Blog Tour: A Sparrow Alone by Mim Eichmann (@The_WriteReads)

Hi Blisses,

First of all, I’m sorry if you only see me here on blog tours these days. I’m just so busy with other personal things that I don’t have time to blog yet. But I hope you guys had great Christmas and a happy new year.

TITLE: A Sparrow Alone
BY: Mim Eichmann
GENRE: Historical Fiction
PUBLICATION: 15^th of April 2020 – Living Springs Publishers
NOTES: I received an e-copy for a blog tour but all opinions are my own.

This blog tour is hosted by none other than Dave from The Write Reads and I’m really grateful for being included in this tour, because despite everything, I really enjoyed this book. So let me tell you more about it.

BLURB

1890’s Colorado. Desperate following her mother’s sudden death, thirteen-year-old Hannah Owens apprentices as domestic help with a wealthy doctor’s family in Colorado Springs. When the doctor declares bankruptcy and abandons his family to finance his mistress Pearl DeVere’s brothel, however, Hannah is thrown into a vortex of gold mining bonanzas and busts, rampant prostitution, and the economic, political and cultural upheavals of the era. Two of Cripple Creek’s most colorful historic characters, Winfield Scott Stratton, eccentric owner of the richest gold mine in Cripple Creek, and Pearl DeVere, the beautiful madam of The Old Homestead, come to life as this old-fashioned, coming-of-age saga unfolds, the first of two historical fiction novels by debut author Mim Eichmann — a tribute to the women who set the stage for women’s rights.

REVIEW

If I have to rank all genres from my most favorite down to least ones, historical would be in the bottom three. I’m really not a fan of the genre but I do make myself read, or watch, one once in a while. It’s been a while since I read a historical fiction so this blog tour is a blessing.

A Sparrow Alone is about 13-year-old Hannah Owens, who after losing her mother, learns how to be an adult in a time period that is not easy for a young woman to be alone. I am not that familiar with this part of the history but still, it is obvious to me that the author has done the research to make her novel more realistic. So for that alone, I applaud this novel already.

I didn’t connect with Hannah right away. I felt like the first half is a bit dull and too slow for setting the stage of the story. I found the second, more specifically, the last quarter much more interesting to read. It is where all the great bits really happened. When I say great bits, I meant the things that I expected based on reading the blurb. Still, I didn’t find Hannah dull. She’s a fairly-written character that I’ve grown to like and root for eventually. The things she’s gone through have made her tough and given her character more depth. Also, her character is obviously still open to growth and that’s why I’m happy to know that there’s a sequel. I definitely want to follow her journey.

The other characters are fine? I really wouldn’t call them memorable but they’re not entirely dull. I found some of them flat but there are some that also managed to make the plot more interesting and moving, such as Pearl DeVere and Winfield Scott Stratton.

I just wish that the pacing is a bit faster in the beginning and that the delivery of some plot points are more imaginative. Also, I think this novel would be even more interesting to those who are familiar with the era it is set in or to those who are interested to learn more about the time period. Still, I’m not either of the two and yet I fairly enjoyed reading this.

RATING: 3.5 blissful pages with lilies

Finally, I highly recommend this novel especially if you like Historical Fiction, you’ll love this book. I have few issues but overall, I think this is a very well-written novel.

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Have you read this book? Or planning to? What do you think of it? Let’s chat.