** spoiler alert ** This novel is a fictionalized account of the author's grandmother and mother's lives. I alternately cheered and hated the main character Marta. After growing up under the control of a disparaging unloving father whose main concern is money, Marta gets training as a housekeeper, works in a restaurant and learns to speak French and English in hopes of a better life. She leaves behind a mother who is ill with tuberculosis and a fearful delicate younger sister Elise. With her mother's blessing, Marta travels far from home eventually living in England, Canada and California. She is not afraid to bargain and work hard for her dreams. The second half of the book focuses on Marta's daughter Hildemare Rose who appears to have inherited her family's poor health and fearful nature. This is where I could not sympathize with Marta. Although I understood why she wanted her daughter to grow up strong and independent, I felt she had forgotten how her father treated her. She was a cold to her daughter as her father was to her. They did not communicate at all well causing a major rift to develop between them. It is a compelling book and the characters are so real, you will not forget them. I am eagerly awaiting the continuation of Hildemare Rose's story in the sequel.