"Daughter of Providence"

"Daughter of Providence" is Julie Drew's first novel (juliedrew.com) and a great start for her.  It's an engrossing story that kept drawing me back to read more even though I knew I should be moving on to tasks on my "to do" list!  It's set in the 1930's and the story is told from the viewpoint of Anne Dodge, who has been raised by her father Samuel and they live in the small town of Mitford, RI, on the coast.  When Anne's younger half-sister, Maria Cristina, is sent to live with her, her whole life changes and everything she had believed true about her, her sister and her parents is called into question.

Anne has been told that her mother left her father when Anne was about 6 for another man and, as a result, Maria Cristina, was born.  Maria Cristina was raised by her Portuguese grandparents after her mother's death then sent to live with Anne after her grandfather (the sole family survivor) died.

Anne has a full life -- She's designed and is in the process of building her own boat that takes up most of her days.  She's also the head of her father's household and has a nightly dinner to prepare.  Although she finds Maria Cristina a bit of a nuisance to living her life the way she prefers, she also is drawn to this sister she had not known.  She feels a pull between being jealous of Maria Cristina's having had so much time with their mother and a desire to learn from her more about her mother.

In the meantime, Will, a local lawyer who she's known all her life, is pressuring her to say yes to marrying her while her father is heavily involved in finding financial backing to reopen the family mill and provide jobs for the townspeople.  Her father turns to Oliver Fielding for the financial backing and Anne finds herself attracted to him despite hearing rumors of the ill treatment (and possible deaths) by men he's hired as "union busters."

As all these events merge and the pot begins to be stirred in Mitford, Anne is faced with some truths about her past and her future finding herself forced to make choices about who she'll include in her life and what and who she'll believe.

pazt