Following the Sparrows

Kathryn has a past that she can't seem to leave there. It is the driving force in this novel about grace and redemption. The book begins with a fight between Kathryn and her husband, Robert, that is the last interchange between them before Robert is killed due to a car accident. This book goes into great detail about some very foundational Christian tenets, one of which is not being "unequally yoked" with a non-believer. The other main one is salvation by grace alone. Karen Malley has used an illustration that works with Kathryn's mental state, one that was broadcast by Paul Harvey many years ago:

One snowy Christmas Eve, during an especially harsh Midwestern blizzard, an old farmer was sitting in his comfortable chair by the fireplace, book in hand, when he heard a thumping sound against his kitchen door. He didn’t think much of it at first; after all it was a cold, windy night, so he returned to his reading. But when the thumping sound continued, the farmer put down his book and decided to investigate. When he entered the warm kitchen, he discovered that the thumping sound was being made by tiny sparrows that were flying into the glass in the kitchen door. At first the farmer could not understand the small birds’ strange behavior; but then he realized that the tiny birds were attracted by the light and warmth coming through the window pane in the kitchen door. The farmer assumed that the sparrows would eventually realize that bumping their heads against the window pane was not going to get them anywhere, so he went back to his warm fire and continued with his book. Yet, the thumping sound did not stop. In fact, it seemed to increase in frequency. So the farmer returned to the kitchen, and sure enough, the sparrows were still flying into the window pane, hoping to escape the freezing snowy night and find the warmth of the light inside.

Being a kindly and compassionate old man, the farmer was saddened to think of the little sparrows suffering in the cold; therefore, he felt compelled to do something. So he bundled up in his heavy coat and scarf, put on his cap and earmuffs, and stepped into the bitter, windy cold outside. Slowly he tramped through the deep snow to the barn and pulled the huge barn doors wide-open so the sparrows could fly into safety. He even lit a lantern inside the barn so that the sparrows could more easily see the way in. Then he returned outside into the blizzard and began to wave his arms, trying to herd the sparrows in hopes that they would fly into the barn, where they would be safe from the wintry storm. Well, of course, that didn’t work; that only seemed to scare the little birds further away from the barn. Next, he went back into the kitchen and grabbed a hand full of crackers from a canister in the cabinet. He went back outside and began to sprinkle a trail of crackers along the ground to try to lure the birds to the safety of the barn. Yet even that didn’t work. Finally, in exasperation, the farmer went back inside the house and watched through the kitchen window as the sparrows huddled on the frozen branches outside, shivering in the freezing cold. Then, a thought occurred to him: “If only I could become a sparrow, just for a moment. Then they wouldn’t be afraid of me, and I could show them the way to the barn.” At that moment, the farmer realized he had grasped the true meaning of Christmas. God became one of us in order to lead us into the barn.
Adam is another character in the book with a past, although his is undeserved. He got caught up in doing the right thing and it backfired in his face. So, to cope, he ran to Africa for a couple of years and now he's working with a construction crew on the new mall in Pine Springs. When he first sees Kathryn she is running into the hospital emergency entrance to see Robert. Adam hears the voice of God telling him to pray for her. He keeps running into her without ever meeting her and he keeps hearing God's voice telling him to pray for her.

I enjoyed this book in all its sweetness. The characters are believable, although a bit too sweet at times, and then there are other characters who are just plain mean. The setting is small town America, regardless of the state, even though the town is set in Pennsylvania. Karen has brought together a group of personas to make a full cast that are full of flaws, and sometimes blind to the beams in their own eyes. This book reminded me of a couple of other books I've read, but that did not detract from the enjoyability factor in the book. Four strong stars.

The Pelican Group and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was a joy to read! It's well written and holds your attention. It's a beautiful second chance romance that is full of God's grace. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Thank you Pelican Book Group via NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was encouraging. The author described and related well with things people face on a day to day basis. Unfortunately for most people or doesn't always work out in the same positive manner which could be hard for people to read. I know God and know he directs my path so trust him, but wonder how a non believer would respond to this content. Possibly just the place I'm in right now and questions I'm asking of God. How do we do it better? Praying that this book helps people to turn to God.

A very well written inspirational romance. Good plot and character dynamics. I highly recommend this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

What dragged me in at first was the cover, then the blurb seemed interesting. I really liked Kate/Katie and her character developed nicely along with the story, without any big fuss and jumping around. So the story was easy to follow and the writing was nice.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Great Christian romance. Highly recommend.