Many Sparrows: A Novel

Gifted author and I love this story

If you have never read any of Lori Benton’s novels, now is a great time to start! Her newest novel grabbed my heart and attention from the first words all the way through till the very climactic conclusion! Lori Benton brings together threads of Scripture, faith, romance, action and adventure plus more to weave a masterpiece that was worth waiting for!Set in the prerevolutionary times in the Ohio and Kentucky lands, readers will be instantly drawn into a story when a family enters territory that is set to explode with an Indian uprising. There is palpable tension between the wife and her husband which only escalates when he leaves to find help after their wagon breaks down. Soon, it becomes apparent that Philip isn’t coming back to Clare, who is near her birthing time, and their small son Jacob.When the pangs of birth begin, much sooner than she thought, she goes to a place to give birth away from her small son to spare him the sight. What Clare didn’t count on was Jacob disappearing and a stranger appearing to help her in her greatest hour of need! Readers are quickly set on a heart-pounding path of discovering what happens to Clare, Philip, and Jacob along with the new baby that is very hard to put down!Lori does a masterful job of placing before us the truth of how hard at times trusting in God is especially when there is nothing anyone can do to change the circumstances. Her characters reflect the sorrow of soul, tears of pain, and those moments of the glorious hope and peace that God alone can give to those who release their hearts and problems completely to the Lord.For me, I could relate to Clare in her struggles, tears and learning that God hears the cry of His children. We also learn the truth of Matthew 10:29-31 (NASB): “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

This book is magnificent and immensely satisfying. I can't put myself together to write a proper review so I'll probably gush all the way through...Clare Inglesby and Jeremiah Ring's story is one that pulls you from the beginning. It makes you want to read it as quickly as possible but, at the same time, it compels you to go slowly, savor it with purpose, relish the journey and let it be more than just a story but a venture that can change you as well.This book pulls you in every direction, from compassion to outrage, to understanding until healing is fully bloomed. And trust me, it will come... if we only learn to be confident in our waiting. But how to do so when you've already lost almost everything you hold dear and the only one left is forbidden to be yours again. This is the plight Clare finds herself in days after losing her husband and giving birth with the help of a stranger.For Jeremiah, there is too much familiarity in Clare's story with his own, which moves him to want to help her and teach her to persevere during the waiting so she won't have to learn it the hard way, as he did. But is there an actual easy way to proceed when you are required to remain among a people so different from you and who are seen mostly as enemies? And how surprising can it be when doing so challenges you to rethink every conception who had grown up to believe in until then? About living sacrificially, about community, friendship, love, faith, and hope.No need to say Lori Benton's writing is exceptional. It is so dynamic that I never get lost with each new character added, when point-of-view changes or when characters are traveling through different regions. And don't even get me started on the heroes she writes. They are the epitome of kindness and gentleness (without being presented as faultless or unrealistic, mind you).Yep, hands down, this is one of the best books of the year!!

“A busted wagon, a vanished son, a brush shelter in the wilderness, a stranger to midwife—none of that would have figured into those plans.”Complex and rich with historic detail, this story engages the reader from the first page. The year is 1774 and Clare Inglesby, a young and very pregnant mother of one finds herself once again on the move. Her husband, Philip, has single handedly decided that it would be to their benefit to depart rural Virginia for the wilds of the settlement of Kentucky.As the journey progresses, Clare battles through one conflict after another. Jeremiah Ring, a frontiersman and adopted Shawnee, arrives in Clare’s life at a time when she most needs help. Through the disappearance of her husband and son, Jacob, to surviving life in an Indian village, Clare looks to find someone in whom she can place her trust. As Clare continually struggles to force her will, she will eventually remember how to trust and who to trust.The book touched this reader deeply. The emotions are raw. I wanted to cry and to pray for this woman Clare many time during the book. The characters have a depth of spirit and strength that embodies the true spirit of early Americans and many Native Americans. Read the novel to discover how Clare finds the patience to realize that our time is not always God’s time and how she resolves the issue of her missing son.I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah and the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The above thoughts and opinions I have expressed are wholly my own.

Many sparrows was a fantastic read! A good look into the time period and the difference in the ways of life.