The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (ISBN:0449912558)

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		The Sparrow
	
				(296 reviews)			
(2347 Readers)

			Mary Doria Russell		
	
ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY'S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR"A NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT . . . Russell shows herself to be a skillful storyteller who subtly...more
 ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY'S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR"A NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT . . . Russell shows herself to be a skillful storyteller who subtly and expertly builds suspense."--USA Today"AN EXPERIENCE NOT TO BE MISSED . . . If you have to send a group of people to a newly discovered planet to contact a totally unknown species, whom would you choose? How about four Jesuit priests, a young astronomer, a physician, her engineer husband, and a child prostitute-turned-computer-expert? That's who Mary Doria Russell sends in her new novel, The Sparrow. This motley combination of agnostics, true believers, and misfits becomes the first to explore the Alpha Centuri world of Rakhat with both enlightening and disastrous results. . . . Vivid and engaging . . . An incredible novel."--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"POWERFUL . . . Father Emilio Sandoz [is] the only survivor of a Jesuit mission to the planet Rakhat, 'a soul . . . looking for God.' We first meet him in Italy . . . sullen and bitter. . . . But he was not always this way, as we learn through flashbacks that tell the story of the ill-fated trip. . . . The Sparrow tackles a difficult subject with grace and intelligence."--San Francisco Chronicle"SMOOTH STORYTELLING AND GORGEOUS CHARACTERIZATION . . . Important novels leave deep cracks in our beliefs, our prejudices, and our blinders. The Sparrow is one of them."--Entertainment Weekly SELECTED BY THE BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB   less

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I expected to like this book. I wanted to like this book. I tried to like this book.  But frankly I was a bit disappointed. As an exercise in characterization, it's pretty darn impressive. As a science fiction novel of discovery and first contact it's only so-so.  

The characters are beautifully drawn, each with a distinct and organic personality.  But I never really built much...more
 I expected to like this book. I wanted to like this book. I tried to like this book.  But frankly I was a bit disappointed. As an exercise in characterization, it's pretty darn impressive. As a science fiction novel of discovery and first contact it's only so-so.  

The characters are beautifully drawn, each with a distinct and organic personality.  But I never really built much empathy for any of them. And their theological considerations didn't particularly resonate with me.  I didn't particularly like the author's twin storylines plotting, partly because it felt disjointed and partly because it revealed key elements of how the book was going to end from the very beginning. The alien planet, flora and fauna, and society served to support the plot, but were less compelling than those offered in my favorite books of this ilk. I also found some of the key plot developments unbelievable. And the final unraveling of the reasonably blissful situation in Kashan felt rushed.  

All in all, a promising first novel, but not really up to my perhaps unrealistic expectations going in.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Book club, 5/08.  One of the best books I ever read, definitely one of my all time favorites.  I guess, technically, it's science fiction, because it deals with a space expedition, life on another planet, etc... but it doesn't feel like science fiction.  It's just a wonderfully written story with characters that you care deeply about, completely fascinating, thrilling, and riveting. ...more
 Book club, 5/08.  One of the best books I ever read, definitely one of my all time favorites.  I guess, technically, it's science fiction, because it deals with a space expedition, life on another planet, etc... but it doesn't feel like science fiction.  It's just a wonderfully written story with characters that you care deeply about, completely fascinating, thrilling, and riveting.  I could not have been more emotionally involved, and I just couldn't put it down.  Immediately had to read the sequel, "Children of God" (also fantastic).   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I am a novice to the genre but thoroughly enjoyed the complexity of the characters, the moral questions raised and even the SF bits. I could not put the book down, the plot was engrossing and although I am not a fan of sequels and can't possibly imagine why Emilio would want to go back, I think I will read it. It was a harrowing and beautiful story.

This is one of my favourite passages in the...more
 I am a novice to the genre but thoroughly enjoyed the complexity of the characters, the moral questions raised and even the SF bits. I could not put the book down, the plot was engrossing and although I am not a fan of sequels and can't possibly imagine why Emilio would want to go back, I think I will read it. It was a harrowing and beautiful story.

This is one of my favourite passages in the book:
"You know what? I really resent the idea that the only reason someone might be good or moral is because they're religious. I do what I do,' Anne said, biting of each word, 'without hope of reward or fear of punishment. I do not require heaven or hell to bribe or scare me into acting decently, thank you very much."   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
One of my boyfriend's favorite books, I read this when he gave it to me as a birthday gift.  I found Russell reminiscent of Ursula K. LeGuin in this sci-fi story of a crushed soul trying to find meaning in his religious beliefs within the framework of his life's experiences.  One of those rare books that was disturbing and thought-provoking all at once, so much so that I have difficulty forming...more
 One of my boyfriend's favorite books, I read this when he gave it to me as a birthday gift.  I found Russell reminiscent of Ursula K. LeGuin in this sci-fi story of a crushed soul trying to find meaning in his religious beliefs within the framework of his life's experiences.  One of those rare books that was disturbing and thought-provoking all at once, so much so that I have difficulty forming an opinion as to whether I liked it or not.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
The story begins by telling about a horribly injured and ill Jesuit priest who has returned as the only survivor of a mission (more scientific than religious) to contact and study an alien race. The story doesn't unfold in a linear progression, but jumps from after to before to during the mission. Gradually, the other members of the team are introduced and Father Emilio Sandoz (the sole survivor)...more
 The story begins by telling about a horribly injured and ill Jesuit priest who has returned as the only survivor of a mission (more scientific than religious) to contact and study an alien race. The story doesn't unfold in a linear progression, but jumps from after to before to during the mission. Gradually, the other members of the team are introduced and Father Emilio Sandoz (the sole survivor) eventually is able to tell the story of what they experienced as he begins to heal both physically and emotionally.

It is a very powerful story, and touches on many topics; love, friendship, faith, religion, sentience, environmental issues, suffering, joy, life, death, and our place in the universe. I will be thinking about this one for a while.   hide

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							Katie
						
							few weeks ago						
"Ruminating over the same problem as he walked back to his lightless room on the eastern side of the Rome Ring, John Candotti had his own theory about how things had gone wrong.   The mission, he thought, probably failed because of a series of logical, reasonable, carefully considered decisions, each of which seemed like a good idea at the time.  Like most colossal disasters."

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
What is it with messages from space that make it so hard to resolve a narrative? One of my favorite movies is Contact, but even I can admit that there's a pretty big disconnect between the level of suspense generated by the possibilities of a journey to space and the level of excitement generated by the outcome. The Sparrow has many similarities to Contact, in that a mysterious message from space...more
 What is it with messages from space that make it so hard to resolve a narrative? One of my favorite movies is Contact, but even I can admit that there's a pretty big disconnect between the level of suspense generated by the possibilities of a journey to space and the level of excitement generated by the outcome. The Sparrow has many similarities to Contact, in that a mysterious message from space is received, a trip to the message's source is planned, and the outcomes are shrouded in mystery. Both narratives generate a tremendous amount of suspense in their first two-thirds: in Contact, from the receipt of the message to the deciphering of its content and the construction of the machine, and in The Sparrow, from the knowledge that only one member of the mission survived, and the burning questions of what the hell went wrong, and why the survivor's injuries were so specific and strange. Alas, the answers do not justify the buildup. I hold out tenuous hope for the sequel.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I did not think I would like this book and I was pleasantly surprised that I had a very difficult time putting this book down.  The book is very thought provoking, delving into religion, ethics, and human relationships.  It is set in the future and the plot centers around interplanetary travel and the consequences of such.  The characters are extremely well developed the human drama unfolds...more
 I did not think I would like this book and I was pleasantly surprised that I had a very difficult time putting this book down.  The book is very thought provoking, delving into religion, ethics, and human relationships.  It is set in the future and the plot centers around interplanetary travel and the consequences of such.  The characters are extremely well developed the human drama unfolds dramatically.  This book is extremely well written.  It is definitely not a mindless read.  I highly recommend it.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
This is a truly fascinating book, whether you're particularly religious (catholic or otherwise) or not (I'm not).  The story focuses as much on the way the characters deal with hardship and joy, as it deals with the new experiences with beings on another planet.  My only disappointment was the level of detail the author goes into when describing the technical components of space travel,...more
 This is a truly fascinating book, whether you're particularly religious (catholic or otherwise) or not (I'm not).  The story focuses as much on the way the characters deal with hardship and joy, as it deals with the new experiences with beings on another planet.  My only disappointment was the level of detail the author goes into when describing the technical components of space travel, language structure, engineering, etc (I didn't need so much to make the story believable).  By the time I got to the ending, I knew before it was told to me, what the horrific event was going to be, so it didn't hit me as painfully as it was intended to.  GOOD read, very hard to put down.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Amazing book.  If you read this one, also read "Children of God" and the plot of this one is very much changed.  This science fiction book is much more serious than the usual ilk that I read, yet I still enjoyed it.  Basic premise:  Earth has had its first contact with aliens.  It's in the form of a music radio transmittion, and the first group to get together to set up a voyage there are the...more
 Amazing book.  If you read this one, also read "Children of God" and the plot of this one is very much changed.  This science fiction book is much more serious than the usual ilk that I read, yet I still enjoyed it.  Basic premise:  Earth has had its first contact with aliens.  It's in the form of a music radio transmittion, and the first group to get together to set up a voyage there are the Jesuits.  The only survivor of the first mission, when a second crew goes to rescue, immediately goes on trial for murder and prostitution.  The story is told mostly through flashback. 

Note:  I'm not all about the Catholic religion, but I feel like I can read a sometimes biased book without getting too hung up about that.  (not always--the CE Lewis books just piss me off).  Religious themes does not equal religious belief for me.   hide

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