Home Another Way [Paperback]

Christa Parrish (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

After he mother's death and her father's abandonment, tiny infant Sarah Graham was left to be raised by her emotionally distant grandmother. As a child she turned to music for solace and even gained entrance to Juilliard. But her potentially brilliant music career ended with an unplanned pregnancy and the stillborn birth of her child. In an attempt to escape the past, Sarah, now twenty-seven, is living life hard and fast--and she is flat broke. When her estranged father dies, she travels to the tiny mountain hamlet of Jonah, New York, to claim her inheritance. Once there, she learns her father's will stipulates a six-month stay before she can receive the money. Fueled by hate and desperation, Sarah settles in for the bitter mountain winter, and as the weeks pass, she finds her life intertwining with the lives of the simple, gracious townsfolk. Can these strangers teach Sarah how to forgive and find peace? A story of grace, of God's never-ceasing love, and sometimes flawed, faithful people He uses to bring His purposes to pass.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Parrish's debut novel begins with the mother of all Christian fiction clichés: a young urban sophisticate is forced, much to her chagrin, to move from the city to the country. Despite this scenario playing out largely according to the formula (stock rural characters teach said sophisticate important life lessons), the story feels fresh. Parrish's protagonist, Sarah Graham, is unabashedly self-centered, unfriendly, promiscuous and lazy—and amazingly enough, she holds on to these characteristics throughout most of the novel. The conversion she experiences in the brutally poor mountain hamlet of Jonah is full of hiccups and reversals. Just when it seems that Sarah has been rehabilitated, she tosses off yet another casually diabolical thought or action with absolutely no remorse. The people of Jonah are flawed and complicated, too, and Parrish allows readers to savor every moment of genuine, hard-earned human connection. With its vast array of richly imagined characters, its humor and its substance, this debut is sure to resonate with a wide and appreciative audience. (Oct.)
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Review

"...written with heart and soul. It is always refreshing to read books with imperfect characters; they seem more real." -- Romantic Times Book Reviews

"Parrish ... adeptly avoids the clichéd happily-ever-after ending while still leaving the reader satisfied." -- Cindy Crosby, FaithfulReader.com

"Christa Parrish manages the rare accomplishment of telling a very good story peopled with flawed and very human characters." -- Lynn Spencer, All About Romance (LikesBooks.com)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House; Reprinted edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764205234
• ISBN-13: 978-0764205231
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #947,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant debut!, September 7, 2008

By 

Rel Mollet "RelzReviewz" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home Another Way (Paperback)

The loss of her mother at the hand of her father shattered Sarah Graham's childhood. Raised by her embittered Grandmother and starved for love, Sarah only expresses her deepest emotions through her beloved violin. When tragedy once again visits her, any seed of hope is destroyed and Sarah pursues a life littered with poor choices and destructive relationships.

Penniless when her estranged father dies leaving her a small inheritance, Sarah has no choice but to meet the stipulation in her father's will that she stay for six months in Jonah, New York, an isolated mountain community.

With their simple ways and tragedies of their own to overcome, Sarah is both repelled and intrigued as the townsfolk reach out to her hardened heart.

Christa Parrish has written a stellar debut novel in Home Another Way, reminiscent of Nicole Baart and as her publisher states, Lisa Samson. With beautiful prose, authentic dialogue and exceptional storytelling Home Another Way is emotive, challenging and eminently readable.

Sarah's bitterness and hatred toward her father is reflected in her rude and unkind manner, self serving behaviour and inability to love, all ably shown by Christa's honest hand. That Christa still invokes great sympathy for the wounded Sarah is a true indication of her talent. Wonderful characterisation marks each of the Jonah townsfolk from Reverend Jack, his disfigured sister Beth to the devoted mother, Memory Jones. The revelation of their struggles is confronting and often painful to read yet touched my heart in many ways.

Subtly woven into each chapter is Sarah's unwilling and tentative investigation of faith, portrayed with an authenticity that was a joy to read. With a courageous and satisfying conclusion you can be sure I will be reading any of Christa's future tales.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Page Turner!, September 6, 2008

By 

Claudia M. Bell "Claudia" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Home Another Way (Paperback)

This book is a real page turner and definitely not your average Christian fiction. From the first to the last page it captivates the reader with its real to life characters. I usually don't find the time to read fiction but this book is one that I simply was not able to put down. Sarah Graham, the main character, as well as all the other people seem so real that you feel like you are in the middle of the plot. This book is not at all preachy. On the contrary, I think that the characters are so life like that Christian and non Christian readers will find it interesting to read even though Sarah is definitely confronted with a world view that's new to her. I recommend this book highly, not just for yourself but it makes also an excellent gift.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Read from Baker, September 28, 2008

By 

Eva Marie Everson "Eva Marie Everson" (Central Florida, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Home Another Way (Paperback)

I'm a slow reader, so when I say I read this book quickly, you can take that to mean: It was good!

Home Another Way is comical where it needs to be, heartwarming where it should be, and entertaining all the way through. My heart hurt for Sarah and, at the same time, I wanted to shake her.

Characters were real! Anguish was true to humanity.

Ending left me a bit sad, but I don't think the author could have gone any other way.

Eva Marie Everson
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