Title: NOT A SPARROW FALLS
Author: Linda Nichols
Publisher: Bethany House
2002, reissued February 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0747-3
Genre: Inspirational/contemporary women’s fiction

Mary Bridget Washburn is tired of living life as a druggie’s woman. Her boyfriend spends all his time out in the back shop making “candy” and another man has been eyeing her. Mary knows its just a matter of time before this other man makes his move.
But neither man trusts Mary with money. Maybe they know if she has any she’ll run away. They just give her enough to buy supplies to make meth and no more.

Finally Mary knows the time as come. She hunts around the rusting trailer until she finds the stash of cash from the drug deals, and then runs away, stealing their pick up truck. She abandons the truck in town, and takes a bus to Alexandria, Virginia, where she takes on her mother’s identity and finds sanctuary in the shadow of a decades-old church.

But then a little girl needs Mary’s help, and Mary hopes to help them. Can her past stay hidden long enough for her to give the hope she longs to give?

NOT A SPARROW FALLS was originally published back in 2002, and I’m fairly positive that I read it then, but if I did I didn’t write a review. The book seems very familiar to me. Mary is a desperate woman, tired of living a life on the wrong side of the law, and yet knowing she is too far gone to return to her roots and the innocence she once knew.

The story is very well told, and not so dark as other stories I’ve read. There is an undercurrent of hope in this story, even in the darkness of the beginning, so you know that somehow Mary will be able to dig herself out of the pit she’s in. If you missed this story the first time, you won’t want to skip it now. Pick up your copy of NOT A SPARROW FALLS for an uplifting story of hope. $14.99. 350 pages.

This book started off a little slow but then really picked up!
An enjoyable read about God's mercy and grace and Second Chances!

This book starts with an elderly woman praying through the night. Hattie sees a vision of one of God's people in battle and she fights with everything she has--in prayer. This kicks off a key theme of prayer. The conversations between God and the characters were moving and powerful. I loved the messages that each one brought. This was a story of growth and faith not only in the main characters but also in many of the secondary ones. Each of the characters was well-written with depth of emotion and personality. The images were clear, and the storyline was smooth. The internal and external struggles were real and the resolution was satisfying. This book takes the reader on a faith journey as well. I took away life lessons from each of the characters. Not a Sparrow Falls is a keeper. It is definitely on my list of favorites for this year! I would recommend it to any Christian fiction lover!

God at work in people's lives. Good character development. I found Hattie's prayer life and faith inspiring.
As I was reading, I felt the author hadn't fully laid the groundwork that could explain how Mary could so successfully step into the life of this family and make wise decisions and accomplish so much that an older and more experienced woman would have had difficulty doing. Some of this was answered later in the book as more details were revealed about her life prior to her. Involvement with drugs.

This is an excellent book about lost souls, running away, keeping secrets, God's grace, and, of course, second chances.

I found only three minor editing errors: alway / always ; straightjacket / straitjacket ; pizzy fits / (probably) tizzy fits.

A young woman marred by tragedy finds God's love and grace.

I am surprised that I have not reviewed this book yet.
When I picked up the book I must admit that I did so with a bit of wariness. I have read some of Nichols' more recent work and have been disappointed. I wondered if my glasses had had a bit of a rose tint to them when I reread this book three years ago.
Turns out, my glasses were quite clear. This is a beautiful book. Nichols' language sparkles in the narrative, creating characters that pop off the page. Her imagery paints beautiful pictures free from clichés that often mar Christian fiction. While the ending ties everything up a little too neatly for my realist tending to pessimist point of view, everything about this book is what well-written fiction should be.
This book stays in my collection.

Great read.

This book was excellent. A story, yet so many lessons to pick up on as you read!

I randomly picked this book up from the library without reading the summary too closely...& thus I did not realize that this was Christian romance fic? Did not know until today that this was a genre, actually (although it makes sense that it exists).
But yeah. There is a lot of recitation of the Bible going on, and many paragraphs about having faith in God, for He is always watching over you, etc. Which gets a little ridiculous after a while. And the story itself is predictable and not very good. But still, I found it v. readable. Kind of like those trashy romance novels they sell at grocery stores, you know? Although here, the two protagonists are so. Damn. Christian. So they barely touch each other or have any ~sexual tension~ even though they're falling in love.
Which is ok! It's good that their relationship is built on shared values and stuff. But. I feel like I would have enjoyed this a little more if it had been trashier.

(This is a v. irreverent review. Oop.)

Enjoyable read

Though the shipping of characters made this book a little challenging to follow at times, the story kept dragging me in. A beautiful take of second chances.

I was surprised to read a Bethany House novel that starts out with meth dealers. I was further surprised how engrossed I became with a most improbable story. If someone had told me about the storyline, how it’s a bit of a hillbilly Nanny McPherson, I surely wouldn’t have checked it out.
While the story does seem improbable at times, it has heart. And Linda Nichols knows how to create characters a reader cares about. Her multi-narrative style actually works and gives insight and dimension without bogging down the pace.
Even though there was a tendency towards plot holes and cliched stereotypes, overall the story rang true with the theme of second chances.