On Sparrow Hill

Where I got the book: free on Kindle at publisher's discretion. Maureen is a friend in real life.

I zipped through On Sparrow Hill even faster than through the first book in the series, The Oak Leaves so I guess you could say I was engaged in the story. Or rather, stories. The novel uses the same alternating-chapter structure as the first book to follow two story lines, one in the modern day and one in the 19th century. This time there are also two full romance arcs, unlike in the first book where the modern-day story focuses much more narrowly on the issue of the Fragile X gene that makes having children a more risky proposition than the usual gung-ho process.

In On Sparrow Hill, although the modern-day story brings in some of the themes show more from the first book, the main obstacle to love's progress is good old-fashioned class consciousness. Rebecca is descended from the servants who kowtowed to the ancestors of her swain, Quentin, and has (if I may be permitted a Britishism) her knickers in a twist about it. In an age where members of the Royal family have to choose between being called "Sarah" or "Duchess" by American media hosts, and That Wedding put a commoner firmly in line for queenhood, my first reaction was "seriously?", but by the end of the book I realized that this story line rather cleverly reinforced a thumpingly good point about servanthood (best understood if you've got some Christian background) so now I'm cool with it.

As for the 19th-century story, where Berrie (from the first book) opens up a school for cognitively disabled children with an emphasis on training, I might have been skeptical that such a progressive place could exist had I not been familiar with the work of one Édouard Séguin who promoted that exact approach. The romance arc in this timeline was fairly conventional, although I absolutely loved the character Katie who brings the protagonists together (totally recognizable if you've had the privilege of spending time around cognitively disabled friends). And I was tickled by the obstacle-to-love being marriage itself (because that threatens to rob Berrie of her vocation); a nice nod to the changes in attitudes toward women that I've seen even in my lifetime.

This sequel has the theological implications of the faith/love/trust nexus in relation to disability better worked out than the first book, and by the large number of highlighters of certain passages shown by my Kindle, a lot of people derived some sort of comfort or guidance from the book's conclusions. Again, this novel is aimed at a Christian audience and readers who are not receptive to "Christian talk" may have slight problems (although far less than in the first book, I'm guessing). The servanthood/disability point was something I'd simply not considered before, and definitely worth thinking about.

My overall reaction to On Sparrow Hill is similar to my conclusions for The Oak Leaves; as inspirational romances go, this one has some interesting things to say and therefore comes across as nicely substantial while still being a satisfying romantic read. show less

I stayed up past my bedtime on this one!
Thanks, Maureen!

Historical and contemporary plots played out simultaneously; ramifications of the historical impacting the contemporary 160 yrs later.

At some points the one story seemed and interruption to the other, but the further into the situations I became engrossed the more I wanted to discover the next installment of the other. Differences in laws and definitions that had once been acceptable and now decidedly offensive; opportunities for women and the pioneering that has paved our own way; all dealt with in creative and intriguing ways.

The characters were well drawn and authentic - frustrating and fanciful as women can be - all developed maturity by the book's satisfying conclusion. show more Colourful relational interactions I could well picture! Plenty of savoury to balance the sweet. Then, a few spicy twists thrown in to keep me riveted to reading through the wee hours.

A storyline that could have easily deteriorated into heaviness, Ms Lang creatively discussed this unusual topic, bringing it to light and into the light for readers today.





Review posted for Tyndale Rewards = FREE Books/Audios Click link to receive yours! show less

Spoilers. Free from Kindle. This was a very readable book. It is a story within a story, the tale of a modern couple coming together as they read the letters of a woman from the previous century. The heroine is a successful professional history expert who runs the historical house owned by the aristocratic hero; she doesn't trust him because he is from a different class. She is a hard-butt Christian and he has also found God, but religion doesn't function effectively as part of their story. I thought it was more lip-service because the author wants to write Christian literature. The couple from the past is more interesting, the woman is called to open a home/hospital for mentally challenged youth and her letters detail her trials & show more tribulations. The letters don't, actually...they start off as letters but turn into narrative chapters. Anyway, she has lots of trials and tribulations, including a gothic twist that kinda came out of nowhere but allowed for a scene where the love interest could save her. She is determined to continue working for these children and finally agrees to a marriage that will allow her to do it; somehow she finds Mr. Right who will accept and support that, and is cute and sexy to boot. show less

This was an excellent story. It flowed well from the presant to the past, and was inspiring on so many levels

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