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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Red Sparrow begins with one one hell of a bang, introducing two central characters in a high stakes rendezvous filled with suspense and culminating in a thrilling foot chase on Soviet soil. Boy was I excited for what was to come! Unfortunately, it really lags, taking its time introducing arguably the most interesting character, Dominika (the Red Sparrow), by way of her father. Her character evolution comes from sources outside of her home and therefore his death serves more purpose than his convictions do. The story would have been better served by centering her childhood years on her, rather than her father. Matthews tries to make a point about minimizing women to their sex appeal, but fails spectacularly. The story is rather bloated with too many characters and the unnecessary focus on food. The time Matthews spends highlighting the incompetence of the FBI comes across as unnecessarily petty. However, the plot is great and commands your attention. I appreciated the back and forth between Dominika and Nate, though I found the sex scenes to be lacking. I also think if we'd had more time with the two of them working together, we would've found MARBLE selecting Dominika as his successor to be more believable. This one was not my cup of tea.
In spy novels I tend to have trouble with keeping interest where there is too much technical jargon or too many government acronyms, but Red Sparrow either found the right balance - or perhaps it is because I was drawn in so well and sped through the book in just a few days that I retained the relevant info throughout the story. Either way, a very good read.
Only negative I have is that Mr. Matthews drastically raised the stakes maybe 1/3 of the way through and that made what came before feel less satisfying as I kept reading, but at the time it had been perfectly good on its own merits. 🤷‍♀️
Only negative I have is that Mr. Matthews drastically raised the stakes maybe 1/3 of the way through and that made what came before feel less satisfying as I kept reading, but at the time it had been perfectly good on its own merits. 🤷‍♀️
Concept good
Trade craft and some scenes great
Let down by the writing and execution, Far too much tell not show
e.g. One of the key characters was introduced, became someone's best friend, and was killed (which became a major motivating force) in less than 20 pages, which felt convenient/rushed/something
Needed a aggressive edit
One question that bugged me, and has not been commented on (very mild spoilers perhaps). When was the book set? I wonder if the author was drawing from his early career experiences and trying to bring them current.
A decade after a 2005 Act, so 2015. But could a 45 year-old in 2015 have been an important political player 10 years earlier?
Putin is in charge 2002+
Someone was 68 who played an important part in an operation that happened in 1955, so 2005 at the latest
There were more or less no cell phones/text messages/social media which puts it at 2005 or before (later in the book they crop up, but people are failing to coordinate, and politicians are not glued to their phones)
Grizzled veterans of the cold war abounded, no references to 9/11, and nothing significant about US wars in Iraq/Afghanistan, which puts it pre-Putin
Overall it had a late 90s/early 2000s feel with Putin and much later tech selectively layered in.
This might all be super picky, but several of the specific time references could have been edited out with no loss of plot, and in the end they served to confuse.
Trade craft and some scenes great
Let down by the writing and execution, Far too much tell not show
e.g. One of the key characters was introduced, became someone's best friend, and was killed (which became a major motivating force) in less than 20 pages, which felt convenient/rushed/something
Needed a aggressive edit
One question that bugged me, and has not been commented on (very mild spoilers perhaps). When was the book set? I wonder if the author was drawing from his early career experiences and trying to bring them current.
A decade after a 2005 Act, so 2015. But could a 45 year-old in 2015 have been an important political player 10 years earlier?
Putin is in charge 2002+
Someone was 68 who played an important part in an operation that happened in 1955, so 2005 at the latest
There were more or less no cell phones/text messages/social media which puts it at 2005 or before (later in the book they crop up, but people are failing to coordinate, and politicians are not glued to their phones)
Grizzled veterans of the cold war abounded, no references to 9/11, and nothing significant about US wars in Iraq/Afghanistan, which puts it pre-Putin
Overall it had a late 90s/early 2000s feel with Putin and much later tech selectively layered in.
This might all be super picky, but several of the specific time references could have been edited out with no loss of plot, and in the end they served to confuse.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Decent book - enjoyable & well paced, but disappointing having seen the film. The plot of the film differs, and is better for it - the twist at the end of that making for a much more satisfying conclusion than the rather predictable ending that the book provides.
The majority of the book characters are not developed thoroughly enough for me to care too much about their fate & the author's odd habit of including the recipe for a dish or meal featured in the text at the end of each chapter does lead to some food scenes feeling very much as though they've been shoe-horned in just to satisfy the need for a recipe. It does get a little irritating after a while...
The majority of the book characters are not developed thoroughly enough for me to care too much about their fate & the author's odd habit of including the recipe for a dish or meal featured in the text at the end of each chapter does lead to some food scenes feeling very much as though they've been shoe-horned in just to satisfy the need for a recipe. It does get a little irritating after a while...
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
2 1/2 stars.
Dammit, I have big time mixed feelings about this one.
On one hand, it's way, way, way too long. A spy novel should not be 550 pages and take a week to read. But it's weird because it's a page turner, too. The writing, particularly the dialogue, is pretty ridiculous at times, but I can't say it's poorly written, per se.
It's also entertaining but has too much plot and almost too many characters. There's also so much talk about catching a certain character that I kept thinking, "Could we TALK much LESS about doing this and actually just get it done?"
Matthews also has this little tic where he telegraphs the fact that something momentous or bad is going to happen just before it occurs. It's not a bad quality, but it takes a little bit of the surprise away.
Also, as others have pointed out, this is definitely misogynistic in certain ways and falls victim to the "sexy woman written by a man" cliche. We hear about how gorgeous she is on almost every page. The biggest howler of all is the thing with the hairbrush.
So, as you can see, this is a mixed bag but I did enjoy things about it. Hell, I might even continue with the trilogy...but I'll probably wait a while if I do. I don't feel the need to rush right out and buy the next one immediately or anything.
Dammit, I have big time mixed feelings about this one.
On one hand, it's way, way, way too long. A spy novel should not be 550 pages and take a week to read. But it's weird because it's a page turner, too. The writing, particularly the dialogue, is pretty ridiculous at times, but I can't say it's poorly written, per se.
It's also entertaining but has too much plot and almost too many characters. There's also so much talk about catching a certain character that I kept thinking, "Could we TALK much LESS about doing this and actually just get it done?"
Matthews also has this little tic where he telegraphs the fact that something momentous or bad is going to happen just before it occurs. It's not a bad quality, but it takes a little bit of the surprise away.
Also, as others have pointed out, this is definitely misogynistic in certain ways and falls victim to the "sexy woman written by a man" cliche. We hear about how gorgeous she is on almost every page. The biggest howler of all is the thing with the hairbrush.
So, as you can see, this is a mixed bag but I did enjoy things about it. Hell, I might even continue with the trilogy...but I'll probably wait a while if I do. I don't feel the need to rush right out and buy the next one immediately or anything.
I haven’t read many spy novels, and the tradecraft in this book WAS interesting. The characters seemed a little underdeveloped, and a couple of features (the recipes at the end of each chapter, and her special gift to read people’s auras) didn’t add much. Plus, the story took too long to get going. #Meh
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I never felt like I cared for the characters, yet the characters were really the only through line. There really wasn't a plot thread that I could follow start to finish, unless you include the romance element. I suppose it is a romance with a spy thriller skin.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual harassment
Yay! I haven't read a spy novel this good in years. We all bemoan the loss of the cold war as spy literature just hasn't been the same. Well Jason Matthews delivers a great ride with this classic spy story of a mole hunt in the Russian Spy Agency (SVR). The story pits two young spies, Nathaniel Nash and Dominika Egorova against each other with great back drops of Moscow, Helsinki, Rome, Washington, and Athens. Great read and it helps that Matthews, like Ian Fleming was a spy himself! There is a real authentic feel to the book.