Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - Parable of the Sower

I don't really see a reason to pick up this book.

The book did not manage to grip me. There was a lot of repetition and the constant same amount of tension and chaos made it oddly boring. I didn't feel immersed and stopped caring about the character, I just felt like I was on a slow monorail just logging through the chapters.

I didn't like the main character, she felt very young with the naive "I've figured out the world" mindset, without ever being punished for it. She never questioned her own way of thinking either.

The world building was lackluster, the multiple themes which seemed to make this book special (pyromania, dystopia, starting a new religion) were never really expanded on or even challenged. It's just as it is and you only read about the direct current consequences to the characters.

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manyofmae's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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nat_meow's review

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dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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meg1996's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A bleak, thought provoking and deeply unsettling prediction of the future. Octavia Butler may have been a little ahead in her timeline however it’s scary how close we could be to this reality. It wasn’t all dark and depressing, she also gave us just enough optimism and hope for the future of humanity, a very interesting look at community and the human condition. A tad repetitive but the repetitiveness did serve a purpose I think, and Lauren did get on my nerves a lot however I think that made her all the more realistic.

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crybabybea's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

One of the greatest writers of our time for sure. Parable of the Sower is interesting because, while it's shelved as sci-fi, there's actually not many sci-fi elements to it, except for made-up drugs and side effects and a fictionalized setting. To me, it actually reads more like literary fiction; our time is spent inside the main character's head and her relationships rather than getting wrapped up in an action-packed plot. It read very similarly to I Who Have Never Known Men, but written with a feeling of tension rather than isolation.

Of course, there are moments of "action", in which the characters have to fight their way out of dangerous situations and survive, but the scenes move quickly without much detail, and instead the action serves to further the development of the main character, Lauren, and her relationships with her community. Lauren's narration is matter-of-fact and brutal. She observes the world through the lens of survival, and her idea of what it takes to survive evolves as she experiences more and more violence. Moving from quiet anticipation, to uneasy vigilance, to cautious magnanimity, her understanding of the world is showcased through her development of her spirituality called Earthseed.

Earthseed is something that I think can be analyzed in so many different ways and is definitely a huge reason why this book is as highly praised as it is. It highlights the knowledge of Black activists, but especially Black women. Motherhood in all of its forms is incredibly important to the formation of the burgeoning Earthseed community. Lauren also believes in the importance of intersectionality, embracing diversity and change. The questions of climate disaster and Lauren's seed collecting also point to indigenous wisdom. In developing Earthseed, Octavia Butler critiques people's cautiousness around changing traditional values, beliefs, and systems, and instead asks us to listen to the people around us, especially those with diverse opinions and experiences.

There are so many layers to unpack with this book, that I'm sure have been unpacked by people much smarter than I am. There are parallels to so many things. It kind of started to feel a little meta because while The Parable of the Sower presents parallels to issues that have affected different marginalized groups (but especially those of the global south and Black Americans), Lauren is somewhat privileged, at least via class, and the people in her community refuse to see the danger closing in until it begins to affect them personally. Which, of course, is similar to the mindset of white people in America. Y'know the whole "first they came for the communists" kinda thing.

Read it. It's still timely and clearly inspired many works of modern fiction. Be wary of trigger warnings.

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