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A story that stuck with me, even when I wasn't reading it. ( )

In this powerful story of redemption and love, a prodigal young woman from the hills of Virginia flees the men who lured her away from a godly upbringing into a life of desperation. Taking on a new identity, Mary Bridget Washburn escapes to the quaint city of Alexandria, Virginia, where her path crosses that of a widowed minister with three young children and daunting problems of his own. Can Mary Bridget and her tainted past stay hidden long enough for her to bring hope to a family falling apart?

If Mama were here, everything would still be right. Or at least not as bad and wrong as it had become. But Mama was dead, and Papa was gone, her brother and sisters scattered. And she was here....
Mary Bridget Washburn was tired of running, tired of being haunted by the empty shell her life had become. How in the world did the little girl she'd once been now become a woman on the wrong side of the law?

Determined to make a new start, she escapes to the quaint city of Alexandria, Virginia, where she takes on her mother's identity, and finds sanctuary in the shadow of a decades-old church. But a little girl's plea proves her undoing, and the Reverend...well, someone's got to open his eyes before disaster comes calling. Can Mary Bridget hide her tainted past long enough to bring hope to a family falling apart?

In this powerful story of redemption and love, a prodigal young woman from the hills of Virginia flees the men who lured her away from a godly upbringing into a life of desperation. Taking on a new identity, Mary Bridget Washburn escapes to the quaint city of Alexandria, Virginia, where her path crosses that of a widowed minister with three young children and daunting problems of his own. Can Mary Bridget and her tainted past stay hidden long enough for her to bring hope to a family falling apart? ( )

When I first began reading this book, I was a bit hesitant about reading it because it does not fall into the categories of books that I prefer to read. What propelled me to keep reading was my curiousity about the grandmother of the main character, as well as how the plot seemed to sort of verge to the right of what I tried to predict would happen next as I read. I enjoy reading books that are not completely predictable, but not so unpredictable that the events are absurd. This would definitely fall under that heading.
With this book, I got a peak into a lifestyle (of drugs) that I have blessedly never experienced first hand, and it opened my eyes to the desperation and hopelessness that accompanies it. I also got a look into the polar opposite of that lifestyle - that of a pastor and the politics within a specific denomination. Along with these two heavy topics, Nichols also seamlessly weaves the equally heavy topics of depression and suicide beautifully, albeit bittersweetly. I found myself shedding tears over the book, not once, but twice. The wisdom addressing these topics was right on target and fit very naturally into the plot without the book coming across as "preachy." Each of the characters, no matter how small his or her part in the plot, was well-defined and unique, and I appreciated each one. All of the "loose ends" were accounted for and tied up, and every character seemed to reach a place of redemption in their own way.
This book was very satisfying and I am glad I decided to read it.

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