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mcloonejack's review against another edition
5.0
I am rarely one to take books at much more than face value, especially works of science fiction (though I was delighted to see that I wasn’t the only one who thinks this belongs outside, or at least on the edges, of the genre if only to manage reader expectations), but when you send some Jesuits and their friends into space, while also dealing the the Godly ramifications of an unknown catastrophe at the same time, I’m going to start to think.
As a pure story, I found Mary Doria Russell’s craft to be deeply engaging, particularly her character work. Is she playing on some tropes here? Sure. But the way she threads together three/four disparate groups — our main space crew (further subdivided in interesting ways, with all of our characters sharing moments with others), the Jesuits in Florence/Naples and their hearings and the sentient beings of Rakhat — is done with care and nuance. This is, by the end, a book with no villains, except maybe one, and even that is disputed: God.
The love you feel of the whole crew, and the different flavors of it — found family, romantic love, religious, staunchly-anti religious, etc — is allowed to flourish, but not, to me, in a way that felt like dead weight (which I’ll get to in a moment). Particularly the relationship between Emilio and Anne (an obvious author surrogate for MDR, who also has a PhD in social anthropology, and therefore the speaker of some of the funniest dialogue in the book. I respect this) is beautiful to watch unfold. We should all wish for an Anne in our lives, as an adopted mother figure or otherwise. I don’t want this review to drag on, but know that the character development of the priests and even some of the sapients is careful and beautiful as well.
As I alluded to before, MDR has a talent for dripping out the plot in what was a character- and introspection-driven novel in a way that strings you along and not realize just how much time is being spent on interpersonal relationships. The mystery of what happened, what went so wrong on Rakhat unfolds gradually, but I never felt frustrated for more. Every time it felt like I needed a new piece of the puzzle, right on time it would arrive. And more often than not, the reader is able to either explicitly get or is able to tease out the reactions of nearly every character to major events, again in a way that didn’t feel burdensome. This itself was a remarkable feat.
And the plot itself was stellar. It was creative, twisty in ways that felt earned, and as mentioned above, paced in a way I found agreeable.
Now to the deep thinking: this is, at its core, a book about God. Does He (to use the pronoun favored by the book) choose for us what happens? Is He the driving force? If so, as Anne asks, why do we only give Him credit for the good things, but none of the blame for the bad?
Emilio’s struggles with his faith, as a man some characters refer to as a budding saint, is the emotional core of this novel, and it’s not a spoiler to say the reader is left with an unsatisfactory answer. And it’s not unintentional; the question is among the most fraught humanity has ever dreamed up. But the Job-like experience Emilio has gone through provides a stunning lens for the question, as does the mix of priests and laypeople on the excursion.
Not to be forgotten, the actual sci-fi elements here are engaging in their own right. Learning more and more about the societies of the beings of Rakhat (walking on eggshells here to avoid spoilers) is as rewarding and in-depth as the works of sci-fi masters. We learn what we need to learn as readers, and what falls outside of that is engaging, and what we don’t know for certain provides really interesting questions on their own. My gears were turning alongside the crew the entire time, trying to tease out what would be the effect of their actions, and how things could have gone so wrong.
Overall, this cross between sci-fi and religious drama is going to stick with me a long, long time. What a masterpiece.
As a pure story, I found Mary Doria Russell’s craft to be deeply engaging, particularly her character work. Is she playing on some tropes here? Sure. But the way she threads together three/four disparate groups — our main space crew (further subdivided in interesting ways, with all of our characters sharing moments with others), the Jesuits in Florence/Naples and their hearings and the sentient beings of Rakhat — is done with care and nuance. This is, by the end, a book with no villains, except maybe one, and even that is disputed: God.
The love you feel of the whole crew, and the different flavors of it — found family, romantic love, religious, staunchly-anti religious, etc — is allowed to flourish, but not, to me, in a way that felt like dead weight (which I’ll get to in a moment). Particularly the relationship between Emilio and Anne (an obvious author surrogate for MDR, who also has a PhD in social anthropology, and therefore the speaker of some of the funniest dialogue in the book. I respect this) is beautiful to watch unfold. We should all wish for an Anne in our lives, as an adopted mother figure or otherwise. I don’t want this review to drag on, but know that the character development of the priests and even some of the sapients is careful and beautiful as well.
As I alluded to before, MDR has a talent for dripping out the plot in what was a character- and introspection-driven novel in a way that strings you along and not realize just how much time is being spent on interpersonal relationships. The mystery of what happened, what went so wrong on Rakhat unfolds gradually, but I never felt frustrated for more. Every time it felt like I needed a new piece of the puzzle, right on time it would arrive. And more often than not, the reader is able to either explicitly get or is able to tease out the reactions of nearly every character to major events, again in a way that didn’t feel burdensome. This itself was a remarkable feat.
And the plot itself was stellar. It was creative, twisty in ways that felt earned, and as mentioned above, paced in a way I found agreeable.
Now to the deep thinking: this is, at its core, a book about God. Does He (to use the pronoun favored by the book) choose for us what happens? Is He the driving force? If so, as Anne asks, why do we only give Him credit for the good things, but none of the blame for the bad?
Emilio’s struggles with his faith, as a man some characters refer to as a budding saint, is the emotional core of this novel, and it’s not a spoiler to say the reader is left with an unsatisfactory answer. And it’s not unintentional; the question is among the most fraught humanity has ever dreamed up. But the Job-like experience Emilio has gone through provides a stunning lens for the question, as does the mix of priests and laypeople on the excursion.
Not to be forgotten, the actual sci-fi elements here are engaging in their own right. Learning more and more about the societies of the beings of Rakhat (walking on eggshells here to avoid spoilers) is as rewarding and in-depth as the works of sci-fi masters. We learn what we need to learn as readers, and what falls outside of that is engaging, and what we don’t know for certain provides really interesting questions on their own. My gears were turning alongside the crew the entire time, trying to tease out what would be the effect of their actions, and how things could have gone so wrong.
Overall, this cross between sci-fi and religious drama is going to stick with me a long, long time. What a masterpiece.
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
4.0
Russell's character driven novel certainly elevates the genre of science fiction, and her background in anthropology made the behaviors and cultures--both on our future Earth and on the alien planet Rakhat--believable, natural, and interesting.
The narrative, told in flashback, slowly unfolds what happened to the crew of priests and scientists after their inter-stellar mission returns only one man, a mutilated and shocked Jesuit priest named Emilio Sandoz. It's a tension raising technique that never feels like a gag and it never falls flat. The fate of the crew is hinted at and revealed in nice contrast with the present day scenes of Sandoz trying to come to terms--with not much help from the priests "helping" him--with what happened to him and his friends.
Although I enjoyed the story, I did have some issues with the dialogue. The characters, who are all very good friends, are constantly joking themselves into hysterical laughter. What they're actually saying, though, is never really that funny. Also, the dialogue, especially that of Anne (or Ann? I listened to the book...) was always perfectly ironic, sarcastic, or pithy. No one talks like that all the time. It's forced and unrealistic, and it really drove me nuts.
That aside, however, the novel was a successful exploration of faith, healing, and behavior.
One final note on the audiobook: don't listen to it. The narrator, David Colacci, is an American who has to do accents for a Puerto Rican, a Texan, an Englishman, an Israeli, and others. And he does them, badly. Really badly. Read the book instead.
The narrative, told in flashback, slowly unfolds what happened to the crew of priests and scientists after their inter-stellar mission returns only one man, a mutilated and shocked Jesuit priest named Emilio Sandoz. It's a tension raising technique that never feels like a gag and it never falls flat. The fate of the crew is hinted at and revealed in nice contrast with the present day scenes of Sandoz trying to come to terms--with not much help from the priests "helping" him--with what happened to him and his friends.
Although I enjoyed the story, I did have some issues with the dialogue. The characters, who are all very good friends, are constantly joking themselves into hysterical laughter. What they're actually saying, though, is never really that funny. Also, the dialogue, especially that of Anne (or Ann? I listened to the book...) was always perfectly ironic, sarcastic, or pithy. No one talks like that all the time. It's forced and unrealistic, and it really drove me nuts.
That aside, however, the novel was a successful exploration of faith, healing, and behavior.
One final note on the audiobook: don't listen to it. The narrator, David Colacci, is an American who has to do accents for a Puerto Rican, a Texan, an Englishman, an Israeli, and others. And he does them, badly. Really badly. Read the book instead.
madelinerichards's review against another edition
5.0
wow that was incredible it got really dark at the end but i loved the writing
klaireparavel's review against another edition
5.0
A book centering around a Jesuit priest and a mission to an unknown planet to make first contact, what?
An all-encompassing tale of life, love, science, faith, spirituality, nature human and otherwise, right, wrong, good, evil and everything else centering wholly on the question of the existence of God. The answer is different for every person and can change over the course of a lifetime. The argument is analyzed from both sides and provides no conclusion to the reader.
If there was one dissatisfaction with this book, it was ultimately what finally splintered Emilio Sandoz's soul - a brutalact as a metaphor for submission and despair and isolation that might have been presented in other forms with the same effect.
I feel no compulsion to read the second book because this was, in itself, a self-contained story that needs no continuation.
An all-encompassing tale of life, love, science, faith, spirituality, nature human and otherwise, right, wrong, good, evil and everything else centering wholly on the question of the existence of God. The answer is different for every person and can change over the course of a lifetime. The argument is analyzed from both sides and provides no conclusion to the reader.
If there was one dissatisfaction with this book, it was ultimately what finally splintered Emilio Sandoz's soul - a brutalact as a metaphor for submission and despair and isolation that might have been presented in other forms with the same effect.
I feel no compulsion to read the second book because this was, in itself, a self-contained story that needs no continuation.
sarahschwehn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Torture, Sexual violence, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Blood, Pedophilia, Grief, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Slavery, Vomit, War, Violence, Abandonment, Cancer, Genocide, Gun violence, and Infertility
homomorphiesatz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.5
jedore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.25
“You know what’s the most terrifying thing about admitting that you’re in love?…You are just naked. You put yourself in harm’s way and you lay down all your defenses. No clothes, no weapons. Nowhere to hide. Completely vulnerable. The only thing that makes it tolerable is to believe the other person loves you back and that you can trust him not to hurt you.”
This is a captivating science fiction novel that intertwines deep themes, like love, faith, humanity, and the unknown. The story follows a Jesuit priest, Emilio Sandoz, and his eclectic team of scientists and scholars on a mission to make first contact with an alien civilization on the planet Rakhat. The narrative is structured in two timelines, one detailing the mission’s hopeful beginnings and the other unraveling the tragic aftermath, which keeps readers engaged and chomping at the bit to understand the full picture.
This may very well be my very first true science fiction book! I’m not typically a fan of sci-fi, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying this one. The blend of speculative fiction with profound philosophical questions made it a compelling read.
I was initially apprehensive about the religious aspect of the book, given its heavy focus on Jesuit priests. However, Mary Doria Russell handles the religious themes objectively and the story remains balanced by her inclusion of both non-religious and Jewish characters who are integral to the plot. The religious characters are portrayed as complex humans, not as dogmatic zealots trying to convert others, which I very much appreciated. This approach made the interactions between religious and non-religious characters feel authentic and respectful.
There were so many fascinating facets to this story. The book delves into Catholicism, linguistics, alien culture, interpersonal relationships, sanctioned body mutilation, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Boredom is never an option!
Character development is fantastic. Each character is given a distinct voice and personality, making them feel real and relatable. The description of the alien species is really well-done. Russell’s vivid imagery allowed me to easily visualize the aliens and their environment.
I highly recommend "The Sparrow" to anyone interested in an intelligent and multifaceted story…whether you're a fan of science fiction or not!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Grief, Medical content, Slavery, Colonisation, Confinement, Dysphoria, Body horror, Torture, Genocide, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Cannibalism, Abandonment, Child death, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Rape, and Terminal illness
Minor: Drug use, Police brutality, and Gore
threegoodrats's review against another edition
4.0
Review is here: http://blog.threegoodrats.com/2009/03/sparrow-by-mary-doria-russell-review.html
spaidw's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
4.5