Publisher: Tyndale
Two eras intertwine in this tale—present day
Rebecca is the commercial manager of Quentin Hollinworth’s estate. The biggest challenge her job affords is trying to forget the childhood crush she had on Quentin. For twelve generations her family had been servants to Quentin’s family. Although class distinctions aren’t supposed to exist anymore, it’s not so easy to forget a history she comes face to face with every day. Besides, as a member of the dying aristocracy, Quentin makes regular appearances in the tabloids. Rebecca’s duty is to protect his reputation, not provide more fodder for the paparazzi.
When an American contacts Rebecca, claiming to be a relative of Quentin, she searches the vault for proof of the connection. There she comes across letters written by Beryl Hamilton in 1852, which lead us to the historic storyline.
In Beryl’s role as headmistress of a school for the mentally handicapped, she faces many obstacles. She has to deal with a justice of the peace who thinks women in general are feeble-minded, a population who thinks her students are beyond help, and the brother of one of her charges who all but accuses her of kidnapping his sister.
The two timelines are placed in alternating chapters. I found this added suspense, and kept each story fresh in my mind. I also appreciated the fact that the two tales were left to unfold independently. What I mean is that only once in the book do we see someone actually sitting down to read a letter. After the first chapter, it’s left to our imagination that Rebecca is finding time to read Beryl’s letters.
I highly recommend On Sparrow Hill. Each storyline was so compellingly told that I started every chapter eager to see where that particular thread would go next. Even though this was a sequel to The Oak Leaves, it stands on its own very well. I haven’t read the first book—yet—but I didn’t feel I was missing a piece of the puzzle. This was a touching and romantic story I won’t soon forget.
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