Lori Benton’s Many Sparrows establishes a thought provoking view into a time when the places now known as states were still colonies, relations with Native Americans were tumultuous, and the quest for land ownership often ended in tragedy.
Pregnant and alone on the frontier protagonist Clare Inglesby finds herself in a most frightening situation. When would be savior Jeremiah, takes her to live among the Shawnee Indians, matters only grow worse. Embittered by her own circumstances, Clare struggles to trust in Jeremiah or his God.
Benton’s story introduces readers to a rarely seen perspective; the impact settlers had on Native American tribes. Her eye-opening narrative brings a clearer understanding to some reasons for the extreme cultural clash of the period.
Many Sparrows is an enjoyable story of God’s goodness, even when life appears dark and we cannot see his hand at work. As an added bonus, buried within the story is an explanation of the book’s title, sure to bring a smile to the reader.
One word of caution, this reader had to pull out the dictionary and look up the meaning of several unusual words.
*A complimentary copy of the book was provided in exchange for this review.