This book is a sweet story of the have's and have not's and how God works in their lives.
Wrenched from her family, young Francine is terrified by her new life with her Aunt Mariette and Uncle Tom Barrimore in New York City. But their foster son, Ethan, comes to Francine's rescue. As the years pass, the bond between the two deepen....and they spend many hours enjoying the serenity of Central Park. When Ethan goes to Paris for a missions trip, Francine realizes affection has transformed into love. She dreams of the day Ethan will arrive home and share her love.
But when Ethan returns, he brings two newcomers - the beautiful and wealthy Carrie Casper, who has obviously captured his heart, and her flirtatious brother, Hugh, who flashes his inviting smile at Francine and her two cousins. As the Caspers cast their spell over the Barrimores, Francine alone senses the danger behind their facade of respectability.
As the days go by, Francine is forced to face the truth: Ethan's heart belongs to the lovely Carrie. When the playful Hugh turns his charms toward Francine, she wonders if he's finally left his playboy days behind. Pressured by her uncle to accept Hugh's advances, Francine is torn between remaining true to a love that will never be or settling for a marriage of convenience.
But when Ethan returns, he brings two newcomers - the beautiful and wealthy Carrie Casper, who has obviously captured his heart, and her flirtatious brother, Hugh, who flashes his inviting smile at Francine and her two cousins. As the Caspers cast their spell over the Barrimores, Francine alone senses the danger behind their facade of respectability.
As the days go by, Francine is forced to face the truth: Ethan's heart belongs to the lovely Carrie. When the playful Hugh turns his charms toward Francine, she wonders if he's finally left his playboy days behind. Pressured by her uncle to accept Hugh's advances, Francine is torn between remaining true to a love that will never be or settling for a marriage of convenience.
If you are a Jane Austen fan you should really like this book. Wrenched from her family Francine is terrified by her new life with her aunt and uncle in New York City. Filled with romance, questions, longing...
This book was not awful - but your enjoyment of it will depend entirely on how much you love Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. If it's one of your favorite novels, you'll probably like many aspects of this contemporary retelling. On my park, Mansfield Park is one of my least favorite (I could never get over that the hero and heroine are first cousins, no matter that it was "what one did then"). In this book, of course, they are NOT cousins (which would be awkward, would it not?), but still I've never identified well with Fanny who often comes off as being too perfect. But again, if you love Mansfield Park, I would give this novel a moderate recommendation.
