What Momma Left Behind

Occasionally I find a book that will make me read into the wee hours of the morning until I completely finish the book.  What Momma Left Behind is one such book.   This isn't a romance novel, but it is historical, taking place in the post-Civil War-Era.

Worie Dressar lives in the back hills of the Appalachians during an epidemic of influenza in the 1880s.  The first action in the book is Worie burying her mother after her mother shot herself.  After the body is buried, Worie finds three young children who were looking for food after their parents both died from the disease.  Worie's Momma spent a lot of her time and resources taking care of people in the area who needed food, and now it has fallen to Worie to take care of them.

Worie's nearest neighbor, Ely finds a young girl stealing his chickens because her father has died and she has no food.  So now Worie has four children and nowhere to put them.  The pastor of the area comes by and asks how he can help, and she gives him the task of building beds for the children.  She has plenty of food to feed them, but she needs something more substantial than pallets for the children to sleep on.  This is only the beginning of Worie's troubles.  Her brothers are another case entirely and bring their own troubles to Worie's doorstep.

With Ely's and the pastor's help, Worie sets out to undo what her brother, Calvin, has done--taking two of the children, kicking her out of her cabin, and trying to rob her of the last three coins she had.

What Momma Left Behind is her caring attitude, her willingness to give aid where it is needed, and her love for children. Cindy K Sproles has written a book that tugs on heartstrings, restores faith in most of humanity, and points out the abject depravity in all of us. 

This is a five star book with two thumbs up and a red stone to get you through the hard times.

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.