Not a Sparrow Falls [Paperback]

Linda Nichols (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

In this powerful story of redemption and love, a prodigal young woman from the hills of Virginia flees the men who have lured her away from a godly upbringing into a life of desperation. Taking on a new identity, Mary Bridget Washburn escapes to the bustling city of Alexandria. There her path crosses that of Alasdair MacPherson, a widowed pastor with three young children and daunting problems of his own. Mary Bridget longs to bring happiness to the deeply troubled family, but she seems an unlikely candidate to help. Has she fallen too far from grace to be able to pass it on? A heart-tugging tale about the extraordinary struggles that turn ordinary people into heroes.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Romance novelist Nichols (Handyman) enters the Christian market with this contemporary tale of love and suspense. Abandoning her godly upbringing after the siblings she raised for years are placed in foster care, Mary Bridget ("Bridie") Washburn flees the hills of Virginia with a man who forces her into a life of crime. She eventually reports him to the police and strikes out on her own. Assuming a new identity, Bridie lives a quiet life until she meets a teenaged girl begging God for help. Alasdair MacPherson, the girl's father, is a widowed pastor struggling to raise three children after his wife's suicide. When he hires Bridie as a nanny for his troubled family, her faith is rekindled, and she and Alasdair slowly fall in love. But their happiness is threatened when the man Bridie sent to jail is released and tracks her down seeking vengeance. Although the drama created by the suicide of Alasdair's wife offsets the stock characters and predictable plot, the characters' cool acceptance of it and lack of moral condemnation of her or the deed may trouble more conservative Christian readers. For larger collections.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Nichols' Not a Sparrow Falls opens with the escape of Mary Bridget Washburn, an Appalachian girl on the verge of womanhood, from her boyfriend and his cohorts, who run a meth lab. With a false identity and a little cash, Mary flees for the upscale city of Alexandria, where she falls in love with a widowed pastor who is beset with troubles involving his children and his job. And poor Mary--now calling herself Bridie Collins--may carry too much baggage to be of any help. Mary and the reverend are both somewhat idealized, but Nichols doesn't jerk them around eliciting sobs; she strikes a realistic, original note with a dash of humor. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House; 1ST edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764227270
• ISBN-13: 978-0764227271
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,326,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, quirky, lovable and fascinating heroine!, August 8, 2003

By 

Soozie4Him (Chicago suburbs) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Not a Sparrow Falls (Paperback)

If you can read only one novel in the next year, make it this one! The "Christian Fiction Expert" at our church, who reads widely, claims that this book was the best novel to be published in 2002. "Not A Sparrow Falls" was a finalist in very competitive "Christy Awards".

This book starts out rather strangely, especcially for a Christian novel. Main character Bridie is living with a drug manufacturer and buys the supplies to make the [drugs.]She manages to escape and try to make a new life for herself. While she was working as a cashier at the local grocery store, "Bag and Save", she is discovered by the sister of a widowed pastor who needs some help with his children and his home. I won't tell you anymore, except to say that I really grew attached to the characters in this book. Linda Nichols writes with sensitivity and humor.

Linda's next book, "If I Gained the World" is being published by Bethany House in October of 2003 - I can't wait to read it!

Please check out my other reviews! God bless you!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love is Everything, January 5, 2003

By 

Judith C. Oswood (Marshalltown, IA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not a Sparrow Falls (Hardcover)

This was a heartwarming story of new-beginnings and the power of love. Not just romantic love; but the love of God, the love of parents and children, and the love of friends. The book has extremely well-drawn characters. We get to know Bridie, Alasdair, Samantha, and Lorna so well that we care deeply about their happiness. I could even feel some sympathy toward Jonah, the drug-dealing felon, when the story was all told.

I usually read books of the thriller/mystery genre, but this one was a very restful respite from that type of literature. It just gave me a feel-good feeling when I was done.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More Fantasy than real life, April 17, 2006

By 

Julie Norman "Julie" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not a Sparrow Falls (Paperback)

I read Nichols' If I Gained the World a couple years ago, and that's why I wanted to read this one. The beginning started strong, with the old lady praying, but then it switched viewpoint, and switched, and switched...until I didn't really know what story I was following and who to care about. I ended up not really caring about anyone at all, just observing as I read. It was hard to get into it, and still halfway through, I wanted to give put it away. I skimmed a couple chapters until it came close to the end again.

The storyline itself has potential; young girl goes wrong and wants another chance. Some parts were good, but it took me awhile and a bit of patience to find them. The symbolism of the Sparrow was a nice touch too. However, I found it hard to believe that Bridie could go from the meth world into a nanny position so quickly and easily. She was too perfect at it, almost Marry Poppins-like. There wasn't a lot of struggle with the lifestyle change, only the guilty conscience. The end was too tidy, and IMO did not deliver the building suspense that it seemed to be leading to. It was a bit anti-climatic, and then everyone lived happily ever after.

For the Christian audience, I know that many will just love this story of faith and redemption, which is the target audience. So I give it a few stars for meeting that audience. But for an overall story, I was disappointed.