A Heart Most Worthy...Review

About the book:
The elegance of Madame Forza's gown shop is a far cry from the downtrodden North End of Boston. Yet each day Julietta, Annamaria, and Luciana enter the world of the upper class, working on finery for the elite in society.


The three beauties each long to break free of their obligations and embrace the American dream—and their chance for love. But the ways of the heart are difficult to discern at times. Julietta is drawn to the swarthy, mysterious Angelo. Annamaria has a star-crossed encounter with the grocer's son, a man from the entirely wrong family. And through no intent of her own, Luciana catches the eye of Billy Quinn, the son of Madame Forza's most important client. 

Their destinies intertwined, each harboring a secret from their families and each other, will they be found worthy of the love they seek?

A lovely novel that follows three young women working for a dressmaker.  Italians, they are immigrants in New York and each has her own story and each dream of a better life and falling in love.  Luciana has her secrets, Annamaria is oppressed by her family and yearns for a life of her own.  Julietta finds herself drawn to the forbidden bad boy and ignoring the proper, good doctor.

As these three stories unfold and intertwine we see the girls learn about love, friendship and the role God can play in their lives.  As each learns to stand up for herself, she blossoms and is able to find the future she desires.

I enjoyed the book, although I found the omniscient narrator a bit odd.  It worked well enough and perhaps it was a better way to tell three stories. Siri Mitchell includes an informative author's note which explains a bit about the Great Italian Emigration and was fascinating.  Stories of immigrants who came to America in the nineteenth and early twentieth century interest me.  These experiences are as rich and compelling as they are often tragic.

I read She Walks in Beauty and absolutely loved it.  Of the two, it is still my favorite.  This one, however, is an enjoyable story and one I can easily recommend.

Thanks to my local library for having a copy I could borrow.  You can purchase your own copy here.

Read 6/11

* * * *
4/5 Stars

Comments

  1. One of the many books in my TBR pile...along with She Walks in Beauty.

    I've only read one of her books--A Constant Heart--and I enjoyed it. There wasn't anything really spectacular about the storyline, but the information about that time period really shone through and kept me interested.

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