Flight of the Sparrow
Ratings4
Average rating3.5
From the author of Emily's House comes a “compelling, emotionally gripping”* novel of historical fiction—perfect for readers of America’s First Daughter. Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1676. Even before Mary Rowlandson was captured by Indians on a winter day of violence and terror, she sometimes found herself in conflict with her rigid Puritan community. Now, her home destroyed, her children lost to her, she has been sold into the service of a powerful woman tribal leader, made a pawn in the ongoing bloody struggle between English settlers and native people. Battling cold, hunger, and exhaustion, Mary witnesses harrowing brutality but also unexpected kindness. To her confused surprise, she is drawn to her captors’ open and straightforward way of life, a feeling further complicated by her attraction to a generous, protective English-speaking native known as James Printer. All her life, Mary has been taught to fear God, submit to her husband, and abhor Indians. Now, having lived on the other side of the forest, she begins to question the edicts that have guided her, torn between the life she knew and the wisdom the natives have shown her. Based on the compelling true narrative of Mary Rowlandson, Flight of the Sparrow is an evocative tale that transports the reader to a little-known time in early America and explores the real meanings of freedom, faith, and acceptance. READERS GUIDE INCLUDED
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
Great book. What did I know about 1670's Massachusetts? Not much. But I feel like I got a good glimpse into the Puritan society in power there and the conflicts with the Native Americans during that time. I got pulled into the story, was appalled by the history included in the pages, and was rooting for the main character. I read this because I am part of a book club and this was the latest choice, and while I wouldn't have picked it up, I'm so glad it was chosen. The story is well-written and tells so much history without making it boring or hard to read. I inhaled this book over 36 hours - that's how good it is. Reading it during the same week as the racial tensions in our country explode felt strangely connected. We have a history in our country of treating non-white people horribly, and it's something that I know I didn't leave school being acutely aware of. This author treated this story with care and insight and it's a well-done book. I would recommend!
Mary Rowlandson is a housewife, ministers wife, and a member of the Puritan community. She lives in a very ordered world, and never strays far from her front yard. She is highly revered and upheld in her community, and never wants for anything. While she is safe, she is also confined. She does not question her life, until she is tragically yanked from it.
Mary is kidnapped from her home during an Indian raid, and sold into slavery to an Indian family. She struggles to keep her faith, and learn what she can about her surviving children. She is befriended by a Praying Indian named James, and while in captivity, she begins to grow fond of James, and begins to compare him to her husband Joseph.
When Mary is ransomed back to the English, she no longer fits in with their world. She longs in her heart to return to the Indians, and the freedoms she enjoyed there. Her husband is shocked when she begins to stand up to him, no longer accepting his word for everything. Can Mary survive being back in her world and the cage it puts her in?
This book was a great read and I really enjoyed it!! I recommend this one out!
Listened to this book while at work mostly, It held my attention rather well. I certainly enjoyed the story and would recommend it :)
