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Flight of the Sparrow: A Novel of Early America Paperback – July 1, 2014
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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
- Print length368 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBerkley
- Publication dateJuly 1, 2014
- Dimensions5.47 x 0.75 x 8.24 inches
- ISBN-100451466691
- ISBN-13978-0451466693
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Breathes life into a vital but oft-neglected chapter of our history. Amy Belding Brown has turned an authentic drama of Indian captivity into a compelling, emotionally gripping tale that is at once wrenching and soulful.”—*Eliot Pattison, author of the Mystery of Colonial America series
“A mesmerizing tale of survival and awakening...The deftly depicted cross cultural friendship reminded me of Caleb’s Crossing and the fast-paced story kept me up turning pages.”—Donna Thorland, author of The Turncoat and The Rebel Pirate
“Brown’s voice transforms a remote period into a fresh and immediate world and, in Mary, gives us a heroine who is broken by sorrow but determined to survive. This is a novel about the true meaning of faith and freedom.”—Kelly O’Connor McNees, author of The Island of Doves and The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
“The story of Mary Rowlandson is the story of one of the darkest episodes in our nation’s history, and yet Amy Belding Brown manages to turn it into a soaring tale of light and hope…The Flight of the Sparrow reminds us of the promise of America and that the fulfillment of that promise relies on every human heart.”—Sally Cabot Gunning, author of Benjamin Franklin’s Bastard, The Widow’s War, Bound, and The Rebellion of Jane Clarke
“In this amazingly written and deeply researched book, Amy Belding Brown delivers 17th-century Massachusetts to the reader with a prose that springs from the page and wraps you in wonder. Flight of the Sparrow showcases the author’s imagination bound by her dedication to historical fact....This is a book for both readers of literary fiction as well as those who love a well-researched work of historical fiction.”—Historical Novel Society
Praise for Mr. Emerson’s Wife
“Amy Belding Brown has brought her back to life in a novel that glitters with intelligence and authenticity.”—Geraldine Brooks, author of March
“In this extraordinary book, Amy Belding Brown has brought the nineteenth century to life...A soaring imaginative leap, this book combines detailed history with a page-turning illicit love story. It’s a look at a rich moment in American history and a great read, a rare combination.”—Susan Cheever, author of My Name Is Bill and Note Found in a Bottle
“A beautiful work...It is quite refreshing to see that ambition backed up with a quality of writing that bears up to the weight of its subject matter.”—Bret Lott, author of Jewel and A Song I Knew by Heart
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Berkley; First Edition (July 1, 2014)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0451466691
- ISBN-13 : 978-0451466693
- Item Weight : 10 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.47 x 0.75 x 8.24 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #11,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #33 in Native American Literature (Books)
- #47 in Biographical Historical Fiction
- #1,299 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Amy Belding Brown grew up in Vermont and graduated from Bates College in Maine. She received her MFA in Writing degree from Vermont College in 2002 and is the author of the historical novels FLIGHT OF THE SPARROW and MR. EMERSON'S WIFE as well as two light romances. For many years she taught writing at universities and colleges in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She currently lives and writes in Vermont, where she enjoys nature photography and painting in her spare time.
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The original Rowlandson book is moralistic and rather stiff, as you'd expect from the Puritan Congregationalists of the era. But in Flight of the Sparrow, author Amy Belding Brown gives much thought to the background of the story, and brings Mary Rowlandson to life. Brown must needs fictionalize the story somewhat, but I know from my own research and writing experience that when you spend so much time with the subjects of your books, you enter into their thoughts. Belding Brown was able to see Mary Rowlandson's traumatic experiences and the thoughts and actions which saved her life, and then deeply affected Rowlandson's return to "civilization" and normalcy--and perhaps a loss of her faith in humanity and God.
There was an element of 21st-century feminism and abolitionism which Rowlandson probably would not have dreamed of, let alone spoken, but it makes the book approachable for most readers who are unfamiliar with 17th-century religious beliefs. In her fiction writing, Belding Brown deftly takes the reader through what must surely have been PTSD. Rowlandson was dragged through the wilderness both physically and spiritually and I found the deterioration of her religious beliefs to be believable. And readers are brought close, through 21st-century fiction, to what was likely very close to the truth.
The book was beautifully written, and described the environment, customs, and lifestyles of the English settlers as they crashed against the Native American tribes in the 17th century. The one negative (for me) was that it was written in present tense. It's a device that's done more often these days, but it's not my favorite because it bumps me too often into the present. If that's something that bothers you, don't let it stop you buying and enjoying Flight of the Sparrow.
Both Mary Rowlandson's original book (available free on Google Books and several platforms) and Belding Brown's Flight of the Sparrow are appropriate for ages teens through adult. There is some violence depicted, in the sacking of Lancaster and throughout Rowlandson's slavery experience in the wilderness, but it's probably realistic and certainly not gratuitous or salacious.
If you're a descendant of Mary Rowlandson, you should read this historical novel to better explain the mysteries of 17th-century religious belief and culture. You'll think better of Rowlandson than you would from reading the journal alone. If you're not a descendant, then read Flight of the Sparrow to learn the strength of character our early-American ancestors had to have to survive the ordeal of settling a wilderness.
her profoundly. I found this story mesmerizing, but had a hard time understanding Mary's tender, protective feelings for her captors. Weetamoo was not kind to her and she endured great hardships with the tribe as they made their way through rough terrain in the dead of winter. Yet she seemed to much prefer the Indian way of life to her life as a Puritan. Starvation, beatings, and separation from her beloved children -- one of whom died in her arms as a result of a musket wound from an Indian -- did not seem to be what she took away from her experience. Rather, she romanticized her "freedom" from the restraints of her life with her husband, Joseph, who is portrayed in the book as an evangelical minister who is a harsh judge of anyone who questions his God. Her poignant romance - unconsummated - with James affects her feelings not only for Joseph, but for the society in which she was reared. The Puritans are hard to like, no doubt, but I found myself questioning how realistic Mary's feelings were in the light of what she endured. I intend to re-read this to see if I missed something that would make it make more sense.
Top reviews from other countries
What is the purpose of a historical novel? In my opinion, non-fiction explores the dry "truths", the statistics, the dates, the consequences of people's actions. A historical novel explores the soul of individuals within that frame of events, and should create a mirror that reflects our behaviours, thoughts, and ideas today so that we may connect and relate, but not jar us from an authentically built world in the past.
This novel sucked me in and did what the best novels ought to do: it made me reflect, consider, think. When I was forced to come up for air, I did nothing but talk about it as I was still deep in the fictional world's embrace, deeply invested in what was happening with the characters (and could hardly wait to come back to it).
Mary's personal journey, as told here--as interpreted and explored here by the author--is absolutely and wholly relatable to me. Having lived in four different countries myself, I understand how much can be absorbed and processed in a short three months when completely immersed in a new culture. And it does feel like years have passed. The culture shock and Mary's relentless questioning of what she believed to once know is--even according to science--wholly plausible.
As for the "feministic tones", I shy away from labeling for the sake of convenience and category. Women have questioned their confining roles from the beginning of time and especially when faced with a culture that does things "differently". Here, the novel has simply called that theme "freedom"; both subtly and intentionally signalled with different objects: the sparrow, the cage, the confining clothing, the deerskin dress, the wilderness, the cultivated garden. That theme is consistent throughout the book.
Writing from Mary's point-of-view, the author has managed to give her protagonist an authentic and believable voice. It stays on point, it's well-researched in language, and well executed. In fact, the entire book sings of an incredible amount of hard work and careful consideration. When I come away from studying meaning, technique and style, however, what I celebrate most is the great story this book has to tell. AND all the new stuff I learned!