Family Forever - In The Beginning (Paperback)

FAMILY FOREVER is a family saga that starts in 1913 Fort Madison, Iowa, and ends in 1958, Pomona, California. In the Beginning, Isla's father had just passed away. At the age of fifteen, Isla's mother decides to send her to a seamstress boarding school to increase her dressmaking skills so that she can help with their household expenses. At school, she meets Jessie Whitman, whose family befriends her. Returning home with the advanced knowledge of her craft, she begins her seamstress business by making school clothes for her neighbors. When school is out for the summer, she is sent away to live with a wealthy family to sew a winter wardrobe for the ladies of the house. At eighteen, she goes to work at Rosa's Dress Shop and falls in love with Jonathan, the owner's son, who is a college playboy. Isla becomes pregnant, and they are forced to get married against Jonathan's wishes. During an argument, he pushes Isla downstairs, and their baby is stillborn. After having another child, Franny, the marriage ends in divorce. Isla and her baby move back to her mother's now converted boarding house. Jake Whitman's wife dies, and he is on the outs with his daughter. He wants to relocate to Iowa, and rent a room at Isla's mother's boarding house. Despite the fifteen years age difference, Isla thinks Jake is a fine man and would be a good father for Franny, and they marry. It turns out Jake is an alcoholic and gambler. He loses his job and spends all their money. They decide to move to California for a new start. The first year Jake maintains his sobriety, but soon falls back into his old behaviors. Jake has the reputation as the town drunk, and their neighbors shun Isla and Franny. Isla agonizes over keeping the family together. Franny meets Harry in high school. Harry's father is abusive, and he is bullied by his older brother. Harry is a good man and marries Franny. They have twin girls, Jani and Emma. Harry is drafted in World War II, and when he returns, Franny has an affair and turns her back on her family. Harry is devastated, and the twins go to live with Isla. Franny's lover decides to go back to his wife and dumps her. She asks Harry for forgiveness and begs to move back home. As teenagers, Jani and Emma will take the reader through several boy-girl escapades. Jani, is tenacious and has a passion for horses. She meets Eric, whose parents own a horse ranch. She is only sixteen, and he is in his early twenties. When Harry and Franny realize the infatuation between the two, they put a stop to their meetings. Harry, trying to put Jani in a better mood, he takes her with him to the horse races. She meets Nate, who is a stable boy who ran away from home at the age of twelve. They start dating, and Jani's parents are not happy about this new relationship, but she is deaf to their criticism. Emma is a ballet dancer and also a dance teacher. She has a steady boyfriend, but when she meets Brad, the chemistry is too strong to ignore. Unbeknownst to Emma, Brad is engaged to another girl. This series shows how a family faced with one conflict after another, struggles to stay together while faced with alcoholism, gambling addiction, suicide, depression, and adultery.