When Sparrows fall- A Book Review
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When Sparrow Falls by Meg Moseley is one novel which I enjoyed reading. It took me awhile to get down to digesting the review copy which I received from the mail as I wondered how long it would take me to get through reading the book from cover to the end.
Surprisingly it was a rather fast read as I managed to complete the book within two nights. The story revolves around the widow Miranda, a home schooling mum and her six kids and how she broke free from her pastor, Mason Chandler.
The thirty -two chapters in the book depicted the women’s internal struggles as she tries to break free from being forced to uproot her family and sell her land to follow Mason who wants to move the entire congregation to another state.
After her husband Carl dies she turns to fasting to hear from GOD his plan on how she could break away from this cult religion. She enlists the help of her husband’s step brother , Jack Hanford by making him the guardian to her kids when she recovers during a serious fall. With him around taking care of the kids, she slowly removes the chains placed upon her by Mason. Miranda started her “rebellion” by shedding off her ancient cloaks which made her and her daughters look like the storybook characters in ” Little House on the Prairie ” She also got herself a haircut and updated her look to one which is more acceptable in the 21st century.
I love reading about the stark contrast between the two lead characters, Miranda and Jack. Miranda was a uptight traditional lady who was frightened about losing her land and children in her struggle to break free. Jack on the other hand, a college professor with a great sense of humor, was a happy-go-lucky guy who is determined to find out the secrets which Miranda is hiding from him.
In the end, with the information from Mason’s wife, Miranda was able to unmask Mason’s secret and real reason of why he wanted to move the church to the rest of the community. She managed to keep her house and children with her and found a new long term companion in Jack.
I personally found the ending rather weak as there was no indication on how the tyrant Mason was undone for his evil deeds. The plot was also a bit too slow at some stages and it killed my sense of anticipation.
Overall I found the book a rather fun read however I do not agree that kids only need to be given a limited scope to learn via homeschooling. I didn’t like the fact that the six kids were made to read up and learn “Dead” subjects and no effort was done to bring the kids up to date with the latest happenings in the outside world. I strongly opposed the fact that the pastor used religion to suppress the thoughts and opinions of women by misquoting verses from the bible. I feel that everyone’s opinion should be respected and religion is not a tool used to oppress others.
It’s a good attempt for a first novel but it’s not a book which I will readily purchase from a bookshop for reading pleasure.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.
