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erenreads12's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
Tayari Jones has crafted a novel where every sentence feels intentional. Silver Sparrow packs a hell of a punch and, as a marker of its quality, makes me want to talk about it with everyone that I know. One thing I've had issue with in the past with this author is the abruptness of her endings, hence why I've knocked off a star - but I do feel as though the abruptness and lack of closure is as intentional as every other moment in the book. It might not be the ending I want to happen, but that's the point - we rarely get those in life anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Minor: Fatphobia, Physical abuse, and Death
lindsayerin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Death
Minor: Child death, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
seawarrior's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In many ways, Silver Sparrow is a very unsettling novel. Yet it is also a fierce, heart-wrenching love story of a family told from the perspective of their youngest generation. Jones made me fall in love with the Yarboro and Witherspoon families, despite their many flaws and the knowledge that the existence of one of James' families would always threaten the other. Jones' prose was wise and biting, and her characterization was inspiringly precise. Every page in this book holds profound meaning for the people involved, and each scene that moved along the timeline of Dana and Chaurisse's lives was never without the higher purpose of showing us who these young women were growing into. The decision to switch between the girls' perspectives midway through the book was jarring at first, but eventually made the story even more poignant, as it was impossible for me to dislike Dana, Chaurisse, or their mothers. It was even difficult to not empathize with James or Raleigh. By the end of the book I felt devastated that these shared families could not forgive each other and find unity, but as Dana says, "some things were inevitable. You’d have to be a fool to think otherwise".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Child death, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Rape, and Physical abuse
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