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thatssowritingdesk 's review for:

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
4.5
dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Sparrow is a great example of "The love was there. It didn't change anything. It didn't save anyone. There were too many forces against it. But it still matters that the love was there." It's a true tragedy that stayed with me and will stay with me long after I read it. 

It's got everything: Jesuits in space, the inherent violence of first contact, anti colonialism, the horror of being stranded in a wholly alien world (in more ways than one), acts of hubris they will not survive, crises of faith. 

I knocked off a bit of a point because of the underdeveloped romance that boiled down to "well I guess we're the only two available people left on this mission" which was disappointing considering how well developed everything else was. Also being able to tell who the author insert is kinda took me out of the story a couple times.

Overall an amazing book which I will be rereading in the future.