Please enable JavaScript
On the Wings of the Red-Tailed Hawk review by Lizand31 | LitPick Book Reviews
LitPick Student Book Reviews logo
On the Wings of the Red-Tailed Hawk review by Liz...
On the Wings of the Red-Tailed Hawk
by Gail Combs Oglesby
Age Range - Mature Young Adult
Genre - Historical Fiction

LitPick Review

Profile Picture
Lizand31
Age at time of review - 37
Reviewer's Location - Neptune City, NJ, United States
View Lizand31's profile

The story begins on the Mayflower coming to the Americas in 1620.  The ship lands in a place only inhabited by Native Americans instead of Jamestown, their original intended landing location.  Jamestown was already established and was gaining interest of settlers from England. The main character, Sarah Bailey, and her husband, along with other settlers decide to build their own plantation called Plimouth. Widowed soon after landing, Sarah marries a man named William after another ship arrives and its passengers join Plimouth.  They build a family and a life together in the new colony. Trials and tribulations of colonial life are explored as the years go by. Many lives are lost in within her family, but as the family matriarch, she sets an example of caring and perseverance.

Opinion: 

The historical background of the story was very interesting.  The story started with the beginning of the colonies in 1620, when America was primarily inhabited by the Native Americans. The settlers built upon the land and expanded slowly at first, but then more rapidly to other surrounding areas.  Many fell ill with fevers upon arriving to the colonies and struggled to survive the cold winters. It was sometimes hard to keep track of all the deaths, but this was accurate at the time.  I liked the inclusion of the witch trials in the story. I had not previously thought about the witch trials and colonial times together.
 
The book describes the life of Sarah Bailey, first traveling to Plimouth and then building a life there.  Sarah was a young widowed woman at the beginning of the book and gets a second chance at marriage with William.  Together, they raise their children and the years progress.  The stories of the children's lives are woven into the story.  Sarah is a brave woman who not only faced down a bear, but a wolf as well.  A fire broke out in the town and she even saved children, including her granddaughter, from the school.  Taught at a young age to mix tonics and tinctures, she uses these skills to help her neighbors.  Her selfless actions are shown throughout the story.  
 
The pacing of the story was often a little hard to follow.  Sometimes the chapter would go by days and other times it would skip several years. It would mention the difference in time, yet I would feel I missed something during the time hop. However, this is a successful strategy for skipping events that don’t matter as much. 
 
I enjoyed the story and the strong female character as the center of the book. I found using Sarah as the center allowed for multiple branches to connect to the supporting characters. This book would appeal to anyone who has interest in the colonial times. Although it is fiction, the author did a great job bringing in historical elements to enhance the tale. It was engaging and made me want to read more. 
Rating:
4
Content Rating:

Content rating - nothing offensive
What's this?

Explain your content rating: 

There were not offensive topics in the book. It does mention death, but isn’t described fully.
KEYWORDS

ME, YOU, OR THEM: 

CHARACTERISTICS AND EMOTIONS: 

ACTIVITIES, HOBBIES, PLACES, AND EVENTS: 


Read more reviews by this Litpick Book Reviewer: Lizand31
Recommend this book and review to your friends on Facebook


RECENT BOOK REVIEWS
SHOW ME MORE!

ABOUT LITPICK BOOK REVIEWS

BECOME A REVIEWER

LitPick inspires  our global community of reviewers of all ages (from third grade into adulthood) to read and review books and uses feedback and incentives to encourage them to become better writers.

AUTHORS - PUBLISHERS

LitPick provides authors and publishers book reviews and a means to promote their titles worldwide through written book reviews, video book reviews, and social media blasts.

TEACHERS - LIBRARIANS

LitPick helps teachers and librarians promote reading and writing through book clubs, reading groups, and individualized, personal feedback on written book reviews.

QUESTIONS?

 

© LitPick 2025. All Rights Reserved.