Flight of the Sparrow

A Novel of Early America

By: Amy Belding Brown

Narrated by: Heather Henderson

Length: 11 hrs

Publisher's summary

She suspects that she has changed too much to ever fit easily into English society again. The wilderness has now become her home. She can interpret the cries of birds. She has seen vistas that have stolen away her breath. She has learned to live in a new, free way…

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 and 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 listener to a little-known time in early America and explores the real meanings of freedom, faith, and acceptance.

©2014 Amy Belding Brown (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

I’m so glad I stuck with it!

I initially had a hard time with the reading of it in the beginning but I stuck with it and I’m so glad I did! It turned out to be a pretty awesome story! I had no idea how it would end. It was one of my favorite stories so far.

Very interesting right to the end

Those Puritans had some really weird religious beliefs. Strict and rigid. Men dominated, women served. The wife was not supposed to have any opinions of her own. She could be publicly humiliated, whipped or shunned. It was not easy being a woman in those times. The author makes that very clear. She writes a very good historical account of the conflicts between the Puritans and the Indians. A wonderful book.

A bit too long

A historical novel and a reminder about how restrictive the Puritan lifestyle was, particularly for women. I felt that the story was good and informative enough but it dragged for much of the book and just sped up in the last few chapters. A good reminder about how much better our current lives are in so many ways. We have much to be grateful for.

I don't even know how to put into words this book!

This is a must read book! Captivating and suspenseful with a bit of mystery.

I really enjoyed this book.

I will keep this book and listen to it again. I am always amazed when I can see how history gets rewritten. The research put into this book to get the details right was awesome and the story was fascinating. All of it was very well done.

Interesting Viewpoint

Back in the 1600’s a woman’s viewpoint was inconsequential and rarely spoken. This is a great way to imagine a woman’s thoughts and feelings during this time period. However, I did feel that her acclimation into the Indian life took less time than expected. When she returns, her “3 months in captivity” was referred to often, but it felt like it was much longer than that. Her transformation back to her old ways, although cautious and never complete, seemed contrived. If she was only gone 3 months, it seems she would have fallen back into her old ways much easier. Interesting read.

Unrealistic

Mary is not a believable character as portrayed. She is more like a time traveler from today than a puritan woman.

Flat characters.

There were interesting historical details in this story but the characters were flat and the plot lackluster. There was potential here, it just was not realized.

Highly recommended

So well written, the author captured a perfect combination of the language and cultural nuances of the time. The descriptions allows the reader to picture the events and characterizations perfectly. The narrator provided an excellent presentation.

For younger audiences

This was a good enough read that I stayed with it. The author definitely stretched the (acknowledged) truth about Mary Rowlandson, as there's not a lot of evidence that she preferred Native American life to English, but that made her very likable. I found the love interest a bit too obvious and forced, but I think I'd have bought it more if I were a tween.