A Heart Most Worthy

by Siri Mitchell

Bethany House Publishers

Julietta, Annamaria, and Luciana are all immigrants from the old country - Italy. It is 1918 in Boston, Massachusetts. and the Italians are still segregating themselves from Americans, and each other. Three young  women try to make a life for themselves and their families in this new world full of ideas, and innovation. 

Julietta is a seamstress for Madame Fortier's elite dress shop. A seductive young woman, she is a firm believer that men need to have the privilege of her presence, and is quite reckless in her way with men. This erroneous way of thinking soon gets her in trouble, and before long she is faced with the biggest problem of her young life. Will she realize the danger in time? 

Annamaria is a shy, obedient young woman, and all she has in her future is a life of servitude to her family. Also a seamstress of Madame Fortier's, she is quiet and afraid to step out of the life that she believes she is destined for. But when she has an encounter with the grocer's son; from the wrong family, she has a choice. Follow her heart, or take care of her family as is expected of the eldest daughter? 

Luciana is a young, Roman woman fleeing from a certain past, and she ends up looking for work at Madame Fortier's shop. Keeping her secrets from the girls at the shop, she comes and goes in almost complete silence. When she is chosen to take care of a particularly difficult client, she meets a young man that gives her hope for the future. Will she be able to begin anew in the new country where hope and new beginnings are promised? 

The omnipresent viewpoint of this novel was actually a refreshing change for me. It was different than what I am used to, but it did cause me to spend a week in my journal writing the same way! I was very pleased to learn about the early beginnings of Italians in America, and I never realized how they kept themselves apart even in the new country. It goes to show that at one time or another, everyone has unreasonable prejudices against others for no reason other than pride. An eye-opening novel to the things that matter the most. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." 1 Corinthians 13:1.