Customer Reviews

Heart Most Worthy, A

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a HUGE fan of Siri Mitchell's historicals (as well as her other books) so I was so excited to hear about her new book. I always recommend her books to readers whether they read Christian fiction or not because she is one of those authors who I feel crosses markets. Many readers I have chatted with have said that they enjoyed her style of writing and comment on how they didn't realize that a book with faith elements could be written so well. I loved this book so much. It is exactly what I want from a historical fiction book that has romance in it. I'm hesitant to classify this book as a historical romance. It didn't really read like many historical romances that I've read but at the same time there's more romance in here than in other straight up historical fiction. Either way Mitchell skillfully blends the two elements of historical research and romance together into a sweeping read that just pulls you in from the beginning.

The story is set up in a narrative that is different from most books. There's a unnamed narrator who talks about the three main girls. Julietta, Annamaria, and Luciana are all very different in personalities but they have several common threads (pun because they work in a dress shop) that they share. I really enjoyed seeing them become friends and putting aside any harboring feelings that originally had when meeting each other.

The romance in this book made me swoon. I am normally not a big romance fan at all, I usually roll my eyes because the romance scenes are very unrealistic. Therefore for a book to make me swoon must be written extremely well. I loved seeing the girls all discover a suitor in the the most unlikely of circumstances. My absolutely favorite was Annamarie's with the Sicilian grocer. The unspoken affection simply through actions made me sigh. Seriously, I have not read anything that romantic in ages. All three of the girls had wonderful descriptions of their relationships. They aren't fairy tale, happily ever after type of romances but they are realistically portrayals of true love. The other love story in this book involves one that didn't necessarily have a happy ending and is rather bittersweet. In fact it's rather sad and heartbreaking but it's real life.

Mitchell always does a good job with her historical facts and it shows up again in this book. Since the story takes place in the immigrant section of Boston, lots of descriptions of the type of housing and the poverty level is mentioned. I believe also that this is one of the very few Christian fiction books that I have read that talks about anarchism. I found those bits to be really interesting because of the historical aspects that would come into play with WWI approaching in the future. There's not too much history to bore readers who only wanted romance but at the same time for those who like their stories meatier, the facts are fascinating.

Faith elements in the book are present but shown more in a historical presence. Interestingly, since the women are Italian, they are Catholics and therefore attend mass, go to confession and talk to priests. This is interesting because the book will most likely be read by those who are Protestants so it will be good to learn more about Catholicism.

Overall this is one of most satisfying reads that I've read in a long time. Everything I wanted and needed was in this book. As I said before it's rare for a book to include romance in it and make me sigh with content. This book is going to be one of my top reads of the year. I cannot wait for Siri Mitchell's next book to come out because I know that it will be fabulous, just like this one. VERY HIGHLY recommended.

I couldn't put down this enchanting story of 3 Italian immigrants in 1918 Boston. I stayed up way too late reading this compelling tale. The omniscient narration added humor and insight to the three tightly woven love stories. Julietta, Annamaria, and Luciana all share similar work at Madame Fortier's dress shop, but have vastly constrasting lives. Nevertheless, Siri pulls them all together in a satisfying story of intrigue, desperation, friendship, and of course... romance. Another great book by this master of historical fiction!

Three girls, all Italian immigrants, but with very different personal stories. They all work at Madame Fortier's Gown Shop. Madame Fortier isn't really French, but the prejudices against her people keep her close-mouthed about her Italian heritage.

Julietta Giordano is 18 years old. Her specialty is embroidery. Her large Italian family is hard-working and all of their pay goes directly to their father. Julietta is looking for fun, and she has her eye on just the young man to make it happen. She's a bit selfish and very impetuous, and she doesn't realize that you shouldn't always get what you wish for.

Annamaria Rossi is the oldest girl in her family, and as such, she is expected not to marry and to take care of her parents in their old age. Her specialty is smocking. She is an obedient girl, but she can't help herself; she wonders WHY she has to give up her whole life to take care of everyone else? Why can't ALL of the family help take care of her parents?

Luciana Conti escaped Italy with her grandmother after the assassination of her father, the Count of Roma. The Contessa is immobilized by her grief, and the money is running out. Luciana's excellent beadwork will be the key to keeping food in the house; but who will look after her grandmother while she is working? When she sees the anarchist that killed her father on the streets of Boston, she knows that she can't let anyone know who she really is, or he will finish the job he started.

The reader is taken into the early 20th century and experiences the prejudices, hardship, love, and loyalty of the Italian immigrant. There's a social worker that visits Julietta's house who rails against the fact that they eat so many vegetables and not enough meat (thank goodness Julietta's mother doesn't understand English, else she would beat the worker over the head with her soup ladle).

Madame Fortier is the type of woman that most readers will love - strong-willed, hard-working, kind-at-heart, with a back story that unfolds slowly. She has made huge personal sacrifices for love.

What a wonderful story. I found myself very interested in all of the girls, and crossing my fingers for love to find them and for things to work out well. I had a vague understanding of the prejudices that Italian immigrants encountered, but this book gave me a better understanding and at times made my heart ache.

A very sweet (but not saccharine) tale lies within these pages. The touches of humor make it even better.

Now for a little aside: it's classified as Christan fiction, and sometimes I have a difficult time with that label. Is it because all of the girls were Catholic and their journeys to confession play a part in the novel? Is it because it's a clean read? I would personally label this one as historical fiction. This is my first experience with Siri Mitchell's writing, but I would definitely go back for more.

QUOTES:
Mama was going to make her do it? She was going to make her own daughter cross the street and deal with Sicilians? Annamaria had always done everything and anything that her mother had ever asked, but buying tomatoes from Sicilians?

You see, it's all very well and good to judge and moralize, but there are some whose morale has been broken. And for these, sometimes, we just have to let them survive, in hopes that one day they will decide to do more than survive.

They weren't supposed to speak. No self-respecting Avellinesi should speak to a Sicilian. And they could not meet, except for Annamaria's trips to the frutta e verdura, but no one could stop them from staring out the window at each other, if they chose to, of a night. And so they did.


Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Characters: 4 out of 5 stars
Reading Immersion: 4 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING: 4.1 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Open Book from Bethany House for my free review copy.

A Heart Most Worthy is the story of three young Italian emigrant women: Julietta, Annamaria, and Luciana.
Each of them have different personalities; yet they are more alike than dissimilar: they are of the same age, they are all from an Italian heritage, they are of the same religion, they are each over-shadowed by a problem, they have responsibilities in their family, and they are each gifted in an area of gown making.
The back drop to this story is the north side of Boston, and the year is 1918. World War I is being fought. The Spanish Influenza is about to make it's second round.
The young women live in an area of Boston that is congested with Italian emigrants. The Sicilians live across the street and the two do not associate with each other, they do not even speak.
The Italian community is close-nit and they look after one another, they also gossip about one another.
These three women are beautiful and full of youth and exuberance. Even though one of them has a painful past she still has the countenance of grace and beauty.
Each of them will be faced with acknowledging and rectifying decisions that were made.

Over-all I did like this book. It is not one of my favorites from Siri Mitchell.
What I disliked most about the book is that the author interjected her voice throughout the book, sort of like an emcee or a personal introducer to the characters. That 3rd voice I'll call it, even pointed out what I should notice or even what to assume about the characters. This was an interesting way of writing the book, a different take. But, I prefer to be left to my own imagination while reading a story--actually that is one of my favorite parts about reading.
What I did like about the book is the time period, the historical part of the story.
I also liked reading about Italian immigrants and their lives after they'd first come to America.
This is not a deep book, it is a light story, a love story, a story with a bit of mystery and a tiny bit of suspense.
I do feel that the front and back cover is lovely, a beautiful dress is shown.
The story is not heavy on the Christian theme, about mid-way prayer is talked about, not deeply though. There were a few more instances of prayer being talked about.
Confession is talked about and done more often.

My experience with Christian fiction is limited, only having read most of Siri's books and "The Silent Governess" by Julie Klassen. I had intended on reading more but I cannot get interested in stories of the Old West and Amish farmers. That said, I was glad to see another book by Siri hit the shelves. Yay!

Another yay (for me, I guess) is that the characters are Catholic. Now, I do not need the characters to be of my faith in order to appreciate the story ("Chateau of Echos" is my favorite of the group), but it was a surprising choice that I was happy to see. For those who may not be as enthusiastic about this, please know the story is not heavy-handed with detailing the faith and I cannot imagine it would preclude anyone from enjoying the book. I like that confession was mentioned and I would guess that most readers in 2011 understand that Catholics do not cross themselves as often as these characters did.

The relationship & romance part of the book was well done and the plot sensical. I had no problem with the number of characters but admit that if there were any more I would be a little lost. I have noticed a few common threads in Siri's books that I like: while ample opportunity is given for a cliched plot point, that is bypassed and there is an understanding that sometimes events/choices in life just have to be accepted; that sometimes the "miracle" is acceptance, understanding, and moving on. I do think that Siri's writing improves quite a bit from book to book and liked that there were three main characters here. I like it when characters, in the course of their daily lives, reflect on their actions and what is right and wrong. Don't we all do that? This is something that I can relate to and take away. The point about Christ's mercy in Julietta's story spoke to me in particular.

The criticism I have for this book is the changing point of view. While distracting, it didn't ruin it for me, but I think what they were going for just didn't work here. I am surprised that the editors didn't step in before this book went to press. I liked the omniscient point of view for the sake of understanding the three characters better, but could definitely do without the "narrator's notes" sprinkled in.

All in all, a good read and something I would absolutely recommend for the summer. I really hope SM is already writing another book. I'd love to see a Christmas-esque story later this year. Many thanks to the publisher for seeing that SM's work does stand apart from today's Christian fiction and is something we want to read.

Having read all of Siri's books, this is one of my favorites. We learn about 3 compelling women, and can relate to each one. From Julietta who likes to walk a little on the wild side, to Annamaria who is torn between her family and a man who is forbidden, to Luciana who has suffered great loss and is scared for her life, we are drawn into their struggles, search for love, and responsibility to their families. We also learn a great deal about the challenges of that time, and what so many immigrants have endured to come to this country that we often take for granted. Thanks, Siri, for another fun and thought-provoking book!

This book was well written. The plot was captivating, and I found myself lost in the character's lives. Many moral and life lessons are weaved into the plot. If you want a good, meaningful read that will make you laugh and cry, then this is the book for you.

This was one of the those books that just would not let me go until I reached the very last page. While the characters and the setting were quite ordinary, the intricacies of high fashion and historical detail were so well-crafted that I felt transported to the time and place. Through Siri's skillful storytelling, it was easy to imagine living in a squalid tenement, cramped with other immigrant families, and hoping that I would have enough money to feed my family that day. Now, imagine that daily lifestyle with the backdrop of the Spanish influenza epidemic and World War I, and it's not difficult to see why this book was so captivating.

The story follows three unique girls, each with their own stories, and they all happened to work together at Madame Forza's gown shop. Julietta was a little on the reckless side--fascinated by Angelo's mystique, yet not crazy about the danger he seemed to attract. Luciana wanted nothing more than to blend in with the crowd, lest she be found by the men who murdered her family and followed her to America. And finally, Annamaria...my personal favorite. She longed for a life of lesser responsibility, where no one immediately assumed that it was her job to take care of her parents into their old age, but instead, to create a new beginning with the man of her heart. This man just happened to be from the grocer's shop across the street, only he's the last person she ought to be attracted to.

While A Heart Most Worthy most likely would not be considered a historical romance, the romance elements of the book were some of the best I've read in ages. Few authors can weave it into their tales in such a beautiful way that it makes one think back to the early days of their own individual love story. Siri is one of those authors. For example, Annamaria was literally forbidden from speaking to the grocer's son across the street, yet after each visit there, the attraction between them escalated after a quick glimpse here or a subtle smile there. When they spoke to one another for the first time, my stomach was so full of butterflies, you'd think I was going on my first date!

Even though I've only read two books now by Siri, it's going to be extremely difficult for any of her others to match up to this one. I could go on for another two or three paragraphs about everything that I loved, but I've tried to leave a little bit to entice a new reader. The story was unique, the setting realistic, and the romance...well, I think you know my feelings on that. *wink* A Heart Most Worthy was one of the most satisfying books I've read in a very long time, and has easily carved out a line on my Top Ten Books of 2011.

What an amazing read, to share the lives of these three Italian girls. To be able to witness their customs brought back with then from Italy to America.
Siri Mitchell, once again has been able to capture my full attention for the few days it took me to read this wonderful, historical fiction.
I'll be waiting for her next book with impatience
5 stars out of 5

It's 1918. Three young women, all from different areas of Italy, came to America for a better life. They all got a job at a dress maker's shop. This is the story of those three women, and how they found a life for themselves. Two of the women come from not-so-wealthy backgrounds. The other chose a life of poverty when she moved to America, in order to hide. She and her grandmother are running for their lives! But that life of poverty proves to be quite the hardship! Would they survive?

A Heart Most Worthy, by Siri Mitchell is a slow-starting book. It starts in Italy, for background purposes. I don't tend to like books that do that because I tend to forget as the story unfolds. But I'm glad I stuck with this book. It was very good. I found myself routing for the characters... as one of them gets very sick, as another is running from a murderer. And as they each discover love.

I would recommend this book to anyone that likes fiction set in historic eras. Some parts of it are very predictable, as are most love stories. But others really caught me by surprise.

Bethany House provided me with a copy of this book for review.