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The Sparrow - Community Reviews back

by Mary Doria Russell
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YouKneeK
YouKneeK rated it 7 years ago
I loved this book. The two page prologue sets the stage very well. It tells us that Earth learned of an alien planet and, for reasons only hinted at in the prologue, a Jesuit delegation is the first to travel to that planet. The end of the prologue says, “They meant no harm.” Which of course tel...
Sci-Fi & Scary
Sci-Fi & Scary rated it 8 years ago
I am not the right person to do the best job of writing a review for The Sparrow. The right person would be someone who enjoys diving into man’s relationship with deities. Someone who enjoys talking morals, ethics, and philosophy. Let’s be honest here… fire bad, tree pretty is more my style. But, he...
Listening to the Silence
Listening to the Silence rated it 9 years ago
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell5 Stars and FavoriteAngry at God and the world, sufferring from extreme survivor's guilt and an agony of the soul, Father Emilio Sandoza is the only surviving member of an interplanetary mission to a newly discovered world. When his friend Jimmy discovers radio trans...
Angel's Book Reviews 2.0
Angel's Book Reviews 2.0 rated it 10 years ago
46. THE SPARROW, BY MARY DORIA RUSSELL (Book 1 of Sparrow)Another recommendation from Michelle. It was interesting as a science fiction book, but, to be honest, the premise felt very flat to me. I think the biggest reason for that is the fact that I’m a direct descendant from one of the peoples who ...
Book Ramblings
Book Ramblings rated it 11 years ago
“Not one sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.” (Matthew 10:29)“But the sparrow still falls.” I think the second sentence in the above quote (from page 401) basically says “shit happens”. It does encapsulate the major theme of the novel quite well I think.The Sparrow is one ...
Thoughts of a nerdy feminist
Thoughts of a nerdy feminist rated it 11 years ago
I don't read a lot of science fiction, but a friend whose taste I trust told me I absolutely had to read this. I was surprised upon reading the description, to learn that a number of the characters within are Jesuits. I'm not particularly religious, but I don't have an aversion to reading about it...
World of Kammbia
World of Kammbia rated it 11 years ago
Have you ever read a book that you knew instantly you should have read years ago? I knew it after reading the first chapter of The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. I was working at a mom-and-pop bookstore in Santa Fe, NM in 1996 when this novel was published. I remembered the sales rep from Random Hou...
Malin
Malin rated it 11 years ago
In 2060, disgraced Jesuit priest Emilio Sandoz is the only survivor left after an expedition to the planet of Rakhat. He's grievously injured, both physically and mentally, and refuses to speak to the investigators who are desperate to find out what went wrong, far away on the alien planet. Sandoz s...
Grack21
Grack21 rated it 11 years ago
That was ...unsettling? Im going to be thinking about this one for a long time.
Lisa (Harmony)
Lisa (Harmony) rated it 11 years ago
Russell says in an interview at the back that the "central theme is an exploration of the risks and beauties of religious faith." The author is a Jewish convert (though raised as a Catholic) and the spiritual crises of a Jesuit missionary is at the core of the book. I'm not really drawn to that them...
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