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Reviewed by Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite
Cherie Dargan’s The Gift: Grandmother's Treasures, Book One, is a moving family story that bridges the present and the past. It is set in small-town Iowa and California, and told through the eyes of Gracie O’Connor after she inherits her grandmother’s vintage basket, quilt, and some of her cassette tapes. As she listens to the recordings, she becomes drawn into her ancestry. Gracie discovers the resilience and bonds that the women in her family, such as Violet and Vera, who lived through World War II, possessed, as well as the challenges and choices they made that shaped future generations. This novel shifts between today and the 1940s, blending themes of memory, identity, and what binds loved ones together, while also paying tribute to the traditions of quilting. It’s heartfelt and quite detailed, proving that storytelling can keep yesterday alive.
Reading The Gift by Cherie Dargan felt like experiencing the 1940s from a fresh perspective. I had read about that era in history books, mainly from an East Coast perspective, but this novel helped me understand what it was like to live in the Midwest during that time. I especially appreciated the reactions to FDR’s decisions, such as the creation of the Rural Electrification Administration and the disbelief when he passed away—details I had never encountered in that way before. My favorite moment, though, was the inclusion of Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote: “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” I related to Gracie, since I’ve inherited items from my grandparents and wanted to know the stories behind them. Dargan’s descriptive writing style made both the characters and settings feel authentic, and the dual timeline showed how choices ripple across generations, highlighting the strength of women whose stories deserve to be remembered. Overall, this book not only deepened my understanding of what happened before but also reminded me how personal stories can bring the past to life in ways textbooks never could.
