The Hope Chest

THE HOPE CHEST

By: Karen Schwabach

FIRST SENTENCE

“Give those to me at once, Young Lady!”

SUMMARY

From goodreads

Violet’s older sister Chloe didn’t get married. She bought a car instead. And then she drove that car to New York City and never came home again. Violet’s parents said Chloe had turned into the Wrong Sort of Person, but Violet knew better. Now she’s determined to find her sister, and she’ll go all the way to New York City to do it. The only problem is that Chloe’s not in New York anymore. So Violet must journey even further to Tennessee, where Chloe is fighting for the vote for women. Nashville is a hotbed of political intrigue. Suffs and Antis are doing anything and everything to sway legislators to their side: bribing them, pleading with them, and even kidnapping them. Violet is hanging out with suffragists, socialists, and colored people. But if she’s becoming the Wrong Sort of Person, why does it feel just right?

REVIEW

The Hope Chest explores the women’s suffrage movement in a new way.  The story is told mostly by Violet, but it also includes her sister Chloe and their new friend Myrtle.  Each character joins the movement for their own reasons and grows because of it.

Chloe has left her family because her parents were trying to force her into a marriage that she did not want.  Instead of buying a hope chest for her marriage, she buys a car and names it The Hope Chest.  Chloe has gone to college, is smart, and she knows what she wants.  She learns what true love is when she meets the right guy.

Violet is the little sister who wants to be with her big sister.  Little does she know, but doing this will put her directly into the middle of the suffrage violence.  She becomes very active in the movement and even pretends to be against suffrage so she can spy on the enemy.  Violet learns that she is independent and strong.

Finally, there is Myrtle.  She is the young black girl who joins the sisters on their adventure.  It is sad to see how Myrtle is treated by many of the whites just because of her skin color.  Looking to leave the South, she bravely makes the move to Alaska with Chloe as the story comes to an end.

I liked how the story was told and the way the girls related to each other. 

RATING

5        Plot

4        Characters

5        Attention Grabbing

4        Girlie Meter

4        Ending

22      TOTAL

5        STARS

Melina