Fallen Angels (Millwood Hollow Series #1) [Paperback]

Patricia Hickman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Jeb Nubey hides a secret about his past that has left him alienated from his family and hiding from the law.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hickman kicks off her new series with this gentle, enjoyable yarn about four misfits cast adrift in Arkansas during the Great Depression. When Jeb Nubey flees Texas for Arkansas because of a possible murder charge, he picks up the three abandoned Wilbey children as unexpected hitchhikers along the way. After spending a stormy night in the Church in the Dell in Millwood Hollow, they wake up to the beaming faces of the parishioners who mistake them for the widowed Rev. Philemon Gracie and his three children. For Jeb, Angel, Willie and little Ida May, the misunderstanding is manna from heaven. "They's money to be had, Jeb Nubey, in God's work!" gloats 13-year-old Angel. With her coaching, the illiterate Jeb fakes his way through his new persona. Soon, the generosity of the smalltown folks and the attentions of a comely schoolteacher, Fern Coulter, soften Jeb's heart and he yearns to be a better man. But he knows it's only a matter of time until the real Gracie family shows up or someone recognizes him from the circulating "wanted" posters. Hickman tells her story with warmth, humor and some lovely descriptions. There are a few hitches: the early setup and pacing are a bit awkward, and the reader may stumble over the occasional confusion in names (there's a Willie and a Will, for example). The ending, however, is sweetly satisfying. Hickman (Katrina's Wings) is a talented writer, and readers will sympathize with her unlikely ragtag group of characters.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* With Fallen Angels, Hickman begins the Millwood Hollow series about Jeb Nubey, on the run in rural Arkansas during the Depression, and the abandoned Welby children who attach themselves to him: Angel, Willie, and Ida May. Through a comedy of errors, Jeb is mistaken for a widowed minister on his way to pastor a church in the little town of Nazereth. The real minister happens to have three children. Because it means regular meals, Jeb and the kids proceed with the charade. A funny premise, though Fallen Angels has nothing of the satire in Elmer Gantry, which Hickman appears to admire. The brash young Angel seems to have been yanked directly from Paper Moon, and Jeb, rather than malevolent or clever, seems merely hapless. Still, Hickman is witty, and her ear for Arkansas twang is right on the money. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: FaithWords (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446691011
• ISBN-13: 978-0446691017
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,223,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Hickman, M.F.A., is an award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction whose work has been praised by critics and readers alike. Patricia first studied creative writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and then went on to do graduate studies in creative writing at Queens University. She writes for major publishers and is currently at work on her eighteen book, a novel set in the North Carolina Piedmont. Her next novel,The Pirate Queen, will release Summer 2010, a story that takes readers journeying from suburban Lake Norman, NC to the sailing villages of the Outer Banks. She has served as a writing professor at UNCC and taught in writing workshops across the country offering her popular "Creating Characters-Giving Story People Life" workshops and courses on fiction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars entertaining historical fiction, May 16, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fallen Angels (Millwood Hollow Series #1) (Paperback)

During the Depression in Arkansas, their mother deserted the three kids several years ago and now their father dumps the children on his girlfriend "Aunt" Lana to unload them on their older married sister. However, Lana abandons thirteen year old Angel and her two younger siblings Willie and Ida May in a movie theater. Angel tries to hitch a ride with a trucker who deposits them on a traveling retired schoolteacher. Instead of taking the children to their older sister, the teacher ditches them in a remote area while stealing their possessions.

The trucker Jeb Nubey stops nearby and the kids sneak into his truck. When the law stops him, the children pretend to be his family. Already on the lam for an alleged attempted murder in Texarkana, Jeb takes the children to their adult sibling only to find her home deserted. Jeb soon pretends to be a widowed preacher raising the trio by himself. However, it is Angel who tries to turn this pretend quartet into a real family.

This is an entertaining historical fiction that paints a disturbing picture of the Depression via the treatment of the three Welby children by family and others. Still through the actions of Angel, forced into maturity beyond her years, hope exists even for this downtrodden group. The characters make the tale as the FALLEN ANGELS will hook readers with their plight.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully whimsical, October 29, 2004

By 

CINDY C. (Miramichi, New Brunswick Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fallen Angels (Millwood Hollow Series #1) (Hardcover)

I found this story moving and entertaining. The story was a bit drawn out and tedious at times. Overall I enjoyed the story and thought it illustrated the depression. It made you think of how much we take for granted in our world. Also how would we handle their circumstances if we had to face their challenges. We live in a society that has so much and they live so well with so little. I feel this story woudl make a wonderful movie.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Book, February 4, 2004

By 

lor369 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fallen Angels (Millwood Hollow Series #1) (Paperback)

This book is about 3 kids who were abandoned during the Great Depression. They hook up with Jeb, wanted for murder. They arrive in Nazareth, where people assume that they are the long awaited preacher and his family. Angel, the oldest of the 3 Welby kids, convinces Jeb and her siblings to play along with them, as they are desperate for food, shelter, and a sense of belonging.

I loved the humor in this book as Angel gives Jeb preaching lessons. I also liked the message that no matter how far you are away from God, anybody can be forgiven and anyone can turn his life around, like Jeb. And I liked how at the end, Jeb was willing to take full responsibility for his actions without offering excuses.

I was so excited to find out that this book is the first in a series. I look forward to finding out what happens between Jeb and Fern, if Jeb makes it as a real minister, what becomes of the Welby children, if they will be reunited with their parents and their sister Claudia, what happened to the Welby mother, and where Claudia disappeared to.