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lawofeyes 's review for:
The Sparrow
by Mary Doria Russell
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