Flight of the Sparrow

by Amy Belding Brown

Length: 10 hr., 59 min., 05 sec.
Narrated by: Heather Henderson

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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Historical, Native American, Audiobook, 17th Century

Audiobook

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

Amy Belding Brown is the bestselling USA Today author of EMILY'S HOUSE, FLIGHT OF THE SPARROW and MR. EMERSON’S WIFE. A Vermonter and history nerd, she was infused at an early age with a New England outlook and values. She loves stone walls, sugar maples and old cemeteries, and her favorite hobby is nature photography. She’s never happier than when she’s reading a stack of 19th century letters or exploring old church records. She has taught composition and creative writing to college students and life-story writing to senior citizens, made quilts, raised four children, been a tour guide at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House Museum in Concord, Massachusetts, taught pre-school, made cloth dolls, created wall hangings on a hand loom, baked homemade bread, written poetry, and painted New England landscapes. Oh, and she’s also been a pastor’s wife for 43 years.. A graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, she received her MFA from Vermont College and now lives in rural Vermont with her husband, a UCC minister and spiritual director.

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a great reminder of how much the world has changed......and even how much has not changed.

Mary Rowlandson was a Puritan woman... in Massachusetts Bay colony, in 1676. It was a man's world. Women did not participate in town meetings and were excluded from decision making in the church. Mary was married to a preacher --a subordinate to her husband. If Mary questioned The authority of the established church she would risk terrible punishment such as public humiliation including a whipping in front of the church.

As awful as life was for Mary as a puritan women, she gets captured by the Indian community. She fears life is about to get worse...
At first life 'is' harder.
"She feels as if her brain is banging against the wall of her skull. She had nothing to eat or drink except melted snow since the attack. She wonders how long it will be before her strength gives out. And what will happen then?"

But her strength does not give out. She does endure horrific loss, and hardships....
BUT..... we also watch Mary transform - re-examine her beliefs. Her thoughts are a jumble of sorrow and confusion.
Mary has walked in two worlds - Puritans & Indians. The reader has an opportunity to have a 'real' experience of EARLY AMERICA through BOTH cultures!!!

A wonderful well researched Historical novel!!!

[Debbie W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is based on the real-life story of Mary Rowlandson's 11-week capture by Indians in 1676 before being ransomed back to her family.

Using Rowlandson's "Captivity Narrative" as her framework, author Amy Belding Brown paints a genuine picture of what Mary may have thought and felt during this time period. Brown did a great job of giving me the sense of:

1. Mary's feelings during her time in captivity - her intense fear, sorrow, confusion, deprivation and eventual understanding;
2. Mary's marriage to Joseph, a Puritan preacher (what a jerk!) - her expected submissive meekness and her possible frustrations;
3. Mary's enlightenment regarding raising children, especially after her ordeal;
4. the life of female sachem (chief) Weetamoo of the Pacasset tribe (Rhode Island) and how she may have treated Mary;
5. the possibility that Mary's written narrative may have been edited so much so that it didn't reflect her true feelings towards the Indians; and,
6. the chance love interest Mary may have had!?!

A teeny issue I had was the occasional mix-up of Mary's name with her daughter, Marie - not sure if this was an editing issue or a mistake overlooked by the audiobook's narrator.

A heartfelt story about freedom, faith and acceptance!

If you are interested in other stories about colonial people being captured by Indians, I highly recommend reading Follow the River by James Alexander Thom.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"She throws the bird up into the air, but it drops to the snow, flaps its wings twice and flutters toward the cage. Mary stares down at it. The cage is the only home Row has known. With all the strength that she can muster, she kicks the cage away. The bird rises, turns west, then north, darts over the roof of the house, and is instantly gone."

And we are left with the impending transformation of Mary White Rowlandson. Perhaps it is not only Mary's metamorphosis, but admittedly, our own. This is a story of how unspeakable tragedy closes the door on one's former sense of self. No going back. Forever changed and never the same. Eyes that see the world with a new vision while standing upon an unfamiliar precipice. Surviving, and yet not.

I was drawn to Amy Belding Brown's book for many reasons. As a genealogist, I have come across Colonial family members who were the victims of attacks and massacres by Native Americans during the King Philip War and the French and Indian War. The parallels to Mary Rowlandson's experiences and to family members within my lineage were uncanny. They never lived to have the opportunity to tell their stories. Mary was the voice of the voiceless. This book is historical fiction, but based upon the actual captivity of Mary Rowlandson. Amy Belding Brown presents the life of Puritan America while also presenting the often denied humanity of the Native Americans. It is a story of relationships between husband and wife, parent and child, community members and strangers, and captor and captive. With the shock of horrendous episodes in life comes the reality that our life circle flows in a completely different direction.....touching ground that we are forced to tread.

I highly recommend Flight of the Sparrow. You will come to realize that your own sparrow may have a remarkable name never before spoken.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is always something special about reading a novel based on the life of an actual person. This book is abut Mary Rowlandson, married to a preacher and living in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1676. She and her three children are captured by Indians, and kept for three months until she is ransomed. The Puritan society was a harsh, judgmental society, one to which I am so happy not to have belonged. The husband is the head of the household and all must submit. Children are not treated with much affection and even grieving is not allowed, everything is God's will and any emotion is seen as taking away from the glory of the Lord.

Horrified at her captivity, she eventually learns to love the sounds of nature, the freedom the Indians have and the wonderfully affectionate way they treat their children. When she is ransomed she has trouble fitting back into strait-laced society that now views her as tainted.

The story of her life is fascinating, the way she can see and empathize with the fates of the Indian. She realizes things are not as clear cut as they are presented. Wonderfully written book, vey thought provoking about the end of certain tribes on the East coast and how they were treated.

The authors's note relates extensively what is true and what isn't as well as updating the reader about the lives of the actual people portrayed within these pages. Here is link to the actual story penned by Mary http://www.gutenberg.org/files/851/85..., a story that became a best seller in her day.

ARC from publisher.

[Lori (on hiatus, life is crazy busy)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story takes place during the 1670's and is fiction based upon the real story of Mary Rowlandson. Mary is a ministers wife who gets captured along with her three children by Indians and spends three months in captivity until she is Ransomed back to her husband. Mary's experience with the Indians was both harsh and enlightening. As she tries to fit back into a Puritan life she feels the confinement that life makes her feel. She longs for the freedom to roam the forest, enjoying the sounds and peacefulness that nature provides. She misses the simplicity that she grew accustomed to. Her experience has changed her forever and she is frowned upon and gossiped about.
I found this story compelling and I always enjoy reading about history.

[Cathrine ☯️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75★
“I hope readers will come away with a sense of what it was like to live in Puritan culture and society…and an awareness of the complexity of English-Native relationships in the 1600s.”

I would say she succeeded. I am fairly well read on the subject of United States Native American culture/issues in the 1700-1800s concerning tribes from the plains over to the western coast, but was not so enlightened with this time period or area. I certainly did not know that tribal members were exported into slavery to Barbados and other places.

Inspired by actual persons and events, the author wrote a story of a woman and her children's kidnapping/murder, confinement/slavery, and eventual release back into their Massachusetts Bay Colony lifestyle. Her research was extensive and certainly convinced me that as a woman, I would have perished in Puritan society. I’m sure I would have been tried as a witch for rebelling against my husband. Most certainly, as a female, remaining as a slave to the tribe would have been preferable to colony life. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone interested in this period on American history.

[MAP · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. An engaging book with some unignorable flaws.

This story is a fictionalized account of Mary Rowlandson's life, particularly her experience as a captive of a Native American tribe for almost 3 months. I picked this book because I wanted to read a fiction book about Native Americans, and it's nearly impossible to find any that aren't cheesy romance novels (blech!). And although this one dances dangerously close to being a romance, it ultimately stays grounded in serious historical fiction. The author's description of Native American life, culture, values, and beliefs amidst the turmoil of the English invasion of their homeland is captivating, and the best part of this book.

However, the author herself admits that when she read Mary Rowlandson's original account she was turned off by her racist and xenophobic point of view, and felt she needed to make it (and her) more relatable. While she succeeds in this, she ultimately makes Mary a little too modern -- her changes in thinking and the way she views the world after her experiences mirror something a 21st century person would say (or, more accurately, what we HOPE a 21st century person would say - Mary's revelations are our modern ideal, not our modern norm.) Although this is pervasive throughout the second half of the book, it is most succinctly captured in this sentence: "She is mindful of her clean, confining clothes - the tight bodice and sleeves, the hard shoes that pinch her feet, her cinched-in waist. She becomes abruptly aware of how her clothes restrict her and promote her submission." Really? That's some very 2nd wave feminism right there - just a couple steps away from bra burning.

There are also some general linguistic nitpicks - the author writes that "[insert native American character] said something/spoke/gave an order in a language Mary could not understand" enough times that I was rolling my eyes by the end of it. However, overall I think this is a worthwhile book to read and covers a topic not often explored seriously in literature - and explored way too often in cheesy, slightly racist romance novels!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1676, Mary Rowlandson was the wife of the Puritan minister in the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts. Their large home was on the outskirts of the town. For over a year there had been attacks on the Bay Colony settlers by the native American tribes whose land was being taken by the colonists. The strict religious Puritan settlers viewed the native Americans as heathens sent by the devil.

On a bright winter day, Mary’s husband left for Boston to seek help from the militia. Residents of the area took shelter at the Rowlandson’s farm thinking that together they could thwart any attacks. However, an Indian war party attacked and overran the settlement.

Mary and her children were taken captive. For months they were held as slaves to the Indian tribes. As time passed, Mary began to appreciate the Indian culture and their communal lifestyle. She realized that nearly everything she had been taught about the Indians was not true.

When she was ransomed and returned to the Puritan community, Mary had difficulty readjusting to her former life. Based on true events, author Amy Belding Brown brings the world of the early American colonists to life. With a strong sense of place, realistic characters and a well researched depiction of the native American culture, this work of historical fiction is hard to put down.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a work of historical fiction based on the captivity narrative of Mary Rowlandson. (Note: I have read the original work. It was assigned and discussed in several of my undergrad classes.) I must put a major emphasis on it being FICTION. I found that this work takes huge liberties with the character of Mary. Although it is true, only basic facts are known about her life beyond what we are presented with in her narrative, this novel's version of who she may have been just seems to really be a reach. I fully believe that her captivity and trials must have changed her life and that she may have suffered from some ptsd-esque symptoms when she returned home. But do I find it plausible that someone who hated and feared the natives so much, who witnessed unspeakable acts of violence from them during her capture and captivity, and who was with them for only three months was suddenly sympathetic to them and their way of life? No, not really. I just don't think she would have become as attached to their lifestyle as the book made her out to be, mostly because her original narrative comes across as so racist towards natives. Also, the almost love with the noble savage James was a bit much as well. The last thing that bothered me were the brutal descriptions of violence, especially at the start of the book. All in all, an all right read, the character and her very modern ways of thought were just too far fetched for me.

[Stephanie Anze · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How strange that venturing away from accepted wisdom was the very path by which she found herself.”

Mary Rowlandson is the wife of the Reverend and mother to four children in the Massachusetts Bay colony. While she lacks for nothing, her Puritan lifestyle is very strict and she has to to submit to her husband's lead and has no voice of her own. On a winter morning, Mary's town is attacked by Indians. Mary and her children are among those taken and forced to follow the tribe as it moves avoiding soldiers. Mary winds up as a servant for a woman of high standing in the tribe. While in captivity, Mary realizes something big: in some ways she has never enjoyed more freedom.

This is yet anoher book that sat in my TBR list for some time. Mary, as wife of the Reverend, is supposed to be meek and accept what her husband says. Mary has her own mind but if she does not act as expected, she risks punishment. Her life is quite structured as Puritan ideals are strict, especially on women. Towns are on constant alert for Indian raids yet Mary finds herself in one anyway. Many are killed but she and three of her children are taken as hostages. Mary winds up a slave for a prominent woman in the tribe. Conditions are harsh and food is scarce Mary's faith is tested but in the midst of all of this, she experiences freedom for the first time. No longer does she have to follow her husband's lead. The constraints of her English life have loosened, literally (her clothes are much softer and comfortable now) and figuratively. Women in the tribe enjoy a freedom and respect that Mary has not seen before, some even outrank the men. As Mary tries to reconcile her former life and her new reality, she must define her place.

This is a great book. The plot, while not fast-paced, compliments the narrative. Brown conveys the fear and uncertainty while showcasing resilience and hope. Characterization is done well as these characters are complex. Who was the "enemy" varied as the narrative moved along. I found Mary's narration genuine. The descriptions of the raids were not overtly graphic and perfectly conveyed their ruthlessness. The way in which Brown drew the differences between the English and the Native is well done and while you might not agree with their actions, you could see where they were coming from. This is, without a doubt, an insightful book. I enjoyed the shifting perspectives. This is not an entertaining read but its one that has certainly given me a lot to think about. Would certainly recommend.

Mary White Rowlandson was a real woman. During King Phillip's War she was taken hostage by Native Americans and held for eleven weeks. After that time, she was realesed on ransom. Six years after her release, her account of her capture and ordeal was published. Titled A Narrative of the Captivity an Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, this is considered one of the most important books in the category of captivity narratives for it paved the way for more. Though, in the afterwards, Brown does point out that Mary's account may have been tampered with to make the Natives more "evil". Still, it remains one of the first accounts to reveal life among the Native Americans as it had not been done before.

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in a structured house, living in a wetu.

Having enough food, always hungry.

Not showing love to your children, cherishing your children.

Living a strict Puritan existence, living carefree.

Never experiencing the pleasure of nature, hearing every little part of nature.

All those statements show the differences Mary Rowlandson found when comparing her Puritan life to her life in Indian captivity.

Which way would you want to live?​

Mary Rowlandson and many others were captured by Indians and were forced to live within the Indian community. It was a harsh life for her as well as the entire Indian community. Despite the hardships, Mary blended in well and was protected by an Englishman.

You will follow Mary as she transforms from a Puritan English woman into an Indian woman. She loved her transformation and found the link to nature and peace that she didn't have as the wife of a strict Puritan minister.

FLIGHT OF THE SPARROW was very well researched and held my interest. At first I didn't realize FLIGHT OF THE SPARROW was based on an actual person. Once I found that out, the book became even more intriguing.

I have never read any book about this time period in American history, but want to find out more. FLIGHT OF THE SPARROW ​is a gripping account of Early America, and history buffs will not be disappointed.​

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a well-researched, historical novel.​

I can't divulge any more without telling the story, but take the time to read FLIGHT OF THE SPARROW. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 4/5​

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.​

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This captivating story is based on a true narrative of Mary Rowlandson. Her family flees England in 1639, when she is two years old, “part of the Great Migration of Puritans to New England, seeking relief from the apostasy of King Charles.” Her family settles in Salem and later moves to Lancaster.

She gets married to a minister at the age of twenty. She learns to submit her will to her husband and to accept his corrections. “He reminds her that a woman must be subject to her husband in all things.”

She witnesses violence and terror of Indian attack and is taken captive. She observes their routines of straightforward way of life and power of woman over man, which seems frightening to her. “It undermines the order of creation – the order that God put into the world.”

Her confused feelings are further complicated by her attraction to English-speaking native known as James Printer. He shows her a protective kindness and compassion, a side of a man she has not known existed. When Indians negotiate her price, she feels inflicted. She doesn’t want to return to the strict ways of Puritan life and she doesn’t want to be a slave to Indians, but she wants their freedom, which she has embraced. A day comes, when she has to make a choice.

The book is beautifully written with language appropriate for the time period, transporting readers to the period of colonial America.

@Facebook/BestHistoricalFiction
@https://bestinhistoricalfiction.blogs...

[Phyllis Runyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

1670's, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Mary Rowlandson is married to a Puritan minister and has three children. This is the story of the attack of their village by Indians and capture of her and her children. It is based on the true story of what she endured, not only her time with the Indians but also with her return to the English. All her life she was taught to hate Indians, fear God and submit to her husband in a religion where women have no rights, where grieving for a dead child is even frowned upon. As a captive she endures exhaustion, hunger, and witnesses brutality but also kindness and wisdom and is drawn to their open and straightforward life. When she is returned to her husband she suffers gossip and lies from the community and her husbands inability to believe that she wasn't "defiled" by the Indians. This was a excellent book that I would recommend to anybody interested in early American history.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A captivating story of the Puritan culture in 17th century colonial America. Mary Rowlandson is married to a strict and uncompromising Puritan minister. Her life revolves around serving her husband, raising her children and keeping her home. Yet, Mary has felt constricted and confined by the Puritan standards. Mary and her children are captured by Native Americans when their homes and village are brutally attacked. In her time of captivity, Mary experiences cruelty, but also is at times shown kindness. She relishes the beauty of nature and the freedoms which the Indian women are afforded. She forms a special kinship with James, who came from a Praying Indian Settlement, and was familiar with Christian beliefs. But what is to become of Mary if she returns to her English community? Can she forget her ordeals and conform to Puritan standards? A wonderfully well researched book, based on historical writings from that time period.

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

TEN STARS to Amy Belding Brown's Flight of the Sparrow. Couldn't put it down. For the past several years I have felt that every book tells the same old sad stories just cast with characters of different names/descriptions. You would think the "old south" has nothing but poor little rich debutantes rebelling against their planned marriages. If I see another "secrets revealed" book where the heroine finds her great grandmother's lost love letters in a trunk in the attic or hidden behind a floor board, I fear I may retreat from reading new authors completely.

At last, something different. The novel is based on a narrative written Mary Rowlandson, a real woman who actually was alive once upon a time. This is a story of a Puritan wife/mother living in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who was captured by Indians. Mary was already feeling constricted by the strict rules of her Puritan husband and the Puritan community. Her life with her Indian captors causes her to reconsider what she has always been taught and believed about the true meaning of freedom and independence. This is a story of survival, hope, and understanding love at its deepest levels. It was a mesmerizing story that leaves the reader considering your own meanings of freedom, independence, and love.

Now to go back and read Ms. Brown's first novel - Mr. Emerson's Wife. Then eagerly anticipate her next work.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1676 Mary Rowlandson a Puritan and a wife of a minister is captured by Indians along with her three children. The Indians burned her home and took Mary and her children into the wilderness.
They were cold, hungry and the tasks before them were hard and grueling.

With all the difficult times also came gentleness and caring . Mary observed how the Indian women cared for their children, only admonishing them in love and not a switch or strap as she had witness in her own home.

Mary was returned to her husband for a hefty price. Her life was never quite the same. She had longings for the freedom she had had in captivity.

I could not put this book down.
Captivating story.

[Jocelyn Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stark and poignant look at early relations between English settlers and native Americans will appeal to fans of Lori Benton, Laura Frantz, and J.M. Hochstetler. I absolutely loved the nuances and complexities Amy Belding Brown carefully wove together in each of the main characters. My reading of this was likely enhanced by my earlier reading of the nonfiction book, Unredeemed Captive by John Demos, which I highly recommend as well. But even if you don't read Demos, if you have any interest at all in early America, don't miss Flight of the Sparrow. An excellent choice for book clubs.

[Lupinus Texensis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Privileged white Puritan lady leads relatively cushy life. Is captured by Indians. Sleeps rough for a couple months. Returns home. Remarries a much better guy. Sparrow metaphors abound. Indians cease to exist for her, except for this one smoldering Hottie McHottie who in no way plays into racist stereotypes about noble savages, etc.

Save your time. Read 1491 instead.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook #178

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband will sometimes ask me if I would like to live back in the 1800’s or 1700’s or earlier – especially having the knowledge we have today. I always tell him no – the past wasn’t a kind place for women. And it certainly wasn’t a kind place for Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan wife in 1676, married to a minister. Her husband ruled their household and if she disagreed, he could have her put in stocks in the town center. Mary was stubborn and often disobeyed her husband but made sure he didn’t find out. When their home is burned by Indians, she and her children are taken captive. She is a slave to the Indian tribal leader – a woman. Mary adjusts to the hard work and frequent hunger as a slave. As the Indians come to trust her more, she is allowed more freedom to travel freely around the camp. Even though she is a slave, if there is food, she receives an equal share. After living with the Indians for 3 months, she is ransomed back to her husband. She eventually gets her children back, but all three are changed by their time living with the Indians. Mary’s views on the Indians, slavery, religion, child-rearing and grief are all changed by her time with the Indians. It’s hard for her to explain this to her husband, friends and neighbors. They want tales of how savage and cruel the Indians were and don’t believe her stories about their kindness to her and her children.
It’s obvious that Amy Belding Brown did a great deal of research for this book. My favorite portion was Mary’s life with the Indian tribe. Although Mary and her children were treated kindly for the most part, many of the other captives were not as lucky. There was a lot of violence from both the Indians and Puritans. This was a fascinating look at life in 1676. And I am so glad I live in 2019!

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's very unusual for a book of historical fiction, especially fiction centering on a female character, to receive a low rating from me. However, I thought this book -- based on the real Mary Rowlandson, who was kidnapped by Indians and held captive for a period of months until she was returned to her own community of English Puritans -- did not have the ring of authenticity. While it's true that many white captives eventually grew to love their "adopted" culture and did not wish to return to white society, these people were generally captured as small children and had only vague memories of the lives they once led. Mary Rowlandson was captured as an adult woman who saw many members of her family slaughtered before her eyes and then watched as her own daughter suffered, lingered, and died from wounds received that brutal day. She actually lived with her captors for only a few months before being ransomed back to the English. I can't imagine ANYONE recovering their emotional equilibrium so quickly after being victimized by such a violent attack, much less growing to respect and admire their captors. In addition, I think the author gives Ms. Rowlandson views, however privately held, that fall prey to anachronistic thinking -- she gives her character modern values and attitudes that a Puritan woman living in colonial America would be most unlikely to have. (And, indeed, Mary Rowlandson's ACTUAL written account of her ordeal does not suggest any of these views.) I can't say this book didn't challenge me to think, however -- it inspired me to google Stockholm Syndrome, as I think the fictional Mary may have suffered from it!

[reading is my hustle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid read based on the true story of a Puritan woman who was taken into captivity by the Native Americans in the late 1600s. She is later returned to her family and finds that she has changed in ways that make it difficult to live her previous life of piety and submission. Her questioning of the conventionality of the time leads to problems for her in her marriage and within her community. The novel mostly focuses on her internal struggle and frustration of trying to fit back into "civilized" life after spending many months living in the wilderness with the Native Americans who lived a much freer life. Three stars because I never felt her fear or despair- I was told of it and this keeps the reader distanced from the entire event (both during and after). Otherwise, this is an excellent piece of historical fiction writing.

[Kathryn Bashaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is based on the 17th century captivity narrative of Mary Rowlandson. Mary is the respectable wife of a Puritan minister in colonial Massachusetts. While her husband is away from their town seeking military help against Indian attacks, the Natives attack again. Mary's home is destroyed, many of her friends and relatives are massacred, and Mary and her three children are taken captive. Her youngest child is mortally wounded in the attack, and Mary is separated from her two older children and enslaved to a female chief. Mary's fairly brief time of captivity is arduous, but also liberating in some ways. She is transformed from a woman who seeks respectability and safety, and assumes her husband will provide both, to a woman who seeks righteousness and truth. Suffice it to say that such a transformed woman will not have an easy re-entry in Puritan society. The Puritans are not portrayed in a flattering light in this novel. Their practice of keeping "moral watch" over each other feels like the Taliban or the East German Stasi, or -closer to home - the brutal conformity enforced by bitchy junior high girls. I think one of Brown's points is that oppression can seem right and normal, until you suddenly find yourself on the wrong side of it. Mary's experiences in captivity open her eyes to truth and force her to find a voice in a society where women are expected to be obedient and silent.
I also liked that Mary is a mature woman in her 30s when she is taken captive, firmly middle-aged in that era. So she might be expected to lack the adaptability that a younger woman might have, yet she does indeed adapt. She also brings some experience and emotional maturity to her situation, which helps her to survive.
I liked this book very much. It was right up my alley: well-researched historical fiction with a strong female character. Similar in that way to my own novel The Saint's Mistress, although written in a different style. I would read other books by this author.

[Taury · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many 5🌟 books! I read them monthly. But there are not so many like Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown which makes me think throughout. My first thought was Karma is real and it is a bitch.
My 2nd thought How is it you can be a CHRISTIAN even in the 1600s and call Native AMERICANS and African AMERICANS heathens and enslave them? Isn’t that like calling Samaritans the same? But Jesus loved ALL PEOPLE! And so karma was my glory in this amazing novel. Mary was a hard worker. Oh she loved all people. She LOVED those who did her harm. She thought she fell out of love with God and He wasn’t listening. Then she got a 3rd chance at living. I found so many parallels in this 1630(?) novel to todays world. It really moved me greatly. I see them in my own life. I see them in working with men who are coming out of prison and reintegrating into society with nothing. No family, no job, an addiction who has controlled most of their lives. And society who calls them losers and shuns them. It hurts my heart greatly.
I will say Karma is a Bitch. Once you read this lovely 5🌟novel you will see it very quickly. I have to admit I said, “Go Indians!” multiple times.

I know my reviews are Atypical often. If i have really nothing to say I will not review. I simply have nothing to say. My stars are the guide.

[Gretchen Alice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look, I'm not super interested in a story about a white woman learning that Native Americans are not terrible, no matter how "historical" it is.
(Gonna be a real fun book club discussion tonight. liz lemon eye roll.gif)

[RitaSkeeter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't know a great deal about the puritans prior to reading this book. I can't say I still know a great deal, but having a small glimpse into that period of history perhaps provides some understanding of contemporary US cultural identity, as opposed to the culture in a country (for example) settled by convicts.

My reason for reading this wasn't necessarily due to interest in the puritans, but rather the interest in the abduction storyline. Sadly Mary's abduction and subsequent time with the Nipmuc was only a small part of the novel, though her experiences returning to her husband after being ransomed were interesting.

Where I struggled with the book was that I struggled to buy the premise that after three months with the Nipmuc, this good Puritan woman who had seen the Nipmuc brutally murder her kin and her neighbours would have such an about face as to idealise parts of their lifestyle. Three months? I don't buy it.

In addition, I am very uncomfortable with language the author uses at times. I'm going to give benefit of the doubt here, but referring to the Nipmuc dwellings as 'hovels', calling Nipmuc dancing 'barbaric', and statements such as "The Indians are everywhere, like a plague of vermin" are, in my view, unnecessary. I presume the author was trying to show things from Mary's perspective, but I believe there are alternate ways/words the author could have demonstrated Mary's unfamiliarity and her condescending judgments without statements of this kind. I'm cynical that the only Nipmuc whose character was shown any sympathy and development was the one who was raised Christian.

To be fair, the author showed aspects of the Nipmuc culture that Mary wanted to emulate; their love and cherishing of their children, the equal sharing of resources (food) amongst all in the society and so on. However, also shown are scenes of unnecessarily brutal and gratuitous violence, including against children.

So, while the book had interesting parts I am somewhat uncomfortable with aspects of it. In addition, the book had mediocre writing at best - stiff and uninspiring. I won't be interested in other books by this author.

I'm not having much luck with historical fiction set in the US.

[Keri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

I had forgotten what it was like to be consumed by a great work of historical fiction. Flight of the Sparrow is everything historical fiction should be. I felt transported to seventeenth century Massachusetts and learned so much about the Puritan way of life as well as the Native American way of life. This time period is such a little known era in colonial American history and I don't recall King Phillip's War being taught in my history classes at all. As a result, I was so intrigued by the setting. But I also fell in love with the characters, especially knowing that their stories were based on true events.

When Mary was first captured, I simply wanted her to find her children and escape, but I had no idea just how much her time with the Native Americans would change her. Soon, once she was back in English society, I yearned for her to find the freedom she so sought, just like the caged sparrow. James, the English speaking native, was perhaps my favorite character. His friendship with Mary was so powerful and they both showed such great care for each other, doing what was best to protect the other.

My favorite parts of the novel, however, were those scenes that took place in the villages, while Mary was living among the natives. What they ate how they lived, how they slept in their wetus, the family dynamics, were all so fascinating, especially as I, as a reader, discovered this way of life along with Mary.

If one is looking for a great work of historical fiction that not only teaches the reader, but moves the reader, Flight of the Sparrow is the perfect novel.

[Camie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on the true story of Mary Rowlandson an English immigrant living in Massachusetts who was captured by Indians in the 1600’s. Mary who was the wife of a strict Puritan Minister later wrote about her experiences in a book which exists today, though it was highly edited by the church to dispel Mary’s true feelings which were that she learned to appreciate the freedom to enjoy nature and the kindness she was allowed while with the tribe.
“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 her breath. She has learned to live in a new, free way.”
5 stars- highly recommend this one
Caution- violence of war

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing work of historical fiction! I think it will always haunt me. Brown has taken real seventeenth century people living in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and woven an unforgettable story around them. Mary and her three surviving children are taken captive after the brutal destruction of her village and forced into slavery by her captors before being ransomed over three months later. Her experiences living among the Nipmuc people changed her forever and were fascinating to read about. Her difficulty returning to Puritan culture after her eye-opening life among native Americans was heartbreaking. I did not want to put this book down for a minute!

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is difficult to review. I am very interested in stories of captivity and native Americans. So I found this book very interesting. The history of the puritans was something I had never read. I did find I was less engaged in the part about her at home vs her in captivity.