Flight of the Sparrow: A Novel of Early America - Softcover

Brown, Amy Belding

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451466691 ISBN 13: 9780451466693

Publisher: Berkley, 2014

Synopsis

“A compelling, emotionally gripping”* novel of historical fiction—perfect for readers of America’s First Daughter.

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

About this title

About the Author:

Amy Belding Brown is the author of Mr. Emerson’s Wife, and her work has appeared in Yankee, Good Housekeeping, American Way, The Worcester Review and other national, international, and regional magazines.  Married to a United Church of Christ minister and the mother of four grown children, she lives in Vermont and currently teaches at Granite State College.

Review:

Praise for Flight of the Sparrow

“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 this edition

• Publisher: Berkley
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0451466691
• ISBN 13: 9780451466693
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368