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lindamarieaustin110159 's review for:
The Sparrow
by Mary Doria Russell
In March of 2019, Emilio Sandoz is a young Jesuit priest who by chance befriends an older couple, Anne & George Edwards. Jimmy Quinn becomes part of this group through his association with George. Their work is monitoring the universe, searching for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.
At random, in the middle of the night, on an August evening later that year, Jimmy hears a signal he interprets as a song from a distant planet. Suddenly there is excitement and surprisingly plans are made to visit the source of the song which is light years away. Emilio’s background in linguistics has introduced him in the past to Sofia Mendes, a beautiful academic whose expertise ranges from language to physics and beyond. She surfaces again in his life when she is hired to work with Jimmy and George. This group of five is joined by three others, Marc Robichaux, a naturalist and artist; D.W. Yarbrough a former marine and Texan Jesuit, and Father Alan Pace. These eight, some unwittingly, become the crew of the Stella Maris whose mission is to visit the distant planet, to learn their language, understand their way of life, and to convert their inhabitants.
In 2059, Emilio has returned to Earth, alone. The Vatican is desperate to understand what happened on Rakhat, but Emilio is a shell of his former self, unable and unwilling to discuss his experience.
Not typically my genre, but this book is inventive, interesting and weird all at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed the humor Russell inserted into the camaraderie between the companions.
At random, in the middle of the night, on an August evening later that year, Jimmy hears a signal he interprets as a song from a distant planet. Suddenly there is excitement and surprisingly plans are made to visit the source of the song which is light years away. Emilio’s background in linguistics has introduced him in the past to Sofia Mendes, a beautiful academic whose expertise ranges from language to physics and beyond. She surfaces again in his life when she is hired to work with Jimmy and George. This group of five is joined by three others, Marc Robichaux, a naturalist and artist; D.W. Yarbrough a former marine and Texan Jesuit, and Father Alan Pace. These eight, some unwittingly, become the crew of the Stella Maris whose mission is to visit the distant planet, to learn their language, understand their way of life, and to convert their inhabitants.
In 2059, Emilio has returned to Earth, alone. The Vatican is desperate to understand what happened on Rakhat, but Emilio is a shell of his former self, unable and unwilling to discuss his experience.
Not typically my genre, but this book is inventive, interesting and weird all at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed the humor Russell inserted into the camaraderie between the companions.