The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson

By Mrs. Mary Rowlandson

Considered the first American "bestseller", this early captivity narrative follows Mary Rowlandson's three month holding by the American Algonquian Indians. The first by an Anglo-American woman, Mrs. Rowlandson's "Narrative" remains a classic. Captivating to readers since its initial publication in 1682, this account presents a unique perspective on transcultural interaction between early American settlers and their Native American counterparts. Following King Phillip's War, Mary and her three children were seized by Algonquian Indians in her town of Lancaster, Massachusetts. What ensued is a harrowing journey of tremendous hardship up to her release per ransom. Rowlandson integrates Puritan ideologies and Biblical verses; attributing much of her survival upon her Lord. The book's popularity inspired a generation of settlement novelists to incorporate the authenticity of Rowlandson's "Narrative" into their works. Influence can be seen in the novels of Charles Brockden Brown and James Fenimore Cooper. This text is of great value to both the scholar and the general reader for its social and historical insight into the adolescent years of America.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing
• Release date: Feb 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781420945041

Reviews for The Sovereignty and Goodness of God

[mcdyson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In 1675 Mary Rowlandson, wife of a minister, was taken by Indians during King Philip's War. This is written by Mary and reads like a witness to the glory of God. (which is ok but not what I expected) Although I liked it because of its historical value, I would rather have had more detail of what her life was like while she was held. There is some but she survived I think by prayer and her beliefs and she wanted to emphasize this.

[librarycatnip · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Yeah......this was not an exciting read. It is very detailed, and relatively dispassionate. She discusses food a LOT (I'm sure it was a very salient concern in her captivity). Lots of scripture, though I'm intrigued by Jason's idea of her carrying her culture with her through these various removes, and using the bible and Christianity as a light in the darkness she was experiencing at the time having been captured and held in a strange culture as a slave against her will.

And it is perfectly within the purview of my approach to "literature" to study this, which might more often be labeled as a "captivity narrative," or a primary historical source. But decisions get made when composing these kinds of texts that we tend to think about as non-fiction, or history. There are many choices in here about how to represent and present her experience and the people she discusses. Doesn't make it thrilling, though it might improve if I actually do work on it.

[raselyem7 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Yeah......this was not an exciting read. It is very detailed, and relatively dispassionate. She discusses food a LOT (I'm sure it was a very salient concern in her captivity). Lots of scripture, though I'm intrigued by Jason's idea of her carrying her culture with her through these various removes, and using the bible and Christianity as a light in the darkness she was experiencing at the time having been captured and held in a strange culture as a slave against her will.

And it is perfectly within the purview of my approach to "literature" to study this, which might more often be labeled as a "captivity narrative," or a primary historical source. But decisions get made when composing these kinds of texts that we tend to think about as non-fiction, or history. There are many choices in here about how to represent and present her experience and the people she discusses. Doesn't make it thrilling, though it might improve if I actually do work on it.

[k...-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

If I could, I would give it 1.5 stars because, although I didn't like it, it wasn't downright horrible.

[chris177 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mary’s story is one misery yet hope. Mary was captured by Native Americans in an attack on a small Massachusetts town during want we call King Philip’s War.” The more I read about this “unremembered” war the more interesting it becomes. I recommend first reading one of the many books on the history of this time period and then read Mary’s account. It will help you to better understand what some of her references refer to.

[ryoung_971385 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A forgotten classic in American Literature.