Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer

This was our book club pick for March, as well as a Newbery Honor winner, but in some ways it failed to impress me.

The story centers around Hope who, after moving from city to city, lands in a town that she'll soon call home. A waitress for several years, teen-aged Hope quickly takes to the Welcome Stairways diner, where most of the setting is developed. Her Aunt Addie takes over as head cook while the owner, G.T., runs for mayor to save the corrupt town from remaining as is. But he's hit with some controversy because of his current fight with cancer, and Hope herself is in the middle of the political throes, trying to win people over to G.T's campaign.

This book was partly about life, partly about politics, partly about...well, practically everything. There were a whole lot of small side stories, some of which I enjoyed and some of which I could have done without. Each character was connected in at least a small way, and the setting really created a comfy atmosphere.

What I didn't like, however, was the way the book itself was written. Joan Bauer is a good writer, I'll give her that, but the book skipped around a lot and made it hard to be completely sucked into the story. I'd get into a scene, only to be taken out of it less than a page after it's start. It made the book fast-paced, which is good for certain readers, but it just wasn't my style. That said, I think the book accomplished a hell of a lot for the length and speed in which it read. The characters were memorable and it made me subtly think - it wasn't a stand-out, attention-grabbing read, but that was something I loved about it. And it sure gave me a lot of respect for waitresses.

I'm sold on the book, but I can't completely agree with it's glossy Newberry sticker. Regardless, I'm definitely going to have to check out more of Bauer's books.

P.S. - To anyone who's read it, here's a recipe for the Keep Hoping sandwich mentioned in the book!