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Dec 23, 2008

Shannon rated it:

I have never had any interest in the Arthurian Legend, and have avoided the many books about it since reading The Sword in the Stone in grade 6 (and winning the school library's book jacket competition with a new cover for it), and struggling through the first fifty pages of The Mists of Avalon. There was even a course at uni that was solely about the legend of King Arthur - which I ran a mile to avoid. I can't really explain what I don't like about the myth, except to say that I don't get the a More...

3 comments like (19 people liked it)

Dec 02, 2011

Annalisa rated it:

I've decided I just don't like modern books in verse. There is no cadence to them. Take for instance this stance:

The noise brings me back,
the fearsome noise of swords
striking swords,
a metallic clanging that rings in
my ears, echoing and echoing
the fearsome
din of men
screaming and crying as they
meet the sharp ends of blades.

Why is the fourth line broken after in? There is no rhythm in that. And why is the second to the last line not broke More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Mar 27, 2011

Valerie rated it:

I loved this book. I was a bit worried about the poem structure and I was also worried because it was about Lady Elaine. But I really could admire Elaine and her courage. And I could follow the book just fine. I really liked that the men were very chilvaric and honorable. The few women that were in the story were not pathetic and swooning all the time. They actually played a big part in Arthur's success. Elaine helped in a realistic way during that period in time. After I finished reading it I w More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 16, 2011

Chachic rated it:

Originally posted here.

Song of the Sparrow is based on Alfred Lord Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott, an Arthurian poem about Elaine of Ascolat. I've never read a novel in verse before and I thought it would be a good idea to start with this one because I like the premise. I don't read a lot of Arthurian tales either although I remember reading Le Morte d'Arthur for English back in high school and I love Elizabeth E. Wein's books. When I saw an inexpensive used copy from Julie's Sari-Sa More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 30, 2007

Emily rated it:

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 Tab More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 02, 2008

Melissa rated it:

Sandell brings to life the fictional story of The Lady of Shallot [Elaine] through history and the legends of King Arthur and his knights.
When I first picked up this book I thought "Oh, no! It's a 380 page poem!" But as I read it, I found it was merely written like a poem, not in rhyming words or anything so don't let that scare you.
It was a bit slow at first, but it picked up quickly. The book is very poetic and detailed. Surprisingly it had a bit of history and the characters were mo More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 03, 2008

Elizabethbennett rated it:

This was a wonderful book. My sister bought it at a book fair, and at first I was wary, because it was poetry. Finally, I read it, and I absolutely loved it. It is a beautiful, amazing book.

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

May 12, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

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 m More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 14, 2008

Heather rated it:

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...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Angie rated it:

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...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 20, 2010

Johanna rated it:

it is a truly amazing book

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 06, 2012

Samantha rated it:

A gorgeous sixteen year old named Elaine has experienced more than you can imagine. Before the war of Britian versus the Saxons, she was Elaine of Ascolat, the Lady of Shallot. Now, she is the only woman in the army's camp. She is the mender, a nurse and every other job she needs to be as a woman. How did all this fall onto a sixteen year old?
As a young child, before she even knew what the war was about, she enjoyed working with her mom and brothers. One day while all three kids were do More...

0 comments like

Jan 09, 2012

Reynje rated it:

I read Song of the Sparrow last year, but it’s only now that I’m posting my rating and review because, in truth, I was nervous.

I have good friends who all seemed to fall into passionate, swoony love with Lisa Ann Sandell’s verse interpretation of the Lady of Shallott. And I.. did not. So I held off. Did I really want to be the lone lukewarm drop in the bucket of adoration? And maybe it was me. Maybe I was just a philistine with no literary taste. While reviewers and critics alike pr More...

13 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jul 17, 2011

Book Geek rated it:

I have to preface this with a confession. After many medieval lit classes, and reading the King Arthur tales in their original form and the french versions, I have a love/hate relationship with Arthurian tales. But their an addiction, so I always come back to them. When I saw this one, I picked it up, not expecting much. I love the poem The Lady of Shalott that the story is based around.The description of it doesn’t do the story justice.

The book is also in verse (which I wasn’t payin More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 07, 2011

Kayla rated it:

I was assigned to read this book as part of the YA Best Overlooked Book Battle 2011, hosted by Alyssa over at The Shady Glade. At first I wasn't sure what to think; I'm just starting to get into historical fiction, and this didn't sound like something I'd ache to pick up on my own. But by giving it a chance, I was pleasantly surprised.

Song of the Sparrow follows Elaine, the only girl in an army camp full of men. She's grown up there, away from the limitations that were enforced upon More...

0 comments like

Feb 24, 2011

Holly rated it:

Red-headed Elaine of Ascolat has been the sole girl at Arthur’s war camp for as long as she can remember. Although she misses her mother and dislikes all the washing and mending Elaine wouldn’t trade living with her father and brothers and being part of the military for a quieter life. There, as a healer, her job matters. She may not have fine clothes but she knows how to take care of herself and more importantly how to find and prescribe the herbs that can save the wounded. Her life would be c More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jul 12, 2010

Creative rated it:

This was a great novel in verse that tells an interesting and unique (if albeit simplified) story based around Arthurian, Lancelot, and of course Lady of Shalott legends. I remember reading the blurb on the back and being irked by how it misrepresented some of the story. This was a sweet, simple story about complicated relationships, told by a girl coming into her own.

Elaine is a teenage girl surrounded by war and the men of the camp. As she comes to grips with her first crush on L More...

0 comments like

Jun 26, 2010

Lisa rated it:

A different perspective on an aspect of the Authurian legends. This is the first person account of Elaine of Ascolat (famously knows as the Lady of Shallot in Tennyson's famous poem)

Elaine tells her sory in a free verse poetry style. This makes the book a very quick read. It also is a tad bit confusing until you figure out that instead quotation marks to indicate dialog the words are in italics, to further confuse teh word "said" (or any other substitute) is never used. More...

0 comments like

Jun 25, 2010

Lady rated it:

I will admit this book sat on my shelf for over a year before I finally picked it up, but boy, am I ever glad I did! Initially I wasn't thrilled with the format of the novel (novels in verse have never really been "my thing"), but as I read I realized that free verse was exactly the right format for the story. Free verse allows the story to move much more quickly than the traditional format, and actually helped the story feel much more like one of the old-time ballads. Another great fe More...

0 comments like

Dec 11, 2008

Hadley marked it as to-read

my friend is forcing me to read this, aren't you amelia?

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 20, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

I really liked this book. I love stories that are Arthurian related, and I found this to be an enjoyable read. I can say I didn't know much about The Lady of Shalott so this was interesting to read this from her view. One thing I was not a big fan of is that the author wrote this book in Prose. I don't mind reading them from time to time but in general I'm not drawn to stories written in this form. I appreciated the book for what it was and the subject matter it pertained to. I love all of the c More...

0 comments like

Jan 29, 2010

Erica rated it:

As an English major I was required to read many works written in verse, and excepting very few, I could never really get into the rhythm enough to see it as beautiful and free rather than stilted and restrictive. This was not at all the case for Song of the Sparrow. I was immediately caught in the flow of the words, Sandell’s lyricism pulling me deeper and deeper into this beautifully told tale. Her words paint incredibly detailed images:
"I pace the small room, the walls,
the More...

0 comments like

Jul 25, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

I love Arthurian legend and usually take great pleasure reading books based on the subject. Song of the Sparrow gives readers a look at Arthur, Lancelot, Gwynivere and other well known characters in their pre-Camelot days from Elaine of Ascolat's view. Elaine, as the author points out in a note at the end of the book, is a much lesser known character than the others and the choice of making her the main character confused me.

Elaine is a dynamic lead in the book, wholly her own chara More...

0 comments like

Oct 19, 2009

Terry rated it:

Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell is a delightful tale of true love, courage and coming of age in the time period of Arthur of Camelot. A book of prose to savour with a nice cup of tea and a warm quilt over the legs on a leisurely afternoon or evening.

Our story is set during the early years of Arthur, King and Knight, harbinger of peace and tranquility, creator of Camelot and The Round Table. We learn of Arthur's story as mostly a background story as the main story is about Ela More...

0 comments like

Jun 17, 2009

Adele rated it:

I am usually adverse to verse but having read two amazing verse novels this week, I am about to pull an about face. Song of the Sparrow was an absolute joy to read - lyrical, poetic, inspiring and wrenching. Drawing upon the stories of Arthur, Lancelot and Merlin, Sandell has strongly integrated the inspiration for Tennyson's poem, the Lady of Shalott, into the mix. Elaine (the "Lady" in question) has been raised in the war camps of 5th century Britain, by her widowed father amongst ba More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jan 01, 2009

Rebecca rated it:

Sixteen year old Elaine, with a temperament as fiery as her red hair, is the only female in a battle camp of over three hundred and fifty men. Growing up with this band of brothers and no mother to guide her in the ways of ladyship, Elaine has lived and grown as a boy, wild and free.

Now that she is older, however, things aren’t quite as they used to be… and she’s not even sure that she wants it to be. While her ‘brothers’ look to her for friendship, advice and, and always, the mendin More...

0 comments like

Jan 11, 2010

Neena rated it:

I found this book to be very interesting. When I tried to read it the first time, I lost interest in it. That's because I didn't read past the tenth chapter. Now that I have read the entire thing, I have a better understanding of it.
This book is based on the Arthurian times and it takes place in Britian. Elaine, a girl who has lived among men ever since her home was attacked and burned down by the Saxons, is a healer and mends clothes for the soldiers in the camp. She considers many of the More...

0 comments like

Dec 19, 2008

♥Rachel♥ rated it:

I was watching a movie at my sitter's house today, and got bored, so I decided to pull out Song of the Sparrow and finish it!
It was a fantastically wonderful book that I really enjoyed!
I REALLY recomend it!
Don't be fooled by some of the characters!
The book is like an extremely long poem, one that your sad to find an end to.
I REALLY recomend it!

10 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 28, 2011

Sirpa rated it:

What a beautifully written book. I wasn't sure about the poetic format at first but Sandell's strength s a writer reminds me of "Out of the Dust" in its lyrical form. Within a few pages I was rapt in this tale of Elaine of Ascolar, the beautiful Lady of Shalott. Having grown up with the Arthurian legends, this was a beautifully rendered vision of the tale, weaving characters such as Arthur, Lancelot, and the beautiful Gwynivere, with Tristan (from Tristan and Isolde), battles with the More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 17, 2008

Ginevra Elizabeth rated it:

I bit choppy to read because it's written as a free-form epic poem. However, this gives it a bit of charm not easily matched by other forms. The dialogues are written very well, and the expression of the book makes it easy to relate to the main character.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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