When her husband leaves for help following their wagon crash and her son is captured by the Shawnee, Clare Inglesby is left alone and in labor with her second child, desperate to recover her son, but without a means forward. Frontiersman Jeremiah Ring comes to her aid, but his connections among the Shawnee make it more complicated than before--the woman who has adopted Clare's son is his own grieving sister. With the Shawnee village on Rain Crow's side, and war threatening to explode on the frontier, will Clare ever get her son back?There is always so much to love about Lori Benton's books--from the real, human characters, to the fascinating backbone of history, to the piercing message we can take away from reading them.
I cannot imagine the pain either Clare nor Rain Crow experiences over little Jacob/Many Sparrows--for Clare, the kidnapping of her son. For Rain Crow, the joy of an adoption destroyed as the birth mother suddenly appears to take her child back. Right away I wanted to make peace between the two women so they can both be happy, but I know it isn't that simple. At times I was frustrated with Clare for her single mindedness about taking Jacob back to civilization, even after she gets to know the Shawnee, but when I stop and think--who wouldn't do everything she could to rescue her child?
Being caught between worlds on multiple fronts, Jeremiah is a wonderful source of balance. He's been through fire and knows now how to truly put his trust in the Lord. It doesn't mean life is easy for him--especially when caught between his sister and the woman he promised to help--but his faith is a wonderful example for us. He is a spectacular example of a godly man--the best kind of hero.
Seeing the Shawnee perspective on Dunmore's War reminds me how it takes both sides to start a war--and how many missed opportunities for peace there always are. Though the real life characters Logan, Cornstalk, and Nonhelema have primarily background roles in the story, their words and actions are moving; Logan's because his years of peace with the whites was shattered when the rest of his family was ambushed and massacred; Cornstalk and Nonhelema's because they advocated for peace and knew exactly what war--especially losing the war--would cost, yet they were willing to lead their people into battle anyway (and then make them face the consequences of their choices).
Perhaps the thing I love most about Lori Benton's stories is how so many lives affect others--one bad decision can devastate a whole family or more, yet healing and reconciliation can be brought around not just to include those immediately involved, but also to enfold others. It's beautifully reflective of God's hand in our lives, where He is at work in a far greater and more complex way than we can possibly imagine.
I highly recommend reading The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn immediately after this, since it is the story of a couple of the secondary characters in this book (young Wildcat when he is all grown up).
Thank you Blogging for Books for providing a free book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.
Related novels:
The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn
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