The Hope Chest

THE HOPE CHEST beautifully parallels the journey of two related women who were separated by eighty years. Devastated by the breakup of her recent romance, Jeannie Carey, a contemporary New York City woman, attends a family reunion in Nebraska. The discovery of the journal of her great aunt, Eva Jeannette, was a highlight of the gathering. Ms. Hogeboom utilizes excerpts from the journal to tell Eva Jean's story. Eva Jean was given the journal for her eighteenth birthday in 1912. This birthday was also special because Thomas Johannson asked her "to wait for him" as he moved from Nebraska to Colorado to homestead. In addition, Aunt Stella and Uncle Elroy gave Eva Jean a handmade hope chest, one she said would be filled with only lovingly crafted items to be used when she wed Mr. Johannson. Eva Jean rarely saw her beau, but she continually did her needlework when she wasn't conscientiously preparing her schoolwork. We learn that Eva Jean was the first in her family to be educated and teach on the prairie. Being a schoolmarm required great sacrifices. Her social life was severely limited, and she could not keep her position when she married. Eva Jean also struggled, like other pioneers, to survive the unpredictable weather, life-threatening tornadoes, and floods that disrupted travel and communications. THE HOPE CHEST grips your attention right from the start. The harshness of the prairie combined with excellent characterizations create feelings of suspense, sadness, joy, and love. This novel is loosely based on the journals of Ms. Hogeboom's great aunt and includes original photographs of this mid-Western family of the early 1900s. This is no dry retelling of events and lives of those who lived on the prairie. The story concludes with modern-day Jeannie using the example of her aunt to muster courage, believe in herself, and have faith and hope to overcome the hardships life has to offer. THE HOPE CHEST is a book you don't want to put down once you begin to read it. It will delight girls and women of all ages. It makes a great gift. Reviewed by Nancy Mion and Dorothea Hanly, elementary school librarians.