light our lives with the little Joys we might have accidentally started to forsake. I must be a rare 21st Century bird – I have a Hope Chest! 🙂 I’m still working on it even though I found it as a young teenager. It was at an auction where no one saw what it could become – taking it home was #randomjoy!
I am definitely going to earmark this to read – sounded similar to Lisa Wingate’s style in her series which starts with “The Prayer Box”? I wonder if this is INSPY? Also, looking to see if this is a series of stories or individual novels?! Series take on new meanings these days as they don’t have to be episodic installments but rather interlinked by setting, timescape or character growth journeys.
I :love: Women’s Fiction – so THANK YOU!!
Hi! The sugary and cutesy- it’s kind of hard to explain what I mean- but I’ll try: Like I like some cutesy and sweet moments, but the little girl in the story was just TOO cutesy and sweet!
I think you would enjoy it. The characters have enough adversity to work through! I def wouldn’t categorize this as INSPY. It has an uplifting message, but it’s def more women’s fiction.
Both of Viola’s books are standalones- the chapters are divided into stories (which I love) and then they come together at the end. I’ll be awaiting to hear your thoughts!