We Hope for Better Things

Posted on 20 October 2018 by Erin Bartels

When Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich, his strange request that she look up a relative she didn t know she had in order to deliver an old camera and a box of photos seems like it isn t worth her time But when she loses her job after a botched investigation, she suddenly finds herself with nothing but time.At her great aunt s 150 year old farmhouse, Elizabeth uncovers a series of mysterious items, locked doors, and hidden graves As she searches for answers to the riddles around her, the remarkable stories of two women who lived in this very house emerge as testaments to love, resilience, and courage in the face of war, racism, and misunderstanding And as Elizabeth soon discovers, the past is never as past as we might like to think.Debut novelist Erin Bartels takes readers on an emotional journey through time from the volatile streets of 1960s Detroit to the Underground Railroad during the Civil War to uncover the past, confront the seeds of hatred, and discover where love goes to hide. New Read Kindle ePUB We Hope for Better Things By Erin Bartels – kino-fada.fr This was a really solid fiction read although I guess it could also be classified as historical fiction because some real life events were incorporated into the story I thought the author came up with a unique way to tell a story that deals with the subject of racism Reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets with James Rich and she leaves their meeting contemplating his strange request He wants Elizabeth to find an older relative she has never met and give her an old camera and a box of photos Given r This was a really solid fiction read although I guess it could also be classified as historical fiction because some real life events were incorporated into the story I thought the author came up with a unique way to tell a story that deals with the subject of racism Reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets with James Rich and she leaves their meeting contemplating his strange request He wants Elizabeth to find an older relative she has never met and give her an old camera and a box of photos Given recent l...I received this book for free from the publisher Revell Reads in exchange for an honest review This was an insightful historical novel about three generations of women from Detroit It takes place during the civil war, the Detroit riots, and present day Out of the three stories, I found Mary s the civil war one to be the most compelling and interesting The present day storyline was probably the weakest just because there wasn t anything super exciting going on and it wasfocused on d I received this book for free from the publisher Revell Reads in exchange for an honest review This was an insightful historical novel about three generations of women from Detroit It takes place during the civil war, the Detroit riots, and present day Out of the three stories, I found Mary s the civil war one to be the most compelling and interesting The present day storyline was probably the weakest just because there wasn t anything super exciting going on and it wasfocused on discovering what happened in the past I liked how the three stories intersected and connected The events were woven together nicely and ...Elizabeth Balsam is working for the Detroit Free Press as a reporter when James Rich asks her to find a relative she s never known in order to deliver some things, including an old camera and photos Elizabeth finds this odd and doesn t address it, until she loses her job and has free time to think about it When she visits her great aunt s old farm house, she finds plenty of intrigue and mystery along with the story of two resilient women who previously lived in the house Facing war and racism Elizabeth Balsam is working for the Detroit Free Press as a reporter when James Rich asks her to find a relative she s never known in order to deliver some things, including an old camera and photos Elizabeth finds this odd and doesn t address it, until she loses her job and has free time to think about it When...I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Erin Bartels debut novel and thoroughly enjoyed it Bartels adeptly weaves together the stories of three generations of women in Detroit and the surrounding area who grapple with issues of race relations and persecution, societal boundaries and love, family and self realization Mary, Nora, and Elizabeth are loosely related by blood, but deeply connected through their beliefs, convictions, and willingness to defy the status quo I was particular I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Erin Bartels debut novel and thoroughly enjoyed it Bartels adeptly weaves together the stories of three generations of women in Detroit and the surrounding area who grapple with issues of race relations and persecution, societal boundaries and love, family and self realization Mary, Nora, and Elizabeth are loosely related by blood, but deeply connected through their beliefs, convictions, and willingness to defy the status quo I was particularly impressed with Bartels rich descriptions of post civil war struggles and the 1960s race riots Despite the weightiness of these topics, the book is sewn together with sturdy threads of optimism, resilience, and faith in our future It s a must read for those who love historical fiction or meaningful romance, stories about race relations or the complexities and ironies in what we call family As the title suggests, we are left hoping for better things in American society, ...This book is a moving, multi generational story about three women who decide to follow their hearts, even when their families and the rest of society tells them they re wrong The prose is lovely and engaging, and the characters jump from the page For all the heartach...This is a heartbreaking, heartwarming story about love and hate across generations of women in a Detroit area family Bartels does a beautiful job of showing how racism has affected the love stories of three women liv...We Hope for Better Things by Erin Bartels is a one astounding read This literary debut novel holds so much intensity I felt the pain, loss, love, and hope It was like a fresh battle wound that would not fade A constant reminder of what never died Still wounds like these exist, today.In this story, I was swept up into the drama mystery of one journalist s family history An interracial marriageback then, it was not looked upon as happy thing It was seen as a deterioration to society s ru We Hope for Better Things by Erin Bartels is a one astounding read This literary debut novel holds so much intensity I felt the pain, loss, love, and hope It was like a fresh battle wound that would not fade A constant reminder of what never died Still wounds like these exist, today.In this story, I was swept up into the drama mystery of one journalist s family history An interracial marriageback then, it was not looked upon as happy thing It was seen as a deterioration to society s rules Racism was strong then and still is now People still fight against one another, white versus black Black versus white The pressure and troubles that came with the characters choices were seen, heard, and lived through these words It was like being a witness to such c...The story of three women separated by generations but joined by blood and the strength of their convictions, Erin Bartels debut novel masterfully weaves a trio of interrelated timelines one taking place during the Civil War and its aftermath, another during the Civil Rights Movement and incorporating the Detroit riots of 1967, and the final in the present day Each of these three alternating sections contains enough plot and secrets and surprises to take up an entire book, but where Bartels tru The story of three women separated by generations but joined by blood and the strength of their convictions, Erin Bartels debut novel masterfully weaves a trio of interrelated timelines one taking place during the Civil War and its aftermath, another during the Civil Rights Movement and incorporating the Detroit riots of 1967, and the final in the present day Each of...Masterful writing and storytelling I was captivated by this book and continue to think about it long after finishing the last page It s obvious that the author spent a long time carefully crafting the characters and storyline Very engaging Would highly recommend.I LOVED this book It was the best part of having three flights in three days We Hope For Better Things is such an important, beautiful story that spans three generations of strong women, each dealing with similar issues in spite of being generations apart It was interesting to look at the struggle of race relations over the years and how some things have changed, and others unfortunately haven t changed at all And you ve got to love a book that gives you a gasp out loud moment Couldn t I LOVED this book It was the best part of having three flights in three days We Hope For Better Things is such an important, beautiful story that spans three generations of strong women, each dealing with similar issues in spite of being generations apart It was interesting to look at the struggle of race relations over the years and how some things have changed, and others unfortunately haven t changed at all ...Three women Three eras One struggle We Hope for Better Things is the tale of Mary, Nora, and Elizabeth, each living in Detroit and or Lapeer County, Michigan but in different eras Civil War Reconstruction, Civil Rights movement, and present day Bound by blood, these wom...A box of photos, an elderly aunt the main character didn t know about, and an old house.Was it fate that Elizabeth had lost her job as a journalist because of a story she was covering Was it fate that James Rich found her and wanted her to return some photos to a Nora Balsam Was it fate that Elizabeth fell in love with Aunt Nora and with her home the minute she met her and stepped inside the family home As the chapters alternate between the three Balsam women, we meet Elizabeth present day as s A box of photos, an elderly aunt the main character didn t know about, and an old house Was it fate that Elizabeth had lost her job as a journalist because of a story she was covering Was it fate that James Rich found her and wanted her to return some photos to a Nora Balsam Was it fate that Elizabeth fell in love with Aunt Nora and with her home the minute she met her and stepped inside the family home As the chapters alternate between the three Balsam women, we meet Elizabeth present day as she is finishing up a story and gets fired because of the story and as Elizabeth meets James Rich who has a task for her she doesn t want to do until she finds out that Nora is her great aunt.We meet Nora in her younger days and in present time Going through her house and seeing the beauty that was once there pulled me in We also meet Mary Balsam dating back to 1861 and the first inhabitant of the hou...This story is a compelling multi generational narrative about racism, privilege, and family secrets in the north, something that often isn t explored, both in the Civil War era and 1967 Detroit riots, as well as the modern era The primary first person narrator, modern, out of a job journalist Elizabeth, frames her own present with her family s past as she discovers it through her growing relationship with her great aunt Nora The the stories are moving and tragic, with the end ultimately uplift This story is a compelling multi generational narrative about racism, privilege, and family secrets in the north, something that often isn t explored, both in the Civil War era and 1967 Detroit riots, as well as the modern era The primary first person narrator, modern, out of a job journalist Elizabeth, frames her own present with her family s past as she discovers it through her growing rela...First off wow Three POVs, three timelines, three separate stories it takes quite a bit of skill to not only keep the reader wholly invested in each, but to interweave them and keep them building off one another and still be able to give each a satisfying ending And Bartels friggin nailed it Bartels carefully and adeptly weaves a story in three parts about history, about family, about prejudice and hate and resilience in the face of it all Her heroines are complex and multilayered, making First off wow Three POVs, three timelines, three separate stories it takes quite a bit of skill to not only keep the reader wholly invested in each, but to interweave them and keep them building off one another and still be able to give each a satisfying ending And Bartels friggin nailed it Bartels carefully and adeptly weaves a story in three parts about history, about family, about prejudice and hate and resilience in the face of it all Her heroines are complex and multil...

20 October 2018

Erin Bartels