This is the first time that I wasn't totally empathetic towards the main character in any of Anne Mateer's book. I wanted to quit reading this book.

The main character, Sadie Silsby, was an assistant to the Matron at the Raystown Home For Orphan and Friendless Children, in Pennsylvania in 1910. Long time friends, Sadie and Blaine were planning on marrying after Blaine bought a farm.

A deep conflict started when the Matron told Sadie that she was leaving the Home to get married. There was a unbreakable rule that the Matron be single. The Matron reccommended Sadie for the Matron position. She was estactic and went ahead and accepted the position but could not get in touch with Blaine. Blaine had to buy or forever lose a chance to a certain farm that he wanted with all his heart. WIthout contacting Sadie, he obtained a mortgage. You can imagine what happened.

Sadie told herself that it was God's purpose to be the matron, she thought that Blaine could wait years for them to marry. Unaware until the first day of the job that she had to do the accounting for the Home, she knew that never handle basic math! But she did not even ask for help. She picked out an assistant Matron, not on any demonstratable skills ignoring an applicant who she never got along with.

Read the book and see if you had trouble liking the main character. ( )

“I received this book from Bethany House Publishing for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are my own.”

“Sadie Sillsby works as the assistant to the matron at the Raystown Home for Orphan and Friendless Children, pouring all her energy into caring for the boys and girls who live there and dreaming of the day she’ll marry her beau, Blaine, and have children of her own. But when the matron surprises everyone by announcing her own engagement , Sadie is suddenly next in line for the esteemed job of running the orphanage.

There’s one glitch. The matron cannot be married. She most focus her attention on the financial, legal, and logistical matters of the Home. Sadie’s heart is torn. Should she give up her life with Blaine in order to continue serving these children who have no one else? Does she, a young woman who was once an orphan herself, have what it takes to succeed in such a challenging carrier? And when the future of the Home begins to look bleak, can Sadie turn things around before the place is forced to close forever?”

I love reading stories that are written in a first-person point of view and this one was very well written. I enjoyed how Sadie described things and how she loved the children in the Home. However, I was quickly board with the story line and was not even interested in finishing the book. I might someday finish the book, but I really have no interest in it at the present time. I am sure the author did an amazing job and that the book is full of good values, but this type of story is just not for me. ( )

Anne Mateer’s, A Home for My Heart is a sweet historical romance set in the early 1900s in the fictional Raystown Home for Orphans and Friendless Children. Sophie Sillsby was helped by the home years before and wants to extend God’s grace to children just as it had been extended to her. Sadie sees her promotion to Matron of the home as her opportunity to help children as well as validate her own life, one that includes a shadowy past. But Sadie’s quest to be an advocate for helpless children may grow out of her own insecurities rather than God’s plan.

Mateer based A Home for My Heart on the true life Huntingdon Home for Orphans and Friendless Children and the many stories surrounding it. Well-researched, she does a good job of introducing the reader to the early efforts of child welfare. The story is a bit predictable and I was very frustrated with Sadie’s character, but I think that was the desired effect. Sadie is determined to be prove she can be an effective and capable Matron, more to win the acclaim of men than to please God. Others in the story have the same problem. The characters use works, man’s approval and self sufficiency to try to attain self-worth, rather than looking to God.

If you like a sweet romance, with a good historical background, then definitely check out A Home for My Heart.

(Thanks to Bethany House for a review copy. The opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

If anyone has a heart and understanding for the children at the Raystown Home for Orphan and Friendless Children, it is Sadie Sillsby. She was once one of those children. Her dedication, hard work, and love for the children cannot be matched. While she is very happy to be assistant matron at the orphanage, she is looking forward to marrying her sweetheart, Blaine. They are waiting for him to save enough money to buy land for their new home. Everything is neatly planned out. That is until the head matron resigns to be married herself, as all matrons must remain single. Sadie is appointed new head matron and jumps at the chance, quickly signing the contract before even consulting Blaine.
She is sure he will be surprised and happy because her higher salary will increase his savings toward the land. Well Blaine is surprised, but he is not happy! He wanted to surprise her and he had just signed a mortgage on the land so they could be married right away! Blaine wants Sadie to quit her new job and she feels she is obliged to work for one year. Where would they find a new matron that truly knows the children and the orphanage in such short notice? He tells her she must choose between him and the children. She chooses the children believing it is the right thing to do. Both of their hearts are broken, each believing the other does not truly love them or they would yield.
Very quickly Sadie learns there is much more to being matron than meets the eye. Not only the load of responsibility for the children and running the home, but the severe financial trouble the home is in. The board tells her they must close the home in 1 year unless money is raised to meet its financial needs. She must somehow raise funds and keep the closing a secret from everyone! She also feels she must prove herself because is looked down upon being an orphan herself once. I could feel her pressure and frustration in trying to do everything in her own strength.
She still loves Blaine and the pain of their broken relationship never stops hurting. Then Earl, a dashing, charming representative from the Children’s Aid Society appears, offering his expertise to help her save the home. Is Earl all he professes to be, or has Satan sent his best to confuse Sadie’s affections?
Sadie’s great faith in God and constant prayer, even in the face of defeat and impossibilities leads her through many difficulties and uncertainties. This is a beautiful story learning that circumstances do not always dictate God’s plan for us. Through her trials and suffering Sadie grows and matures. She learns there are people she over looked as she had been overlooked and she judged because of their humble beginnings as she had been judged. Most importantly, she recognizes when you turn everything over to God, He can bring about the perfect solution to our problems in ways we never imagined. A beautifully written book.
I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

My heart and mind has always been drawn to orphans. Not being one myself, I have always wanted to reach out to these little ones, and this story resonated with my dreams. It was not difficult to put myself into Sadie's shoes as she comforted the children, played with them and did the multitude of things that come with serving in this capacity. The joyous situations as well as the frustrating ones. It made me wish I were younger and that I could work with her as she did her best. Surprises are always better if I am the one with the secret than to be surprised, which I think Sadie would have agreed with. Anne, with her splendid use of words makes it all come alive for the reader and though it is a historical novel, is engrossing. Learn with Sadie the inside workings of a 1910 era orphanage and its needs. Daily interaction with fellow workers demands forgiveness on everyone's part, and this story brings that out in a fabulous way.
This is one novel that is a great addition to anyone's library, and I love the warm cozy feeling of the orphange and the book. ( )