Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

10 reviews

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!

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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

eemott's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, Sexual assault, Excrement, Grief, Child death, Death, Rape, and Sexual violence

cattails's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture

Moderate: Child death, Trafficking, and Sexual violence

julesloyola's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Violence, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Slavery

Minor: Antisemitism, Car accident, and Child abuse

caintooth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Grief, Sexual violence, Slavery, Medical content, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Confinement and Self harm

vespasiana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Medical content, Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Body horror, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture, Confinement, Cannibalism, Sexual assault, and Rape

Minor: Trafficking and Child death

While all the above things do happen in the book, both on and off screen, the bulk of the plot is about the “before” and “after”. Very little of the extreme or moderate stuff is shown for long, but is referenced very frequently in the “after” sections as something the main character is dealing from the fallout of.

ladymickbeth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Moderate: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Child death, Medical content, and Violence

Minor: Vomit

This is a beautifully written book with a unique and engaging narrative voice and characters that are flawed, but likeable or understandable. I would have given this a higher rating, but there are a number of micro aggressions (primarily against Emilio, who is Latino) and problematic comments.

cocacolor's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I can't tell whether this book both falls into a well-known sci-fi trap of evil alien species and is incredibly hostile toward

victims of sexual violence

or one of the most deeply empathetic novels I've ever read, so I knocked off half a star. This is absolutely not going to be for everyone. Whether this book becomes an all-time favorite is going to depend on whether you're willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt and assume compassion.

ETA. Its sequel, CHILDREN OF GOD, makes clearer the author & narrative's ethical positions and I believe this book is coming from a place of compassion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, Medical content, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Cannibalism, War, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Child death, and Self harm

Minor: Pregnancy

inkfingers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

4.75

The Sparrow is a first contact story set in the near future. The characters are well developed and engaging, and while some of the plot points or discussions may seem like rabbit trails or odd distractions, by the end they form a coherent thematic picture. The linguistic and anthropological discussions are interesting and reminded me a bit of Ursula K. Le Guin’s sci fi. 

The in media res framing effectively cuts between the horrible aftermath and the exuberant pre-disaster lives of the crew. Knowing the tragedy from the first paragraph does not make it harder to get attached to the fleshed out crew, but it did make every misfortune and miscommunication even more tense.

The putting together of the mission and crew does feel extremely convenient, but the characters consider the pieces falling together a sign of divine intervention but question it later as things go wrong. As long as the reader is willing to meet the book on its own terms and see it as a kind of eucatastrophe, it does reward the suspension of disbelief.

The horrible end of the mission is hinted at from the beginning, and a careful reader may guess what went wrong, but Russell holds the whole truth back until the last fifty pages of the book when Emilio finally tells the Father General what happened. Then the catastrophe plays out at breakneck speed and earns 80% of the novel’s tag warnings in quick succession so heed those even if you aren’t very squeamish.

This book is a discussion of faith and suffering in the league of Silence by Shūsaku Endō, offering no easy answers about a crisis of faith and God’s silence. 
The last fifty pages of this book laid me out like a Victorian lady taken to her bed with a dreadful illness, and I expect I won’t recover until I read the sequel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Rape

Moderate: Violence and Vomit

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, and Medical content

lesbegays's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Excrement, Medical content, Murder, and Terminal illness

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Antisemitism, Car accident, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, and Xenophobia