AUTHOR: Cindy K. Sproles
DATE: 2020
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: ****
Worie Dressar is seventeen years old when influenza and dysentery ravage her Appalachian Mountain community in 1898, leaving behind a growing number of orphaned children with no way to care for themselves. Worie's mother has been secretly feeding a number of these little ones on Sourwood Mountain. But when she dies suddenly, Worie is left to figure out why and how she was caring for them.
Plagued with two good-for-nothing brothers--one greedy and the other a drunkard--Worie fights to save her home and the orphaned children now in her begrudging care. Along the way, she will discover the beauty of unconditional love and the power of forgiveness as she cares for all of Momma's children.
What Momma Left Behind made reviewing difficult for me. I enjoyed the story, once the Appalachian dialect became more familiar, but the harsh details that made the story real were disturbing. Worie’s life is turned upside down when her beloved mother suddenly dies, leaving her alone in the world for all practical purposes. When her momma’s quiet practice of feeding orphans falls onto Worie’s young shoulders, her struggle to carry on her mother’s legacy of caring creates an unforgettable story.
Love, loss, redemption and hope combine in What Momma Left Behind. I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and award it four stars.