2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss The Sparrow, the first book in the Sparrow series by Mary Doria Russell

Pages: 419 pages

Length: 1 month (May)

Participants:SarahKat, Rebecca

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

My plan is to start this one Tuesday or Wednesday. Most likely Wednesday.

I'll start this week too!

i just read it this month, so while I won't be re-reading it, I can happily jump into some discussion along the way.

Wow! I started this one today and it really pulls you in!

I really enjoyed that it sort of starts at the end. Meeting Sandoz first while he is dealing with the repercussions of the expedition is, like you mentioned, Rebecca, such an attention grabber, and different to most first-contact novels , imo. It's like the start of Kindred, where you're right off the bat told. "this has happened" and you as the reader are like "wait, what" and then you discover what's happened through all the flashbacks.

I really wish I had read this years ago :D
There's also something else that is unique to this book, and that is the fact that opposed to most space expeditions, this one isn't government financed, but the Catholic Church. I found that a really interesting premise. There are so many philosophical discussions in this book, which I love in sci-fi.

I have started! It really does pull you in right away! It actually reminds me a bit of Project Hail Mary just because we get the "after" and the "before" back and forth throughout the book.

I just finished chapter 6, so I'm not quite 10% of the way through, and I'm so into the intrigue and interplay between the priests in the "after" timeline. I like the past timeline, but not quite as much as the present one so far.

Rebecca wrote: "I just finished chapter 6, so I'm not quite 10% of the way through, and I'm so into the intrigue and interplay between the priests in the "after" timeline. I like the past timeline, but not quite a..."

That's exactly where I am and I agree! The "after" is much more interesting right now

I've finished through chapter 8 today, and I admit that I really like George and Anne in the past timeline. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with them. (I think. I'm also a little concerned.)

I’ve finished through chapter 11 now, and I find it terribly ironic that right after I said I was enjoying the future timeline more, the book decided to dive deeply into the past. I am enjoying seeing the backstory though that the book is dwelling there.

I feel the same Rebecca! The past got a lot more interesting right around then. I don't have the book in front of me but I'm around chapter 17 now and both timelines are really picking up. Getting hard to put down.

I will be traveling and busy for work the next few days. Hoping to post more detailed thoughts later this week!

I finished through chapter 16, and the past timeline has finally gone to space! Yay!!

Also, in the present timeline (ch 14), I really enjoyed (view spoiler)[ Felipe Reyes's appearance into Emilio's life. I kind of agree with the Father General's assessment that Emilio is leaning hard into feeling sorry for himself, so I like his attempts to shake Emilio out of self pity. (hide spoiler)]

Also, in chapter 16, I just don't get (view spoiler)[ why there's so much delving into the vow of celibacy. It discussion and speculation feels exhausting to me, whereas, I would assume for the priest, it's simply one other vow among many (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 17. I hate when I am really questioning why an author put something in, only to have it revealed one chapter later. (view spoiler)[ Obviously feeling that the sexuality talk now was to prepare us for the fact that Emilio was working as a prostitute on the other planet. Or at least, that's the gist I get from chapter 17. (hide spoiler)]

Rebecca wrote: "Chapter 17. I hate when I am really questioning why an author put something in, only to have it revealed one chapter later. [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I got the feeling he was running a brothel, not prostituting himself. Maybe though! (hide spoiler)]

I'll try to catch up this week. My copy is due back Monday and I try to avoid renewing books (I never know when there will be a hold from someone else and I'll have to wait for it.)

I'll have to keep looking for clues as I read on Emilio's role. I finished through chapter 19 yesterday, and (view spoiler)[ was shocked about Alan's death. It feels ominous, and yet Anne could find no clue as to how it happened. I guess I thought that the first death in the book would come with much more drama! (hide spoiler)]

I’m exact the opposite about renewing books. I’ll keep renewing them until the library says I can’t renew them anymore!

I’ve finished through chapter 23 now, and I feel like I’m starting to put some of the pieces together. I’m starting to read faster two because there are things I anxiously want to know.

One thing that has surprised me in chapter 23 is thar (view spoiler)[ she brought in the perspective of some of the planet’s people in this chapter. I was unprepared for thar, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. There’s a part of me that wanted them to remain mysterious (hide spoiler)]

I will start 19 today. Hopefully. My real life job and kids won't leave me alone!

About Emilio's "profession": (view spoiler)[Yes it seems you were right. At least in chapter 17 they do say he was working as a prostitute. I hadn't gotten there yet when I commented last! (hide spoiler)]

Emilio's religion: (view spoiler)[He just confessed to Anne that he didn't really take God seriously until he started seeing this whole crazy notion come together in amazing ways. I wonder how his newfound faith (ironic seeing as he's a priest) will coincide with the "fact?" that he killed a child and worked as a prostitute. I think there's more going on here than meets the eye. (hide spoiler)]

I've finished through chapter 25, and I'm really considering how the events in Emilio's life have affected his faith journey. He questioned, in the 2060 timeline, in chapter 25 (view spoiler)[ why God had not accepted Cain's good faith offering--implying that the same thing had happened with him. I think the way Russell's inserted that question in the context of Emilio's mission and sexuality is quite powerful. I'm very interested in how she answers it. (hide spoiler)]

I struggle more on the weekends with reading than I do through the week between kids and moderating for a couple of creators on Twitch. . . .also, as a video gamer, the newest Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom) is being delivered to my house today, and it'll probably through my reading off a little for at least a month! LOL

Rebecca wrote: "I've finished through chapter 25, and I'm really considering how the events in Emilio's life have affected his faith journey. He questioned, in the 2060 timeline, in chapter 25 [spoilers removed]

..."

I'm on Chapter 23!

YES Tears of the Kingdom! I don't play myself but my son does and I loved watching him play (and helping with some of the puzzles) Breath of the Wild. We pre-ordered it for him and he has it locked and loaded so it's ready as soon as he gets home from school.

Technically, Tears of the Kingdom is for my 13-year-old son, but I'll be snatching the cartridge some too as I only wanted to pay for one copy!

I finished through chapter 28 yesterday, and I might finish it today or tomorrow. I've still, even now, never found the past timeline as interesting as the present one.

I finished. I'm still debating whether it was a four or five star book for me. I really liked the way things come together in the end. I found the story to be moving and tragic, but I worried that the ending didn't honor Emilio's trauma. Instead, it rushed in with philosophy and explanation in a way that made me a shade uncomfortable.

I read this and then waited YEARS to read the sequel, but gave the second one 4 stars, this one was only 2 and so very dark and disturbing. If you liked it, I highly recommend reading the second one.

I was curious about the second one, Karin, and I do think I want to read it. I really like Emilio and I want more.

Finished! I wish the events at the end had been spread out a bit more. It was presented as if just sort of glanced at. From the time (view spoiler)[Anne and DW die, (hide spoiler)] it's all just go go go. Very little time between events to really explore my feelings about all of it. I get that we are probably supposed to feel unmoored like Sandoz did but still. It was also kind of crazy the two things they brought up at the very beginning didn't even happen until like the last 20 pages of the book.

I took pictures of the discussion questions in the back of my book and I might try to post them and answer a few later this week. I'm think 3-4 stars. Need to sit with it a bit.

I found the ending to be a little rushed too, which makes the beginning feel even longer. It's hard because I really liked it, but at the same time, I feel really critical about several things about the book!