Hope on the Inside by Marie Bostwick

Hello!  Diggin' Up Dirt by Tonya Kappes comes out on May 7.  It is the seventh book in A Kenni Lowry Mystery series.  A Daughter's Truth by Laura Bradford releases on May 28 along with Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches by Karen Rose Smith.  The Book Supremacy by Kate Carlisle will be out on June 4.  It is the thirteenth A Bibliophile Mystery.  I wonder what mischief Brooklyn will get up to this time?  Events that happened on April 13 in history are . . .1860 the first Pony Express reaches Sacramento, California, 1869 George Westinghouse patents the first steam powered brake, 1870 the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is established, 1895 start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Solitary Cyclist", 1901 James Cash Penney opens his first store (The Golden Rule) in Kemmerer, Wyoming,  1943 FDR dedicates the Jefferson Memorial, and in 1954 Milwaukee Braves' Hank Aaron's first game.

Hope on the Inside is the latest novel by Marie Bostwick.  Hope Carpenter is teaching Family & Consumer Science (Home Ec) at the local high school and her husband, Rick is an engineer at a large firm that was recently acquired by an even larger company.  One day Rick announces that he has “retired” (more like forced out), but he has a plan.  Unfortunately, things do not work out they way Rick thought.  The family suffers one loss after another, and their finances become strained.  They sell their home and move to Olympia which puts them closer to their daughter, Mackenzie.  Hope looks for a position that will provide them with health benefits and a lucky meeting leads her to an opening teaching crafts to female inmates at the local women’s prison.  Hope gets off to a rocky start thanks to the numerous restrictions from Superintendent David Hernandez.  She makes friends with prison chaplain, Nancy Hendricks who gives her encouragement and friendship.  As Hope works with the ladies teaching them various crafts, she gets to know them.  She realizes that they each have hopes and dreams, but, for different reasons, their lives took a wrong turn.  These women feel like they have failed their families and have hurt their children.  They want to do better when they are released.  Hope comes up with a quilting project that will allow the ladies to give back to the community and create a gift for a family member.  As they stitch together the quilts, they begin to realize that it is never too late to begin anew.

 

Hope on the Inside is a special, heartwarming story.  I thought it contained good writing and the story progressed at a nice pace.  Hope likes to be active and to help people.  After their move to Olympia, she is at loose ends.  The job teaching crafts to female inmates seems like the perfect fit.  Unfortunately, the rules make it difficult to teach anything except kid level activities.  Hope comes up with a plan and works out a deal with the superintendent.  When she sees how the women feel bad about not being able to give gifts to their loved ones, she develops a quilting project.  She also wants to help the ladies regain confidence in themselves.  Hope on the Inside is a feel-good story about women helping women.  I would have liked more time devoted to the quilting classes themselves.  We also see Rick and Hope struggling with their marriage.  They have entered a new phase of their lives and their marriage is suffering.  Rick is at loose ends without his job and spends his days baking bread (and eating it).  He needs a new purpose, like Hope, before working out his relationship with Hope.  Their daughter, Mackenzie is having marital problems after her husband cheated.  She looks to her parents for guidance (could have done without this particular thread). My favorite phrase from Hope on the Inside is “there’s no such thing as too much yarn or too much chocolate.”  I find this to be very true. The Christian element is light, but inspiring.  Hope on the Inside is a charming story, but it is not my favorite by Marie Bostwick.  The author’s Cobbled Court Quilt series was delightful with a special cast of characters.  Hope on the Inside is a sweet and uplifting tale. 

Thank you for stopping by today.  Tomorrow I am featuring The Governess of Penwythe Hall by Sarah Ladd.  The first book in The Cornwall Novels.  It is part of the Celebrate Lit Book Tour and there will be a giveaway!  I hope you have an uplifting day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader