Promises

It is the height of the Great Depression and Jessica Greaves has promised her late father that she will look after her younger sister, Tillie. It is a promise that will shape her entire life and have shattering consequences. In despair, with no resources and nowhere to turn, Jessica does the only thing she can: She takes to the streets of New York to sell herself in order to keep herself and her sister alive. Refusing to know and, later, to acknowledge, just how her sister has managed to provide for the two of them, Tillie blithely--with completely self-absorption--goes after whatever she wants, without regard for the fact that it will ultimately fall to Jess to satisfy Tillie's demands. When Jess agrees to what she believes is a marriage of convenience to a wealthy businessman, Tillie is very nearly consumed by anger and jealousy. And when it becomes obvious that Jess has actually found love with this man, the knowledge nearly drives Tillie mad. Fleeing from everyone and everything following the death of her son, Tillie runs away. And in the intervening years, Jess is forced to make yet another promise--one that will, eventually, allow her to redeem herself in her own eyes. So that when the sisters finally reunite, they are two very different people who at last are able to make good on that long-ago promise Jess made to their father.

Although this book was written in 1980, if you are a Charlotte Vale Allen fan, it would be well worth your time to read it.I found this to be a very powerful book and was quite moved by it.It starts during the depression when Jessie and Tillie's formerly wealthy father dies,leaving them penniless. Jessie, at eighteen, has promised her father she would always care for twelve year old Tillie.What follows are Jessie's sad attempts to earn enough money to care for both of them. Tillie thwarts her early attempts and they run to Canada to try to establish a new life. A truck driver,Rene', takes them most of the way and plays a major positive role in Jessie's life throughout the book. They establish a new life in Toronto, where Jessie becomes a call girl to give Tillie the decent life she wants her to have. Tillie, in the meantime,turns into an ungrateful,selfish person,forcing her way into peoples' lives ,creating destruction along the way. Jessie's life takes an entirely different direction when she marries a wealthy busiman and has a family. A tragedy seperates the sisters, and they both face different kinds of problems in their lives,leaving them seperated for years.Events played out with both women create changes in them,making Jessie stronger and more positive about herself.Tillie faces a serious problem ,which forces her to look strongly at herself, realizing what she has been to others, and effects a major change.In addition to Jessie and Tillie,there are Sandy,Press,Flora,the children and,of course,Rene'.They are all so well developed you feel you know them well. This is a wonderful book, which leaves a "feel good" feeling when you have finished it.

I thought the book was very good, although a bit unbelievable in parts. Jessica was the one you were cheering for, and Tilly wasn't, but by the end, you wanted them both to be happy, so you find yourself cheering for them both. If you have a rainy afternoon or just want to spend the day in bed with a good book, this is an excellent choice.