A review by lizzie24601
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Maybe I would've enjoyed this more if I had read it as part of an English class or book club. The first 200 pages are a slog, filled with a confusing list of neighborhood residents and a setting that I never really got a grasp of. It seems to be apocalyptic, and yet Lauren's dad still goes to work every day. Lauren's odyssey doesn't even begin until over halfway through the book, and although the pace is much faster and the characters who join her group are interesting, Lauren never really builds any emotional connections to any of them. And Lauren lacks any real flaws to make her an interesting character. Even her sharing, which is supposed to be central to her character, never really hinders her at all. In the few instances where it knocks her out, her companions take care of her and she never really suffers any consequences.
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