Title: Flight of the Sparrow
Author: Amy Belding Brown
Genre: History Fiction
Plot: Mary Rowlandson is a Puritan pastor’s wife in a frontier city in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1676. She and few of her children are captured in an Indian raid that leaves hers, and her neighbor’s, houses burned. Mary becomes a slave to a powerful Indian woman. She struggles to adjust to the Indian ways of life. She starts to feel for the Indians as she shares in their struggles. The tribe is starving. Mary’s tribe meets with other tribes in the area. She learns that the tribal elders are bartering with white men for her, and the other captive’s, freedom. The tribal leaders ask Mary what she think she’s worth. Mary asks for a high price. After some time, Mary is given back to her husband, who survived the attack. She is sad to be back with white people. She longs for the freedom that her captivity brought. Will Mary find her peace with her life? What will happen to the Indians?
Rating: 3.0 – an interesting story about Puritan vs Indian life
Opinion: This was a slightly different take on early American Colony life. The story talks about how hesitant someone is about being among Indians. The book also describes the horror and how scared many of the captives are. It also has some different points about the story. Mary didn’t get to stay with the Indians. She is torn and conflicted when she returns. The story is good in the fact that it clearly shows her conflict within. The world is clearly shown through Mary’s eyes. The author describes the difficulties in both sides of life. This was not the happiest book I’ve read. It is good showing the differences between the two conflicting lives. It seems very historically accurate, too. Though I wish so hard that Mary would have a happy ending, she eventually did, though not in the way I was expecting. If you’re looking for a quick read about early America Colonial life, then I’d recommend this book.
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