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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first quarter of the book was a bit boring to me. It's clearly setup for the characters and bulk of the plot, but I kept waiting for the "real" action to start with then going to the alien planet and have the book start exploring the new species. However, it is good characterization in that first section, along with setup of mysteries later answered.
The rest of the novel is adventurous and thrilling, and the end reveal of what happened on the planet is fairly shocking. I felt transported to the world the author wrote and was really glued to the page.
Overall I found the themes about faith and first contact fairly deep and worth thinking about, with a generally good story to boot.
After reading the afterword, I'm skeptical of the authors apparent sympathies for early European explorers like Columbus for destroying Indigenous people and cultures as simply out of ignorance with good intentions. That is not the message I got out of the novel; if anything the hubris of the more religious of the charater's cause the climatic events, and in any case, there is clear historical documentation of genuine malice from early European colonizers. But this book review isn't the place to debate Russell on the early impact of colonization.
The rest of the novel is adventurous and thrilling, and the end reveal of what happened on the planet is fairly shocking. I felt transported to the world the author wrote and was really glued to the page.
Overall I found the themes about faith and first contact fairly deep and worth thinking about, with a generally good story to boot.
After reading the afterword, I'm skeptical of the authors apparent sympathies for early European explorers like Columbus for destroying Indigenous people and cultures as simply out of ignorance with good intentions. That is not the message I got out of the novel; if anything the hubris of the more religious of the charater's cause the climatic events, and in any case, there is clear historical documentation of genuine malice from early European colonizers. But this book review isn't the place to debate Russell on the early impact of colonization.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder
i don't honestly remember a lot about this one.. not interesting enough for me to read the sequel
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Quite possibly my most favorite book of all time. I finished this 3 months ago and I am still trying to recover. As cliche as it sounds I feel like this book changed how I view many things in this world: love, faith, trust, our own intelligence. I wouldn't recommend this book to just anyone, it is something special that is to only be shared with those who will truly appreciate it.
This was brutal and dark and thought-provoking and good. There are so many things I could say, but I’ll leave it at WOW.
This may be the first time when I found myself agreeing with a lot of the points made in the one-star reviews of a book, and *also* a lot of the points made in the five-star reviews. The Sparrow really is brilliant and terrible at the same time. I just typed a long explanation of why, but it was pretty incoherent (I've had very little sleep this week), so I deleted it again. You'll just have to read the book.
A modern masterpiece. If you like a intellectual sci-fi I would highly recommend this book.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A literary SF novel about first contact. Interestingly written, good characters and a nice alien culture. I did not really like the format the book was told in. I also felt that some of the themes that were touched upon a lot were no longer that interesting. They seem to have been discussed a lot in our media and society in the 30 years since this book was released. There were some other themes in here that were brushed against that were very interesting but not really given the spotlight. I think if this book was written today, these themes of oppression and cultural blindspots would get more attention, I think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
I don't know how to review this book other than to say I need to watch an hour long video essay about it.
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“There’s an old Jewish story that says in the beginning God was everywhere and everything, a totality. But to make creation, God had to remove Himself from some part of the universe, so something besides Himself could exist. So He breathed in, and in the places where God withdrew, there creation exists.”
“So God just leaves?” … “Abandons creation? You’re on your own, apes. Good luck!”
“No. He watches. He rejoices. He weeps. He observes the moral drama of human life and gives meaning to it by caring passionately about us, and remembering.”
“Matthew ten, verse twenty-nine,” … “‘Not one sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.’”
“But the sparrow still falls.”
---
“There’s an old Jewish story that says in the beginning God was everywhere and everything, a totality. But to make creation, God had to remove Himself from some part of the universe, so something besides Himself could exist. So He breathed in, and in the places where God withdrew, there creation exists.”
“So God just leaves?” … “Abandons creation? You’re on your own, apes. Good luck!”
“No. He watches. He rejoices. He weeps. He observes the moral drama of human life and gives meaning to it by caring passionately about us, and remembering.”
“Matthew ten, verse twenty-nine,” … “‘Not one sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.’”
“But the sparrow still falls.”
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-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