Birdie is running from her past. She meets a family in need of help because of sickness and heavy hearts.Her idea of helping a teenager goes misunderstood. Her past is catching up with her and she is afraid she will end up in prison. Through her love and tender care the pastor and his children are now well and Birdie has found great joy with the family.

This looks and feels like a chick book. But, as a guy I think a lot of guys are gonna miss a great story if they think too narrowly about this genre. I'm becoming a fan of modern Christian fiction. I never thought that would happen as I am most often disappointed with "Christian" story telling especially in film (which isn't to say that their aren't great Christian films). In this book there is the usual predictability, but it is engaging to see how things work out. Plus the element of faith and [...]

There are two main storylines here--Mary Bridget is on the run from her old life (she purchased supplies to make meth; she didn't actually make the meth herself--that was Jonah, her scary boyfriend) and eager to start over; she gives herself the name Bridie (after Bridget--her mom's name and her middle name). And Alisdair is at loose ends with his three children (teenage Samantha and twin toddlers Bonnie and Cameron) after his wife and their mother died two years ago, shortly after the twins' bi [...]

I am happy to add Not a Sparrow Falls to my library. A fun and easy read, I finished it in a day. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. Mary Bridget and Alasdair are loveable characters that despite their mistakes the reader can’t help rooting for them. Everyone makes bad choices in their lives. Stories like Not a Sparrow Falls give us the hope that second chances exist.While the reader knows who will end up with whom; the predictability by no means detracts from the story. I really enjoye [...]

Found the first part rather disjointed and haphazard as the author introduced the characters in about the first 1/4 of the book. The last 3/4 of the book which focused on the story line was well done. The characters had depth and faced current issues that aren't the run of the mill topics in Christian fiction. The thread of second chances and grace that were woven throughout the storyline were well done.

I don’t come across many novels where the subject is not heavily covered in today’s Christian market, but the author does it with such strength and ability to craft a memorable story. Not only was this story captivating, it left me with memorable characters and a story line that will resound with me for time to comeT A SPARROW FALLS is not a fast read. It requires a willingness to really delve into it, but once I entered the story world, I couldn’t leave. The situations the heroine found h [...]

A great book.This book is about second chances. Bridie , the heroine of the story, seems to find herself on the wrong side of the law. With her running , she manages to stumble upon a Minister with secrets and problems of his own.Can she manage to help open the minister's eyes and help out before any disaster strikes? Bridie often talks of her grandmother's faith and her favorite song ,His Eye is on the Sparrow.This reminds me that our God is a God of second chances.In the book of Matthew , He t [...]

A Young woman fleeing from a life with an abusive drug dealing boyfriend ends up on the run after turning him in. She assumes a new identity as "Bridgie" and manages to get a job as a checkout girl at a supermarket. An encounter in a church and at the market ends up with her losing her job and working for the family of a local minister. It turns out the ministers family is in dire straights--after his wife died his overbearing sisters took over and his teenage daughter is on the verge of rebelli [...]

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 [...]

Although this book was a little slow to get into at the beginning, it quickly picked up my interest and then I could not put it down! Loved how the author weaves in God's care and sovereignty and the Scripture, " He who has begun a good work in you will complete it." came to fruition. Highly recommend it.

This one was just okay; it didn't do very much for me.

A girl escapes a life of crime and reinvents herself as the nanny to a widowed pastor, until the past comes back to haunt her. Sweet, touching story.

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

All in all, this was a very encouraging and good Christian fiction novel. Mary Bridget's journey back to faith and the McPherson family's journey to healing interested me most. I love how Mary Bridget (Bridie) came in and helped them change things for the better. Her relationship with Samantha was sweet. I also liked several of the side characters very much, including Lorna and Carmen and Newlee. The romance was underwhelming, not only because there was so little of it, but because when there wa [...]

My summary:Mary Bridget Washburn and Alasdair Robert McPherson's lives and circumstances cannot be more contrastive - she in her most desolate, dark night and he in a sweat-and-blood struggle to keep the light shining as bright as possible. Yet, inevitably, they both reach that place where it is either jump now or go over the edge."Two desperate people - one with all the answers one with none" (from the back of the book's cover)Intro:The story beautifully illustrates how God works in all of our [...]

Everyone has their own secrets and those secrets can often be thecause of emotional, physical, or spiritual damage. In Not a SparrowFalls,author Linda Nichols explores what the dangers of well-keptsecrets.Mary Bridget Washburn is on the run from an angry ex-boyfriend and The Law.Reverend Alasdair Robert MacPherson is on the run from his own past.Both are skilled at hiding their emotions from everyone around them.Mary Bridget used to go to church every Sunday with her grandma, mama,brother and si [...]

Title: NOT A SPARROW FALLSAuthor: Linda NicholsPublisher: Bethany House2002, reissued February 2010ISBN: 978-0-7642-0747-3Genre: Inspirational/contemporary women’s fictionMary 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 [...]

I recently received the book Not a Sparrow Falls by Linda Nichols from Bethany House to review. In the story, Mary learns 100 Bible verses as a little girl that she begins to cling to for hope. She unsuccessfully tries to keep her family together after her mother's death. Soon after her brother and sisters are taken, Mary finds herself in a life of crime because of one bad decision after another. She runs, trying to escape from danger and the life she desperately wants out of, and lands in the t [...]

When I first began reading this book, I was a bit hesitant about reading it because it does not fall into the categories of books that I prefer to read. What propelled me to keep reading was my curiousity about the grandmother of the main character, as well as how the plot seemed to sort of verge to the right of what I tried to predict would happen next as I read. I enjoy reading books that are not completely predictable, but not so unpredictable that the events are absurd. This would definitely [...]

This was a book that once I started, and got into the gist of it, all I wanted was to find out the rest of the story and finish it. To be honest, the first chapter almost made me totally skip reading it, but fortunately, I went past it and delved into the next few chapters. From there, I was hooked. At the end of the book, I understood then the purpose of the first chapter. But at the time, it distracted me from reading.Essentially the story is of Bridie, also known as Mary. She’s been drawn i [...]

Bridie is a young woman that has been part of a drug dealing group and, although she has not used the drugs herself, her reputation has been tainted; her old days living in a godly way are gone. Fearing for her life, she runs away and assumes her late mother's identity, ending up in Adelia, where she becomes the nanny for the three children of the widowed Presbyterian reverend. It all began when she went to the church and tried to find some answers, but sees Samantha, the reverend's oldest daugh [...]

This is a beautiful story about redemption. The story of a young woman whose life was marred by tragedy and wrong choices. But she finds the courage to change. The conflict in the opening chapters sets the stage and kept me turning the page. Each character was well rounded with their own issues, conflict, and personality flaws that blended together perfectly. I enjoyed seeing each character's story wrapped up in the end and there were no hanging threads. Mary's life is mirrored in the young girl [...]

This book started out kind of slow but still interesting. By about a quarter ways in it completely sucked me in and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. I loved all the characters and how they progressed through the book. This was the first book by Linda Nichols that I've read, but it will not be the last!

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

This book was not exactly what I thought it was going to be about however I still really liked it and I will definitely be looking for other books by this author.

Mary wants so badly to go back home. She dreams about seeing her grandmother again. Her life has changed to much to do that though. At least that is what she thinks. Mary knows that the life she has been living isn't right and that she needs to get away before something bad happens to her. So one night she escapes taking with her a stash of money she knows will be missed pretty quickly. She gets on a bus and heads away from her past. When she fell asleep on the bus someone stole the money. Mary [...]

Not too bad A little too predictable but the story definitely improved about halfway through as everyone's secrets started coming out in the open and they were forced to deal with their pasts. I enjoyed the parts about the mother's journals even though they weren't the happiest memories. The book could have been improved with a bit more realistic characters though. I highly doubt any church would approve of a young, beautiful, single woman living with their unmarried pastor. I don't know many me [...]

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 wit [...]

I enjoyed this author and would read more from her, parts were predictable but I cried a little at the enda solid three stars!

A little slow to get going but I enjoyed it as whole.