Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

43 reviews

bobin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I had a lot of emotions about this book. Ultimately, I didn't like it as I felt the social structure of aliens was too similar to humans and not well developed, and I think the pacing was a little off and the "gotcha" moment was unsurprising. this is much m9re an exploration of human morals than it is a conversation about aliens- the aliens were almost a background character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Body horror and Suicidal thoughts

annamolpus's review

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

Because the edition I read was published in 2008, I didn't realize until after I'd finished that The Sparrow was first published in 1996. It is remarkably prescient - accurately predicting many aspects of modern society (and those that haven't yet come to pass still feel entirely plausible). Like the best science fiction, The Sparrow grounds the story in well-developed characters you care about. I laughed when they laughed, and cried when they cried, all in the context of a fascinating sci-fi plot interwoven with questions of anthropology and religion. Imaginative and compelling, with only occasional pacing issues, I recommend this book for fans of literary fiction as well as sci-fi readers. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence

nouveau's review

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, and Trafficking

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Pregnancy

ladymickbeth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Moderate: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Child death, Medical content, and Violence

Minor: Vomit

This is a beautifully written book with a unique and engaging narrative voice and characters that are flawed, but likeable or understandable. I would have given this a higher rating, but there are a number of micro aggressions (primarily against Emilio, who is Latino) and problematic comments.

maxwellreads's review against another edition

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Rape

Moderate: Cannibalism

conqueringsquid's review against another edition

challenging dark sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Rape, Blood, Chronic illness, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

bogbody05's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Slavery, and Rape

smallredboy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is one of those novels that as soon as you finish reading them you will know they will stick with you for a long, long time. I don't even know how to say anything that I want to say. But incredible book. Read it.

Edit a few days after this fact: This is a complex book. It's very much Jewish, even when it deals largely with Jesuits, as it gives you a thousand questions about God (including the good ol' "if God exists, why do horrible things happen?" question) but provides exactly zero answers (maybe half an answer), which is very much a Jewish thing to do. The characters are alive, almost too alive, enough for the foregone conclusion to hurt even before it happens. The way it deals with trauma (mental, physical and sexual) is realistic and cathartic, believable; I feel for Emilio deeply. While I don't know much about science, most of it felt pretty realistic, and I absolutely adored the focus on anthropology and linguistics, as that I understand some more of. The non-linear narrative makes it better, in my opinion; the sinking dread having an understanding of what's going to happen while hope is still high in the air is incredible.

It's a very heavy book, with a thousand trigger warnings to be given. But if you can read it, I really do recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: War

inkfingers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The Sparrow is a first contact story set in the near future. The characters are well developed and engaging, and while some of the plot points or discussions may seem like rabbit trails or odd distractions, by the end they form a coherent thematic picture. The linguistic and anthropological discussions are interesting and reminded me a bit of Ursula K. Le Guin’s sci fi. 

The in media res framing effectively cuts between the horrible aftermath and the exuberant pre-disaster lives of the crew. Knowing the tragedy from the first paragraph does not make it harder to get attached to the fleshed out crew, but it did make every misfortune and miscommunication even more tense.

The putting together of the mission and crew does feel extremely convenient, but the characters consider the pieces falling together a sign of divine intervention but question it later as things go wrong. As long as the reader is willing to meet the book on its own terms and see it as a kind of eucatastrophe, it does reward the suspension of disbelief.

The horrible end of the mission is hinted at from the beginning, and a careful reader may guess what went wrong, but Russell holds the whole truth back until the last fifty pages of the book when Emilio finally tells the Father General what happened. Then the catastrophe plays out at breakneck speed and earns 80% of the novel’s tag warnings in quick succession so heed those even if you aren’t very squeamish.

This book is a discussion of faith and suffering in the league of Silence by Shūsaku Endō, offering no easy answers about a crisis of faith and God’s silence. 
The last fifty pages of this book laid me out like a Victorian lady taken to her bed with a dreadful illness, and I expect I won’t recover until I read the sequel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Rape

Moderate: Violence and Vomit

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, and Medical content

lesbegays's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Excrement, Medical content, Murder, and Terminal illness

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Antisemitism, Car accident, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, and Xenophobia