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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence
Intrepid prologue, soon became anxious, self-conscious. Kind of a waste of a good idea.
dark
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pedophilia
I tried and failed to read The Sparrow multiple times, until recently, when I took myself away from my distractions and dedicated a few hours to rereading it front to back again. I stopped, always, when the signal was discovered at Arecibo Observatory. Knowing what awaited me, I was terrified of what might come in the next pages, paralyzed from turning them or absorbing the words properly. I was, ultimately, very scared that Emilio Sandoz and I were asking the same questions about faith and cruelty.
We were, and even though it hurt profoundly and devastated me more than any book has a right to, I am glad that I read it. This, for me, was one of those special reads. A long, winding, human story which culminated in the most evocative and valuable thing I can draw from literature: knowing that I am not alone. To be seen and known is both terrifying and relieving at once. The Sparrow follows just such a narrative of confession and self-acceptance in the wake of untold trauma.
The Sparrow resonated with me in a way which few stories have been able to do. I think that it is a book for the hurting and the faithless and the faithful all at once.
Emilio Sandoz stands out, but all the characters have left a permanent mark in my mind. Friends that I can refer back to fondly. Mary Doria Russell excels in the humane, and her love for people is evident in the fictional ones she has crafted.
We were, and even though it hurt profoundly and devastated me more than any book has a right to, I am glad that I read it. This, for me, was one of those special reads. A long, winding, human story which culminated in the most evocative and valuable thing I can draw from literature: knowing that I am not alone. To be seen and known is both terrifying and relieving at once. The Sparrow follows just such a narrative of confession and self-acceptance in the wake of untold trauma.
The Sparrow resonated with me in a way which few stories have been able to do. I think that it is a book for the hurting and the faithless and the faithful all at once.
Emilio Sandoz stands out, but all the characters have left a permanent mark in my mind. Friends that I can refer back to fondly. Mary Doria Russell excels in the humane, and her love for people is evident in the fictional ones she has crafted.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Complicated
I most disrespectfully return him the ticket
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Writing about near-future space travel to an inhabited planet, Russell tells the story from the "present/future" in which the main character is looking back on what happened, at the same time developing the story from the "beginning." Characters are believable and there is a slightly horrific mystery behind a veil of storytelling.
A key component is "God" and the Jesuit priesthood. So be forewarned some of the theology is silly, but I didn't think it overpowered the novel-- in fact it gave it a dimension it probably needed. Some people might "get" the mystery too soon or think it's too plainly moralistic or pedantic. But I thought it was well done.
A key component is "God" and the Jesuit priesthood. So be forewarned some of the theology is silly, but I didn't think it overpowered the novel-- in fact it gave it a dimension it probably needed. Some people might "get" the mystery too soon or think it's too plainly moralistic or pedantic. But I thought it was well done.