Review: Many Sparrows by Lori Benton

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Either she and her children would emerge from that wilderness together, or none of them would…

In 1774, the Ohio-Kentucky frontier pulses with rising tension and brutal conflicts as Colonists push westward and encroach upon Native American territories. The young Inglesby family is making the perilous journey west when an accident sends Philip back to Redstone Fort for help, forcing him to leave his pregnant wife Clare and their four-year old son Jacob on a remote mountain trail.

When Philip does not return and Jacob disappears from the wagon under the cover of darkness, Clare awakens the next morning to find herself utterly alone, in labor and wondering how she can to recover her son…especially when her second child is moments away from being born.

Clare will face the greatest fight of her life, as she struggles to reclaim her son from the Shawnee Indians now holding him captive. But with the battle lines sharply drawn, Jacob’s life might not be the only one at stake. When frontiersman Jeremiah Ring comes to her aid, can the stranger convince Clare that recovering her son will require the very thing her anguished heart is unwilling to do—be still, wait and let God fight this battle for them?

My Thoughts:

Many Sparrows is a book that tells a haunting tale of what life may have been like living in the colony of America and of the bitter conflicts between the settlers and the Native Americans. Claire Inglesby is a woman that really would be just like any of us. She stood by her husband when he lost his fortune, tried her best to love him and absolutely loved her son. Understandably, Claire was not happy with her husband when he decided to move his family further west, in very dangerous times and while Claire was very pregnant with her second child.

Things continue to get worse and Philip leaves his pregnant wife and 4-year old son to get help. He never assumed he would not be coming back. Claire is found in dire straits by Jeremiah Ring, a man of two worlds- the whites and the Native Americans. Claire is faced with any parent’s ultimate fear- her son has gone missing. After helping Claire give birth, Jeremiah finds out was has truly happened and this knowledge puts him in the middle of a very complicated situation, especially when the whole country is about to blow over land and race relations.

Author Benton did a great job of putting us in Claire’s shoes when her whole world went out of whack and the love and desperation she felt for her children. Jeremiah was a good man, ever patient, but I could certainly and did feel for Claire and her frustrations at not having her problems solved in the most obvious matter. The author really illuminated some of the native customs in regards to adoption of people, how it is so different from how we view adoption now.

I have found that when I read a Lori Benton book, she gives us a well-rounded story and brings clarification on all sides of the situation, making us care for all the characters, or at least understanding their decisions better. This one kept me up quite late and had me thinking about it even when I was not reading it.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.