Song Of The Sparrow
by Lisa Ann Sandell (Goodreads author!)
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of Song Of The Sparrow.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 384)
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
YA readers, those interested in Arthur and the Knights
This prose-style novel ends with the disclaimer that the author has completely used artistic license based on semi-fact. I love that the author spun a fanciful and romantic tale and ended it with responsible tone and further research notes.
Sandell, before beginning her tale, includes the poem by Tennyson entitled “The Lady of Shalott”. This poem sets the tone for the main character who Sandell speculates, is actually the true Lady.
She then spins her tale of Arthur and the Round Table. ...more
Sandell, before beginning her tale, includes the poem by Tennyson entitled “The Lady of Shalott”. This poem sets the tone for the main character who Sandell speculates, is actually the true Lady.
She then spins her tale of Arthur and the Round Table. ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
before i write my review, i should confess to a particular fascination with all things old-english, especially the arthurian legend...so i'm slightly biased...but what a WONDERFUL book! I read the author's The Weight of the Sky a year or so ago, and I was moved by her choice to write that book in verse--it lended a new layer to the text and turned a story that was promoted to teens into a much deeper and nuanced tale. so, when i heard she was tackling the legend of King Arthur, I was intrigued--...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
The first thing one notices about Ms. Sandell's re-imagining of the Lady of Shalott tale is her use of free verse. When it works, it works wonderfully, most notably in cases where our heroine's thoughts are inconsistent with her speech. For the most part, however, the reader is left to scrutinize and speculate why the author chose to put a line break at this point in the phrase rather than elsewhere. If you're like me, it takes much longer to finish a page when you're questioning the a...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
This is an interesting book as well. This story, written in verse, is about Elaine (Elaine of Ascolat, Lady of Shallot ... there are other tales told of her) ... a 16 year old girl who lives in a camp with her father, brothers, and about 350 other soldiers .... included in that group are Arthur, Lancelot, Tristan and others. She has lived there for many years, since her mother's tragic death, and has become a dear friend to everyone in the camp. She believes she is in love with Lancelot, but whe...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Reviewed by Holly for TeensReadToo.com
Sixteen-year-old Elaine of Ascolat is amazingly beautiful with her long red hair and her soft natural face. Living in an army camp full of all guys, Elaine figures the handsome Lancelot to be her true love. Until her troubles and daydreams get the best of her, when even prettier Gwynivere arrives at the camp and is immediatley drawn to Lancelot - even though she is engaged to Arthur.
Gwynivere's mean remarks but beautiful outer self makes Elaine jeal...more
Sixteen-year-old Elaine of Ascolat is amazingly beautiful with her long red hair and her soft natural face. Living in an army camp full of all guys, Elaine figures the handsome Lancelot to be her true love. Until her troubles and daydreams get the best of her, when even prettier Gwynivere arrives at the camp and is immediatley drawn to Lancelot - even though she is engaged to Arthur.
Gwynivere's mean remarks but beautiful outer self makes Elaine jeal...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
This story of Elaine of Ascolat (the Lady of Shalott) is written in first person lyrical form - like free verse poetry. I liked the style, it seemed to fit this story of a woman living in a world of men. Elaine is an interesting character - part myth part, the author's creation - full of feeling, courage and contradiction. The other characters in this story - King Arthur, Lancelot, Gwynivere etc., fill their familiar roles well while still feeling fresh.
The reason I wasn't thrilled with t...more
The reason I wasn't thrilled with t...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2008
I have always thought that Elaine was the most tragic female character in all of Arthurian literature. I was so pleased to find that Sandell has not only told the story of how Arthur became king through Elaine's eyes, but also made her into a strong and intelligent character who would NOT commit suicide over some guy! Sandell has done a creditable job telling the story realistically, based on what life was like at the time. Her version of what the Round Table and Merlin were make sense. I al...more
Like this review?
yes
1 comments
Read in May, 2008
This is a verse interpretation of the legend of the Lady of Shalott, also known as Elaine of Ascolat. Traditionally, Elaine of Ascolat seems to be portrayed as a not incredibly likable character, and generally just seems to be there as a tragic female figure in the Arthurian legends. Which, really, made this all the more refreshing.
Instead of pining uselessly away at Lancelot, Elaine is actually a strong female character that takes charge and helps around the war camp of Arthur. There's none...more
Instead of pining uselessly away at Lancelot, Elaine is actually a strong female character that takes charge and helps around the war camp of Arthur. There's none...more
Like this review?
yes
2 comments
Read in March, 2008
I loved this book because I love King Arthur tales but the author did totally change the tale of Elaine of Ascolat, she gave her a happy ending and from what I know of the story of Elaine she did not have a happy ending, she actually died from her unrequited love of Lancelot, and I think she took a lot of liberties with the three women, Elaine, Morgan and Gwynivere, giving them all very modern feminist values, but I am not very familiar with all the tales so maybe that was really how they are po...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
Lovers of Arthurian legends
First off, let me be clear: I <b>hate<b> Elaine of Astolat. In Malory, she is annoying and clingy and whiny. She throws herself at Lancelot and then when he decides he doesn't want her, she dies of a broken heart. Therefore, I've never understood why so many writers and poets-- Tennyson in his <i> The Lady of Shallot<i> to name one-- find her so interesting. Galahad's mother, Elaine of Corbenic, is much more worth writing about in my opinion.
So it was with mixed f...more
So it was with mixed f...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
recommended to Ennagirl by:
Ani Isilee "Leigha"...well, sorta :)recommends it for: anyone who likes King Arthur and/or The Lady of Shalott
This book is a mix between King Arthur legends and the poem The Lady of Shalott. It is written in the style of a poem, and flows perfectly.
Elaine lives in a camp with army men. They are her brothers, friends, and her father. She is the only woman besides Morga, Arthur's older sister, who is only there on occasion. After a bit of the story, another woman, so beautiful Elaine begins to feel completely hideous, that men stare and she becomes amazingly jealous of her. But they later have to work ...more
Elaine lives in a camp with army men. They are her brothers, friends, and her father. She is the only woman besides Morga, Arthur's older sister, who is only there on occasion. After a bit of the story, another woman, so beautiful Elaine begins to feel completely hideous, that men stare and she becomes amazingly jealous of her. But they later have to work ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2007
When I heard about a retelling of Tennyson's Lady of Shallott, I was so in. I mean, I'm nothing if not up for a good Camelot tale. When I heard that, like Tennyson's version, it was entirely in verse, I wasn't so sure. I mean, I tend to like my modern poetry short and to the point. So I went to the bookstore and read the first page. Then I read the second page. And on through the tenth, at which point I accepted the inevitable and bought the book. And it was so good. I loved Sandell's revisionis...more
Like this review?
yes
2 comments
Read in April, 2008
Friday... after Tuesday:
I loved this book. It uses plots from the traditional Arthurian story of Elaine and Lancelot and Gueneviere, but the author also introduces a new story. There were a lot of beautiful parts with lovely imagery. There was action, romance... the things that belong in a book. And it was a quick read.
Tuesday... after Saturday:
Amazingness!! So addicting. I started it today... and I'm on page 258. I don't want it to end. It's really beautifully written.
Saturday... I...more
I loved this book. It uses plots from the traditional Arthurian story of Elaine and Lancelot and Gueneviere, but the author also introduces a new story. There were a lot of beautiful parts with lovely imagery. There was action, romance... the things that belong in a book. And it was a quick read.
Tuesday... after Saturday:
Amazingness!! So addicting. I started it today... and I'm on page 258. I don't want it to end. It's really beautifully written.
Saturday... I...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2007
Lisa Ann Sandell's retelling of the story of Elaine, Lady of Shalott, gives the ladies a much more powerful role than in previous versions. Elaine is a teenage girl, hopelessly in love with Lancelot. She lives at a battle camp with her father, brothers, and a couple hundred other men. She gathers plants to make medicines and she sews for the men. When she hears that another lady is coming to the camp to be Arthur's wife, she's hopeful that she'll finally have a female friend. Unfortunately, Gwyn...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
A retelling of the story of the Lady of Shallott.
This is probably the most empowered and least tragic version you'll get. I liked the treatment of all the female characters (well, with the exception on Elaine's mother ... who's dead), especially Morgan.
Now I'm REALLY going to have to read L'Morte de Arthur and The Once and Future King (well, most of it. I've already read The Sword in the Stone ... bu...more
This is probably the most empowered and least tragic version you'll get. I liked the treatment of all the female characters (well, with the exception on Elaine's mother ... who's dead), especially Morgan.
Now I'm REALLY going to have to read L'Morte de Arthur and The Once and Future King (well, most of it. I've already read The Sword in the Stone ... bu...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
gentle souls, fans of Arthuriana, young readers
Lovely little book. A nice retelling of Arthurian legend, seen through Elaine's eyes. I'm so used to reading betrayal in the stories, that I kept waiting for something horrible to happen, but it was refreshing to get to the end without anyone's life being ruined by a friend.
So it was sweet to see everyone as friends, and also awesome for giving the women an equal part in the tale. I adore the way Morgan was portrayed! Tristan, too.
I also loved the description of the countryside and the c...more
So it was sweet to see everyone as friends, and also awesome for giving the women an equal part in the tale. I adore the way Morgan was portrayed! Tristan, too.
I also loved the description of the countryside and the c...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
This was my first major literary encounter with Elaine of Ascolot.....of course I've seen Anne of Green Gables enact the death scene of Elaine a thousand times, but I didn't know much else about the legend of The Lady of Shallot till now. I knew the name popped up several times in Aurthor legend, but she doesn't play that large of a roll in what I've encountered. I loved this book. I loved the twist and can't imagine it ending any other way. Elaine is simply enchanting. I read this in one ...more
Like this review?
yes
1 comments
Read in December, 2007
Despite the verse, I liked this book. It was interesting because it was from the point of view of the Lady of Shalott, even though her story was changed. The events wasn't at Camelot, but at the battles before Arthur became king. Sandell adds parts that could lead to the foundation of Camelot later. Also, she includes Tristan (of Tristan and Isolde), which was interesting. Overall, I thought the book was very original, and I enjoyed it.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2008
recommended to Wendy by:
Sue McNees
A couple things I really loved about this book:
1st - It was written in verse. What a cool way to go about writing a story! It was just amazing and made for a quick read.
2nd - Although I love Tennyson's Lady of Shalott poem, I liked that she was stronger in this retelling and not cursed.
3rd - Gwynivere wasn't all that . . . Ah! The hard-working girl with common sense is truly appreciated. Love it!
1st - It was written in verse. What a cool way to go about writing a story! It was just amazing and made for a quick read.
2nd - Although I love Tennyson's Lady of Shalott poem, I liked that she was stronger in this retelling and not cursed.
3rd - Gwynivere wasn't all that . . . Ah! The hard-working girl with common sense is truly appreciated. Love it!
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
This book is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is a good book to read if you are a fan of the Auther stories. I never actually knew that Auther was never a real person in life. This book is a good book if you are in to love stories that is mixed with history. I would recomend this book for any person no matter what type of books they read because it covers a large variety of diffrent types of books.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment