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Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer

Hope Was Here is an enchanting tale of love, perseverance and...hope.  The story focuses on a girl, conveniently renamed Hope after dropping the name Tulip, who yearns to be successful in all aspects of the food business and most importantly, finder her father.  

Hope grew up with her Aunt Addie after being carelessly abandoned by her mother.  As a young girl, Hope traveled from city to city, making and breaking friendships while Addie put her cooking talents to good use at desperate restaurants over the country.  When, Hope leaves her favorite city of all, New York, for Wisconsin, she is devastated.

Shortly after arrival at what as known as one of the the dairy capitals of the world, Hope discovers that the small town she now resides in is more than a hole in the wall with milk and cheese.  The manager of the restaurant she is working at, Welcome Stairways, has leukemia and decides to run for mayor.  During the election period, Hope undergoes several moral changes and falls in love with not only the mysterious cook, Braverman, but also with the quaint town she used to loathe.

Eventually, after much trial and error, the manager of Welcome Stairways, G.T., wins the election and marries Hope's Aunt Addie.  Unfortunately, this modern-spun fairy tale doesn't have a the happily-ever-after ending that most books include.  G.T.'s leukemia, although in remission for a short period of time, comes back just after he adopts Hope as his daughter.  He dies soon after.

Hope Was Here, as you have just read, is a book that covers many aspects of life and gives a portrayal of one girl's struggle against the odds to live and love.

Last Updated: December 09, 2004
Yannis Grammatis