I GIVE THIS BOOK: 4 Stars
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Freedom. Safety. Love. Miranda vows to reclaim them--for herself, and for her children.
A widow and mother of six, Miranda Hanford leads a quiet, private life. When the pastor of her close-knit church announces his plans to move the entire congregation to another state, Miranda jumps at the opportunity to dissolve ties with Mason Chandler and his controlling brand of “shepherding.” But then Mason threatens to unearth secrets only he knows, and Miranda feels trapped, terrified she’ll be unable to protect her children.
University professor Jack Hanford is more than surprised when he gets a call from his estranged sister-in-law’s oldest son, Timothy, informing him that Miranda has taken a serious fall and he has been named legal guardian of her children while she recovers. Quickly charmed by Miranda’s children, Jack brings some much-needed life into the sheltered household. But his constant challenging of the family’s conservative lifestyle makes the recovering mother uneasy and defensive—despite Jack’s unnerving appeal.
As Jack tries to make sense of the mysterious Miranda and the secrets she holds so tightly, Mason’s pressure on her increases. With her emotions stirring and freedom calling, can Miranda find a way to unshackle her family without losing everything?
MY THOUGHTS
"When Sparrows Fall" was a wonderfully written novel that captured my attention from page one and never let it go. This was a book that once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down until I reached the end.
I liked almost everything in this book, especially how Jack would call Michael and Gabriel (Miranda's two middle children) "the archangels" and that Miranda named her camera "Jezebel", because her church had forbidden her to use it to make money.
Some of the things I didn't like in the book were:
- That the story jumped ahead - sometimes by weeks.
- How Jack would openly defy Miranda and the rules she had in raising her children.
- That Jack secretly, on three different occasions, gave Miranda a pain pill which he knew she did not want to take.
The reason I listed numbers 2 and 3 is because the book makes it seem as though what Jack did was right. I think the last one bothers me the most. I know if I didn't want to take pain medication and someone secretively put it into my food, I would be so angry that I would have a hard time trusting that person again. It's because of these reasons that I'm giving this book 4 1/2 stars.
Overall this is a well-crafted novel that is an enjoyable read. The characters are well developed and you can't help but fall in love with Miranda's children. I think that Meg Moseley did a superb job for her first novel. I highly recommend reading "When Sparrows Fall".
Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for sending me a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not required to give a positive review, only to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.
AUTHOR'S WEBSITE - http://www.megmoseley.com/
AUTHOR'S BLOG - http://megmoseley.wordpress.com/
AUTHOR'S TWITTER - http://twitter.com/Meg_Moseley
AUTHOR'S FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/Meg-Moseley
PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE - http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/
When Sparrows Fall by Meg Moseley (Chapter 1)
You can purchase the book here - http://www.christianbook.com/when-sparrows-fall-meg-moseley/
Wonderful review! I would like to get this book. I appreciate your honest appraisal of what you didn't like and I agree with you. I gave you 5 stars.
ReplyDeleteyour dislikes confuses me with what writting issues did you dislike versus the story line. what i mean is you dislike the behavior of jack in the story line because of the things he did which means you disliked the character in the novel correct? but, disliking how the story seems to jump ahead by weeks seem more what i would dislike about the book. I guess what i'm saying is how you categorized it confused me at first. I don't think a book should be rated for the right or wrong of its characters or moral issues to the point that it becomes personal. The rating should reflect how the author convey the story line, the authors writing style, how the story flow, did the author meet the purpose of the novel, characters development taking in consideration the genre of the book also.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog and i'm a follower.
Hi, Megan. I actually like that quality in books, that the storyline jumps around between different time periods. I think it keeps the reader on his or her toes. I'm passing by and following you back from ToughCookieMommy.com. I would love to connect with you on FB too. You can find me at:
ReplyDeletehttp://facebook.com/toughcookiemommy
Hi, Megan. I thought you gave a wonderful accounting of the book. You stated plainly what you did and did not like. I don't believe reviews are meant to grade an author's technical writing ability as much as they are to convey whether or not the reviewer enjoyed the book and why. Keep donig your thang girl!
ReplyDeleteHi Meagan, visiting you from book blogs. Although I'm not fond of books that jump from different time periods, the synopsis and your review of the book makes me interested in reading it.
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ReplyDeleteI liked your review because it gave me enough interest to read. I would like to read this book also. Where did you get it? Sounds like a book that would be on the Thomas Nelson Publishers.
ReplyDeleteSo funny how things come together but last night as I was waching Cake Boss, he made a cake for his daughter's First Communion and put dogwood on the cake because of Jesus; dogwood is mentioned in this book.
July 12, 2011 7:46 AM
Hi! I'm now following you from book blogs. I really liked your honest review. It sounds like a book I would like to read.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really interesting and different book. I thought you did a great job explaining what you did or didn't like about the book!
ReplyDeleteSounds intriguing! I love your honesty, and it didn't make me lose interest. I may have to read the book now :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThanks also for joining us for Friendly Friday, have a great weekend!
i liked your review. i'm a book lover and enjoy reading other reader's reviews so i'll visit your site often. i am also on goodreads- listed as scott and lisa duval
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up at my Follow Me Friday Blog Hop! I am now following you as well! Hope to see you next week as well!
ReplyDeletei love your review on this book. Your post makes me want to find this book and read it too, though i would agree with the parts you didn't like.
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