Ann M. Martin (Ten Rules for Living with My Sister) begins a quartet spanning four generations of a family with a heartfelt novel that deals with some weighty issues. Yet Martin infuses enough hope into the novel so it never feels heavy.
Set in the 1930s, the book covers 15 years, and follows eight-year-old Abby Nichols to her early 20s. Though the family business is successful during the Great Depression, all is not well with the Nichols family. Abby and her younger sister, Rose, navigate from childhood to adolescence while dealing with Pop's anger, prejudice and control, as well as the mysterious condition plaguing their baby brother. In later chapters, their father surreptitiously sends Abby's mentally challenged brother away to boarding school, and their mother suffers from what would today likely be called post-partum depression. The book may well remind readers of the Little House on the Prairie series, with Abby's overriding characteristic of determination in the face of hardship.
Better to Wish walks a fine line, managing a remarkably relevant, current feel while retaining the charm of yesteryear. Abby becomes a terrific role model, choosing to follow her own dreams rather than focusing on marriage and simple clerical work, as her peers do. She's an independent, fiercely lovable heroine. This book is sure to become an instant favorite and draw readers back for subsequent stories of Abby's daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter. --Kyla Paterno, trade book buyer and blogger, Garfield Book Company at PLU