Scan barcode
dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Death, Slavery, Trafficking, Blood, Cannibalism, Police brutality, Torture, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Abandonment, Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual assault
erins_bookrecs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Death, Rape, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Trafficking
dmrains's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gore, Racism, Mental illness, Sexism, Blood, Chronic illness, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Sexual content and Drug use
henrybirdie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The good:
I went into this book knowing nothing about the plot, so was excited to realize it takes place in a dystopian, near-future setting — one of my favorite sub genres. Butler’s imagining of the 2020’s feels unsettling in the same way that Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale does. Both worlds feel extreme and hyperbolic while also giving you that nagging feeling of being scarily possible. This novel explores a version of California ravaged by climate change and late stage capitalism, where modern progress and technology has effectively collapsed and the economy has crumbled.
Throughout the novel I found myself wondering how I might fare in this version of America — where would I feel safe? Would I know how to effectively grow my own food? Learn how to mend, how to maintain and fortify my own home base? Would I be a useful asset in my community like Lauren, or cling to the old and dead ways of life?
I became totally immersed and engaged in Lauren’s journey and also appreciated Butler’s commentaries on American culture, race, status, and the pitfalls of capitalism.
The not so good:
I really didn’t connect with Earthseed, though it’s clearly a major plot element throughout. I suppose it serves as a vehicle to push Lauren— and by way of her leadership, the rest of her ragtag crew—towards a different way of living. A rejection of the imploding system that they’ve all been bound to. I just found it hard to believe that she was seemingly so alone in this endeavor. With all the chaos, violence, and dire lack of resources, were there no other people seeking out some kind of communal/alternative lifestyle?
This leads me to my next issue. Where the hell are all the bicycles, wagons, carts, trailers…any kind of low tech wheeled vehicle?! In a world where no one can afford to drive gas powered vehicles surely this would have become a major form of transportation and something that many people would learn to improvise. Characters ride bikes early on, in and around the immediate neighborhood but they’re never mentioned again once Lauren hits the road. Have all the horses and cows and donkeys been eaten? All forms of animal husbandry have been completely abandoned? Seems lazy!
Last and most importantly….the significant age gap romance gave me major ick. I’m really not seeing the greater purpose for our girl Lauren to fall for a man who is not only nearly the same exact age as her presumably dead father, but actively reminds her of her father. Like…I get it, Lauren has suffered significant trauma and latches onto a man that can take the place of her missing dad but ugggghhh, did it have to be a sexual relationship? A barely 18 year old girl and a 55 year old man??? I guess she’s just “an old soul”…. “mature for her age”…..etc. Sigh.
I went into this book knowing nothing about the plot, so was excited to realize it takes place in a dystopian, near-future setting — one of my favorite sub genres. Butler’s imagining of the 2020’s feels unsettling in the same way that Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale does. Both worlds feel extreme and hyperbolic while also giving you that nagging feeling of being scarily possible. This novel explores a version of California ravaged by climate change and late stage capitalism, where modern progress and technology has effectively collapsed and the economy has crumbled.
Throughout the novel I found myself wondering how I might fare in this version of America — where would I feel safe? Would I know how to effectively grow my own food? Learn how to mend, how to maintain and fortify my own home base? Would I be a useful asset in my community like Lauren, or cling to the old and dead ways of life?
I became totally immersed and engaged in Lauren’s journey and also appreciated Butler’s commentaries on American culture, race, status, and the pitfalls of capitalism.
The not so good:
This leads me to my next issue. Where the hell are all the bicycles, wagons, carts, trailers…any kind of low tech wheeled vehicle?! In a world where no one can afford to drive gas powered vehicles surely this would have become a major form of transportation and something that many people would learn to improvise. Characters ride bikes early on, in and around the immediate neighborhood but they’re never mentioned again once Lauren hits the road. Have all the horses and cows and donkeys been eaten? All forms of animal husbandry have been completely abandoned? Seems lazy!
Last and most importantly….the significant age gap romance gave me major ick. I’m really not seeing the greater purpose for our girl Lauren to fall for a man who is not only nearly the same exact age as her presumably dead father, but actively reminds her of her father. Like…I get it, Lauren has suffered significant trauma and latches onto a man that can take the place of her missing dad but ugggghhh, did it have to be a sexual relationship? A barely 18 year old girl and a 55 year old man??? I guess she’s just “an old soul”…. “mature for her age”…..etc. Sigh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child death, Classism, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Slavery, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Cannibalism
reads2cope's review against another edition
5.0
“Do you think our world is coming to an end?” Dad asked, and with no warning at all, I almost started crying. I had all I could do to hold it back. What I thought was, “No, I think your world is coming to an end, and maybe you with it.” That was terrible. I hadn’t thought about it in such a personal way before. I turned and looked out a window until I felt calmer. When I faced him again, I said. “Yes. Don’t you?”
I can't believe it took me this long to read Parable of the Sower, but any time since it's publication has been the perfect time to read. On Instagram, @bookishcrimson pointed out how Zarah recommended sucking on a plum or apricot pits to stave off thirst while Palestinian mothers are giving their babies dates to suck on because of the lack of milk and all other foods in the genocide on Gaza.
Every time the political race came up in the book, it felt so much like the USA race today. Describing one of the candidates as "a symbol of the past for us to hold on to as we’re pushed into the future. He’s nothing. No substance. But having him there, the latest in a two-and-a-half-century-long line of American Presidents make people feel that the country, the culture that they grew up with is still here — that we’ll get through these bad times and back to normal.” That exactly explains the current candidates to me.
The disease and environmental collapse is so obviously on-point that it hardly feels worth mentioning. COVID-19 has been on constant high waves, disabling and killing people in horrifying numbers? Ignore it. Every season is warmer than ever and every marker for irreversible damage is being met? "'These things frighten people. It’s best not to talk about them.” “ But, Dad, that’s like… like ignoring a fire in the living room because we’re all in the kitchen, and, besides, house fires are too scary to talk about.'"
The only thing I didn't like about this book was Earthseed. While I understand Laura wanting to have a clear mantra to help her through societal collapse, the "belief" in Earthseed seemed less religious to everyone around her and more a unifying idea. By which I mean, her friends and fellow travelers were happy to hear about it and agreed with some basic points, but no one gave up worshiping a different God or fully believed in the space travel promise of Earthseed. I was annoyed that Lauren wanted to make a religious cult rather than a commune, but as her main focus was survival, it didn't take up too much of the book.
I can't believe it took me this long to read Parable of the Sower, but any time since it's publication has been the perfect time to read. On Instagram, @bookishcrimson pointed out how Zarah recommended sucking on a plum or apricot pits to stave off thirst while Palestinian mothers are giving their babies dates to suck on because of the lack of milk and all other foods in the genocide on Gaza.
Every time the political race came up in the book, it felt so much like the USA race today. Describing one of the candidates as "a symbol of the past for us to hold on to as we’re pushed into the future. He’s nothing. No substance. But having him there, the latest in a two-and-a-half-century-long line of American Presidents make people feel that the country, the culture that they grew up with is still here — that we’ll get through these bad times and back to normal.” That exactly explains the current candidates to me.
The disease and environmental collapse is so obviously on-point that it hardly feels worth mentioning. COVID-19 has been on constant high waves, disabling and killing people in horrifying numbers? Ignore it. Every season is warmer than ever and every marker for irreversible damage is being met? "'These things frighten people. It’s best not to talk about them.” “ But, Dad, that’s like… like ignoring a fire in the living room because we’re all in the kitchen, and, besides, house fires are too scary to talk about.'"
The only thing I didn't like about this book was Earthseed. While I understand Laura wanting to have a clear mantra to help her through societal collapse, the "belief" in Earthseed seemed less religious to everyone around her and more a unifying idea. By which I mean, her friends and fellow travelers were happy to hear about it and agreed with some basic points, but no one gave up worshiping a different God or fully believed in the space travel promise of Earthseed. I was annoyed that Lauren wanted to make a religious cult rather than a commune, but as her main focus was survival, it didn't take up too much of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Child death, Rape, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Cannibalism, and Drug abuse
nyst's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Grief, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Murder, Drug use, Death of parent, Violence, Death, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Rape, Trafficking, and Sexual content
bohemianhermit04's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Cannibalism, and Cursing
teresabg's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Very hard to rate this because it is a fantastic book and frankly I think most people would benefit from reading it but I also found it very challenging, so rating it lower that 5 stars simply because of my own struggle to stomach it at times.
The writing is beautifully accessible and easy to get buried into, but the unflinching exploration of violence and destruction really tested me. Ultimately though, I think it is this very uncensored description of gutwrenching things that makes this book feel so sincerely hopeful. Lauren Olamina is unafraid of looking right into the heart of pain despite the fact that she will be wounded by it also and see in destruction a possibility for a new and more beautiful world.
In the current climate of the world, I think I really needed to meet Lauren, to peer into a hope that is not ignorant of pain but that fearlessly accepts it and continues to flourish into hope. What good is hope if it is only used to dismiss the reality that is tugging at the heart?
Thank you Nish for knowing me well enough to recommend this book at this time in my life.
The writing is beautifully accessible and easy to get buried into, but the unflinching exploration of violence and destruction really tested me. Ultimately though, I think it is this very uncensored description of gutwrenching things that makes this book feel so sincerely hopeful. Lauren Olamina is unafraid of looking right into the heart of pain despite the fact that she will be wounded by it also and see in destruction a possibility for a new and more beautiful world.
In the current climate of the world, I think I really needed to meet Lauren, to peer into a hope that is not ignorant of pain but that fearlessly accepts it and continues to flourish into hope. What good is hope if it is only used to dismiss the reality that is tugging at the heart?
Thank you Nish for knowing me well enough to recommend this book at this time in my life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, War, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Drug abuse, Cannibalism, and Slavery
sidekicksam's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Civilization is to groups what intelligence is to individuals. It is a means of combining the intelligence of many to achieve ongoing group adaptation.
Civilization, like intelligence, may serve well, serve adequately or fail to serve its adaptive function. When civilization fails to serve, it must disintegrate unless it is acted upon by unifying internal or external forces.
Parable of the Sower follows the story of Lauren Olamina, coming of age in the 2020s. The world has ignored climate change for years and now it's become a world of violence, water is scarce and there are always people lurking in the dark. There are few options: work in a company-owned town and risk becoming a debt-slave, or find your luck on the road, and risk losing everything to the pyro addicts, scavengers or cannibal kids.
This was terrifying to read. Did she know??? Of course, we've been murdering our planet for the last few decades so one only has to use logical, rational thinking to predict where we're going as a species, but this being set just after the pandemic is starting to slip from everyone's conscious mind again - incredible.
Butler's take on religion, society/humanity, capitalism, the police and government, and climate change, make for a grim but poignant novel that keeps you hooked. The world-building is very well done, and despite my desire to have a bit more (extensive) background about the state of the world and how it came to be, it was easy to get into and understand the choices of the characters in the world.
Parable of the Sower is exactly the thought-provoking, socially critical dystopian novel you hope it will be, and my only regret in reading this is that I now have to get my hands on Parable of the Talents to find out what happens next!!!
Civilization, like intelligence, may serve well, serve adequately or fail to serve its adaptive function. When civilization fails to serve, it must disintegrate unless it is acted upon by unifying internal or external forces.
Parable of the Sower follows the story of Lauren Olamina, coming of age in the 2020s. The world has ignored climate change for years and now it's become a world of violence, water is scarce and there are always people lurking in the dark. There are few options: work in a company-owned town and risk becoming a debt-slave, or find your luck on the road, and risk losing everything to the pyro addicts, scavengers or cannibal kids.
This was terrifying to read. Did she know??? Of course, we've been murdering our planet for the last few decades so one only has to use logical, rational thinking to predict where we're going as a species, but this being set just after the pandemic is starting to slip from everyone's conscious mind again - incredible.
Butler's take on religion, society/humanity, capitalism, the police and government, and climate change, make for a grim but poignant novel that keeps you hooked. The world-building is very well done, and despite my desire to have a bit more (extensive) background about the state of the world and how it came to be, it was easy to get into and understand the choices of the characters in the world.
Parable of the Sower is exactly the thought-provoking, socially critical dystopian novel you hope it will be, and my only regret in reading this is that I now have to get my hands on Parable of the Talents to find out what happens next!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Cannibalism, and Police brutality
gustgustgust's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book shocked me. It was written in the '90s and yet it felt prophetic. If it was written in this year, people would say it was too on-the-nose.
The story is beautiful. the main character, Lauren Olamina, is such a beautiful, complicated character. The relationships are complicated and dense and tentative. The real shining moment is just the world Bulter weaved. It felt not only like it happened, but that I was watching it happen in front of me. It's not for me to adapt, but it is definitely something that would make an incredible series if given full opportunity to be as dark, grim, and haunting as it needs to be.
The only thing that knocked it down for me was there was a lot of violence, and I understand that the world needed it so it's just a personal taste thing. I don't think anything was don't to scandalize or be outrageous, it was true to the world, I just got pulled out going "oh no, this is too much, too real"
The story is beautiful. the main character, Lauren Olamina, is such a beautiful, complicated character. The relationships are complicated and dense and tentative. The real shining moment is just the world Bulter weaved. It felt not only like it happened, but that I was watching it happen in front of me. It's not for me to adapt, but it is definitely something that would make an incredible series if given full opportunity to be as dark, grim, and haunting as it needs to be.
The only thing that knocked it down for me was there was a lot of violence, and I understand that the world needed it so it's just a personal taste thing. I don't think anything was don't to scandalize or be outrageous, it was true to the world, I just got pulled out going "oh no, this is too much, too real"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Child death, Death of parent, Torture, Classism, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Murder, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault