Many Sparrows

Starred review from September 4, 2017
Benton (Pathfinders series) sweeps the reader into the frontier of 1774 with gorgeous descriptions of landscapes in this tale of the wrenching power of a mother’s love. Heading west into the Ohio-Kentucky frontier, Clare Inglesby encounters Shawnee warriors who kill her husband and take her young son, Jacob, captive. Jeremiah Ring, a white frontiersman with strong Indian ties, leads the determined mother to the Shawnee village where they discover Jacob has been given to Jeremiah’s Shawnee adoptive sister, who renamed the boy Many Sparrows. With no clear way of taking back her son, strong-willed Clare must wrestle with her faith in an Almighty who has forced her to wait upon his larger plan. As she and Jeremiah settle into Shawnee life, their attempts to understand, befriend, and forgive those who took Jacob are threatened by the increasing violence between local tribes and the encroaching colonial army. Couched in vivid depictions of American frontier life, Clare and Jeremiah’s story is an exploration of the timeless biblical themes of faith, hope, and love. This is an excellent addition to the author’s inspirational frontier histories.