“I sing because I’m free. For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!” Sadie sings in Kitty Forth-Regner’s novel, The Song of Sadie Sparrow.

This three-hundred-and-ninety-eight-page paperback targets those who enjoy books about accepting God is in control as it relates to aging. With a couple of slang words, topics of death, afterlife, and possible abuse may not be appropriate for immature readers. The ending includes the author’s biography, acknowledgments, and information regarding the publisher.

In this tale, eighty-six-year-old Sadie Sparrow is forced to move to The Hickories, an upscale nursing home in Wisconsin. Feeling she has been abandoned and forgotten by her only child who is preoccupied and too busy, the lonely woman tries not to be bitter but accepting of her challenging circumstances. When she meets single Elise, the granddaughter of another resident, and atheist widowed Meg, the assistant activities director who write biographies, she learns the true meaning of eternity and how God has her exactly where she should be at the end of her life.

Unfortunately, death is something everyone experiences unless the Rapture happens. Knowing you will be with Jesus is the most comforting experience facing the afterlife. I like how the story of the three women progresses, each dealing with their life-changing issues. The eternal plan of salvation is succinct and to the point without adding any “works” on the receiver’s part. I appreciate how the author goes into detail regarding the pluses and problems of living in a nursing home.

Those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ may be offended by this book that promotes understanding there is only one way to Heaven. Others may feel uncomfortable reading about the end of life and what aging people think, say, and do as they face their inevitable demise.

Since I, like the author, volunteer with the elderly, I related to many parts of the story and often see the loneliness and abandonment many feel being in a nursing or retirement home. I found some of the details of meals and clothing nonessential and would have preferred the two slang words omitted. I love the old Christian hymns mentioned but wish the Bible version(s) used were listed at the beginning.

If you like a story that brings to light how bitterness, sorrow, and loneliness affects the elderly, this book is spot on, while showing Jesus is the only answer here on Earth and when we die and go to Heaven if we believe in Him.

Thanks to Bookpleasures and the author for this complimentary book that I am under no obligation to review.