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A review by jersy
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This manages to include cosy character interactions as well as moments that break you as well as the characters you've gotten to love without the shift feeling inappropriate. That said, the majority of the book is the former, with glimpses into the future telling you of the looming doom. One might say that there is too much time spend on setup with too little time on the actual first contact story, but while I would have loved to have more page time on the planet - which it was absolutely fascinating - the setup was both needed to get attached to the characters and absolutely delightful.
While I cared for some characters more than for others (which mostly correlated to how much time was dedicated to them prior to the space mission) it's an awesome cast in general and everyone was pretty unique but also believable.
This book is heavy on themes, most importantly the source and impact of religious believes, sexuality and the complexity of interpersonal relationships, which are all present both in discussions as well as in the plot. However, I'm not sure if I like the ending: maybe it was just too much for me or maybe it just didn't handle the topic all too well, either. I will have to process that further.
As a whole, this was a great read: emotional, interesting, intelligent and compelling. For a few readers it might be too slow and not enough about space exploration, though.
While I cared for some characters more than for others (which mostly correlated to how much time was dedicated to them prior to the space mission) it's an awesome cast in general and everyone was pretty unique but also believable.
This book is heavy on themes, most importantly the source and impact of religious believes, sexuality and the complexity of interpersonal relationships, which are all present both in discussions as well as in the plot. However, I'm not sure if I like the ending: maybe it was just too much for me or maybe it just didn't handle the topic all too well, either. I will have to process that further.
As a whole, this was a great read: emotional, interesting, intelligent and compelling. For a few readers it might be too slow and not enough about space exploration, though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Child death, Death, and Vomit
Minor: Child abuse