“Many Sparrows” by Lori Benton
This book was set in the time period of late 1700s when the Colonists and Indians were at war with each other due to land conflicts and language barriers among other things. Clare and her husband Philip are separated early on in this story so the rest of the story is her struggling to stay alive and to keep her children alive as she struggles in her new environment. Indian fights, killings, lack of food…were daily struggles for Clare, her children and their new friend Jeremiah.
I really liked Jeremiah! He found Clare while she was alone on the trail and befriended her without wanting or expecting anything in return. His strong faith and guidance and encouragement kept her alive and kept her strong for her children when she didn’t feel she could go on. Their friendship was wonderful to read about as it blossomed through out the story line.
I have 2 kids, so this story was emotional for me to read because I kept thinking what Clare was going thru when her son Jacob went missing. I cried and felt her emotional heartache and her faith struggles like they were my own feelings.
The book was very well written and made me feel like I was there with the characters during that time period. The story was longer than most (400 pages) so it took a couple nights to read, but it kept my interest and I kept hoping that the story would end well. I have never read anything by this author before so I wasn’t sure if the book would keep my interest due to the time period, but I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed it!
I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.
About the Book:
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?
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About the author:
Lori Benton was raised east of the Appalachian Mountains, surrounded by early American history going back three hundred years. Her novels transport readers to the eighteenth century, where she brings to life the Colonial and early Federal periods of American history. When she isn’t writing, reading, or researching, Lori enjoys exploring and photographing the Oregon wilderness with her husband. She is the author of “Burning Sky,” recipient of three Christy Awards, “The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn,” Christy-nominee “The Wood’s Edge,” and “A Flight of Arrows.”
Find out more about Lori at http://loribenton.blogspot.com.