We Hope for Better Things

By: Erin Bartels

Narrated by: Stina Nielsen

"We Hope for Better Things has it all: fabulous storytelling, an emotional impact that lingers long after you turn the last page, and a setting that immerses you. I haven't read such a powerful, moving story since I read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school. This book will change how you look at the world we live in. Highly recommended!" (Colleen Coble, USA Today best-selling author of the Rock Harbor series and The View from Rainshadow Bay)

"A timely exploration of race in America, We Hope for Better Things is an exercise of empathy that will shape many a soul. Erin Bartels navigates this sensitive topic with compassion as she shifts her readers back and forth between past and present, nudging us to examine the secrets we keep, the grudges we hold, and the prejudices we may help create even without intention." (Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of Perennials)

When Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich, his strange request - that she look up a relative she didn't know she had in order to deliver an old camera and a box of photos - seems like it isn't worth her time. But when she loses her job after a botched investigation, she suddenly finds herself with nothing but time. 

At her great-aunt's 150-year-old farmhouse, Elizabeth uncovers a series of mysterious items, locked doors, and hidden graves. As she searches for answers to the riddles around her, the remarkable stories of two women who lived in this very house emerge as testaments to love, resilience, and courage in the face of war, racism, and misunderstanding. And as Elizabeth soon discovers, the past is never as past as we might like to think. 

Debut novelist Erin Bartels takes listeners on an emotional journey through time - from the volatile streets of 1960s Detroit to the Underground Railroad during the Civil War - to uncover the past, confront the seeds of hatred, and discover where love goes to hide.

©2019 Erin Bartels (P)2018 Recorded Books

Captivating and thought provoking!

I have no idea how many books I have read and listened to this year, but this is, by far, the best book I have listened to this year and maybe the best book I have listened to in the last couple years. I loved this story!!!

If historical fiction is your jam…

I loved the timelines and how they flowed in and out of one another- it kept my interest and the need to keep listening to what happened to these lovable, deep, and complicated characters. Stories about strong women fascinate me - especially in different parts of history- add that it is set in Michigan and I was hooked. This was a wonderful story I loved it.

Gripping but sometimes trite

The three interwoven stories are compelling and gripping. But the dialogue is often stilted or just a way to move the plot in a way that seems unnatural. I found myself captivated enough to want to learn what happens.

One of the best books I've read..

...in the last 10 years. I'm actually going to re-listen to it now, which I never do, in case I missed anything.

This book is a wonderful sad, yet beautiful book on forbidden love and its many ramifications.

Wonderful story

I love how the family stories wove together. And, as a quilter, I loved the descriptions given of some of the quilts.