A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell

  

  Three young seamstresses work for Madame Fortier. Each one has a different specialty and a different background.

Julietta is the embroiderer. She comes from a loving home but is determined to shake the fetters of family and tradition and embrace the freedoms of America. 

Annamaria is the smocker. Being the eldest daughter her responsibility is to take care of her parents until their death. If she is lucky she may be able to eventually marry. 

Luciana is hired to do elaborate bead work. Her father was killed by anarchists. She and her grandmother have escaped to America, but they are still pursued by the murderer who killed her father.

Each girl struggles with the prejudices of the day, and the heart-break of forbidden love. 

A Heart Most Worthy is written in what I have read is called "Omniscient voice." I'm not exactly sure what that means. My understanding is that the author breaks into the story now and then and addresses the reader. At first it was a bit annoying, but as I became more enmeshed in the story and the girls' lives those break-ins in the story were less relevant than what was actually happening in the story. I enjoyed the book very much. I've read one other book by Siri Mitchell, Beauty Becomes Her. If you like historical fiction these books are a must read!

Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Abigail was kicked out of middle school for assault. Her parents had two options for her education. Either send her to a private school or home school her. Being busy lawyers homeschooling was not an option for her parents. They enrolled her in St. Catherine's Catholic school.

Abigail feels that her parents do not listen to her, that she doesn't exist. They are both busy with their careers and cannot be bothered by Abigail and her needs. When Abigail was kicked out of her middle school she had tried to tell them the reason but they would not believe her. When they enroll her in Catholic school she decides to take Drama as her elective just to make her parents angry. She also drops the bombshell on them that she is going to "become Catholic" thinking that by doing these things at least she will get some attention from her parents.

Abigail finds that she has a talent for drama. She enjoys acting in the school plays. She is befriended by Chris whose mother becomes Abigail's sponsor for becoming Catholic. Abigail is determined to become Catholic even though she doesn't believe in God or Jesus or forgiveness. This is her effort to get her parents involved in her life.

Throughout Catholic studies, talks with the priest, talks with Chris's mom, Abigail learns what it means to take a leap of faith and to forgive herself and her parents.

This was a quick read. I liked seeing how Abigail was able to get her parents attention and how throughout the book they tried to reach out to their daughter even though they didn't understand her. There are of course lots of references to Catholicism that sometimes become a bit too preachy.