Bringing the past to life through vivid storytelling and richly drawn characters.
Virginia
Hall - Apicella
Author & History Enthusiast
“This book is a page turner with beautiful descriptions and deep characters who will inspire you with their courage and determination for a better life.” - Amazon customer review
ABOUT VIRGINIA’S DEBUT NOVEL:
One family’s courage to leave everything behind in search of hope.
In the early 19th century, tailor Johann Klem dreams of a new life in America, while his wife Anna clings to the security of their Rhine River village. War, floods, and hardship force a choice that will change their family forever.
Together with their four children, they embark on a perilous journey across land, sea, and frozen rivers, encountering strangers who shape their fate in unexpected ways. Told through the voices of Anna and Johann, Even A Sparrow is a stirring debut novel of resilience, faith, and the enduring strength of family love.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Virginia Hall-Apicella
HISTORICAL FICTION AUTHOR | PHD PSYCHOLOGIST | WORLD TRAVELER
Exploring courage, faith, and resilience through unforgettable journeys of the past.
Virginia Hall-Apicella writes historical fiction that explores courage, faith, and family resilience. Her debut novel, Even A Sparrow, follows one family’s perilous 19th-century voyage from the Rhine River to America—a testament to the enduring spirit of emigrants in search of a better life.
A novelist and lifelong history enthusiast, Virginia is originally from New York and now resides in Beaufort, South Carolina, with her husband. A former psychologist with a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, she brings thorough historical research and empathy to her storytelling
When she’s not writing, Virginia enjoys traveling the world, caring for nature, playing croquet, and connecting with her community. She treasures visits with her three children and five grandchildren—or the joy of getting lost in a good book.
What People Are Saying About Even a Sparrow
Find Your Copy
FROM THE BOOK JACKET
“… A heart-warming and riveting testament to the courage and resilience of emigrants seeking a better life.”
- Cassandra King, New York Times best-selling author of Tell Me A Story: My Life with Pat Conroy.
“Hall-Apicella reveals the way history shapes us, wounds us, and transforms us through the long line of DND that courses through our veins. The reader will be drawn into the perilous Journey—a journey based on hope that a better life awaits them and their children in America.”
- Donna Keel Armer, author of Solo in Silent: Memoir; The Red Starfish; Moringa: Tree of Life: and The One Note Murders
“Hall-Apicella’s detailed descriptions brought the time period to life, and her insight into the motives and emotions of the protagonists made me care deeply about their fate…even the minor characters come to life in her hands.”
- Geraldine Woods, author of 25 Sentences and How They Got That Way; Basic Grammar for Dummies (2nd edition)
BOOK JACKET SUMMARY
It's the early 19th century in a small Rhine River village. Is Johann Klem, a tailor and a dreamer, unaware of these dangers when he asks his family to travel over the vast ocean for a future in America? Despite floods and occupation by Napoleon's army, Johann's wife, Anna, is unwilling to abandon their town, the home that nourished their families for generations. Johann tries to convince her that the end of the War of 1812 and the availability of cheap land make it the best time to pursue their destiny in the land of opportunity.
After a life-altering bargain between Johann and Anna, they pack their four young children and a few possessions to embark on a relentless voyage. Over land, sea, and frozen rivers, the family meets a host of strangers on their quest: the kind and the malicious, the holy and the profane, the sane and the eccentric. These strangers with different customs and languages make an unforgettable impact on the Klems' perilous journey.
Even A Sparrow follows the first-person narratives of Anna and Johann in this gripping historical novel, a testament to enduring courage and family love. The Klems' remarkable perseverance and joy portray the emigrants' desire for a better life in the new world.
Virginia Hall-Apicella expertly blends historical details, hardship, and a family's deep faith in her heart-warming and riveting debut novel.
Amazon 5 star reviews
bOOK EVENTS
400
404
Hours of research
PAGES in the novel
12+
30+
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday Nights Bookers, Dataw Island, SC
Dataw Island
October 09, 2025
Book club on Dataw Island, SC
Frankfort, Germany
October 15-19, 2025
Frankfurt Book Fair
Even a Sparrow represented at the largest book fair in the world, Frankfort, Germany, by Red Penguin Books
Beaufort County Library
March 28, 2026
Pen & Palmetto / local author EVENT
Talk and workshops - Saturday, March 28, 2026 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bluffton Branch Library
Habersham Plantation, SC
February 18, 2026
Meet the Authors
Meet the Author event, Habersham Plantation, SC
November 06, 2026
Sun City
Meet the Author, Sun City, Bluffton, SC
More information to come..