Slow Hope    by Anita Swanson Order:  USA  Can Ivy, 2005 (2005) Paperback Read an Excerpt    Reviewed by Barbara Lingens Anne tells a very moving story. She comes from an abusive family and has very little self-confidence. Her one outlet is music, and she is happy to join the nurses' chorus at her school. The conductor, a married man, starts paying attention to her and that sets off the rest of the events in the story that make Anne's life even harder. It will be years before she can take her first step toward independence and freedom. Author Anita Swanson can reproduce conversation pretty well, but somehow the characters in this book never really rise off the page. We are kept to the story's surface, and without any depth, it is hard to feel anything about the book except sorry that Anne had to live such a terrible life. Anne's issues with her faith are supposed to be a telling part of the story, but there is little that Anne says about her faith while she's undergoing all her hardships, and it is only at the end that the issues are summed up. Perhaps if the book was written in the third person there would be more opportunity for depth. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews