Home Another Way

by Christa Parrish
Read January 2009?

I can't remember when exactly I read this. It was one of those I forgot to write down.
This was one of the books from Pax Christi's women's book club. I haven't ever made it to any of the book club meetings, but I did read this book, planning to go.

Here's what Publisher's Weekly had to say about it:

Parrish's debut novel begins with the mother of all Christian fiction clichés: a young urban sophisticate is forced, much to her chagrin, to move from the city to the country. Despite this scenario playing out largely according to the
formula (stock rural characters teach said sophisticate important life lessons),
the story feels fresh. Parrish's protagonist, Sarah Graham, is unabashedly self-centered, unfriendly, promiscuous and lazy—and amazingly enough, she holds on to these characteristics throughout most of the novel. The conversion she experiences in the brutally poor mountain hamlet of Jonah is full of hiccups and reversals. Just when it seems that Sarah has been rehabilitated, she tosses off yet another casually diabolical thought or action with absolutely no remorse. The people of Jonah are flawed and complicated, too, and Parrish allows readers to savor every moment of genuine, hard-earned human connection. With its vast array of richly imagined characters, its humor and its substance, this debut is sure to resonate with a wide and appreciative audience.

The characters were wonderful - the main character, Sarah; the woman who runs the inn; her daughter with the disfigured face; the pastor; the rough but tender woman whose invalid son Sarah sits with.
This book was published by Bethany House. I was worried that it would be, I hate to say, sappy "Christian Fiction." Well, it is Christian fiction, but it is not sappy at all. The characters are real and express their faith the same way that normal people would. They aren't glassy-eyed and don't talk in "Jesus speak."

I enjoyed this so much. It was the kind of book that left me thinking aobut it for days after reading the last page.
Excellent!