All About Books discussion
This topic is about
The Sparrow
Readalongs
>
The Sparrow (Colleen, Joan, Pam, Nichole, and Greg)
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
I'll read them after I finish Pam. If I recall correctly she was formerly a nun - did it mention that?
Mod
Joan - I also like reading about exploration. I admire these folks but could never be one! I’m not that adventurous. A book you might enjoy is Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century by Kevin Fong. It’s one of my favorite non-fiction books.
Mod
Great Colleen! I'm only at the beginning of chapter 10; so I'll still be active here for a while! :)
Pam wrote: "Joan wrote: "chapter 13 reminded some real world news in November— https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense...
[spoilers removed]"
Interesting Joan! You are really doing your research."
LOL Pam I can’t help it. I have always been that fidgety kid whose mind wanders off during class.
Greg wrote: "Some stuff in chapters 8-9 was fairly hesrtbreaking. I like that we get a good back story for Sofia that explains her behavior, and I was really affected by the [spoilers removed]."I saw it, also, as a demonstration of his self-discipline, determination and belief in the value of a cilice, which I had to look up when it was used earlier in the story :-)
My stepson gave me Extreme Medicine for Christmas last year. I haven’t read it yet.
Mod
I..."
That's interesting Joan - I definitely agree about the dicipline! - it shows fierce self control and strong emotion at the same time.
I didn't see Emilio as the cilice type though - that would more fit with a Loney Father Wilfred type in my mind, but perhaps that's a prejudice on my part? Also, Emilio is still very mysterious to me - there is much about him that you and Pam know which I haven't gotten to yet. So I could certainly change my mind as I got further!
Done/Fini/Terminado... Thanks Greg for suggesting this book! It was heart-breaking, thought-provoking, and totally engaging. I’m so curious to know what you all thought about the experience.
Mod
So glad you liked it Pam!
I am also curious to know if any of you plan on reading the sequel. I think I will wait, if I do read it. I don't know if my heart can take it! There is a short excerpt at the end of the book.
Pam, I agree, thank you Greg - this is not a book I would have picked off the shelf, but I am enjoying, one of those book club bonuses.It is very thought provoking, is whipsawing my emotions and the characters are well drawn and engaging.
Mod
I'll let you know when I finish. I suspect so though but probably not immediately. There are some group reads I wants to participate in this month too.
Mod
Mod
https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense...
[spoilers removed]"
Another fascinating link Joan! I'm just finishing up chapter 13.
Chapter 17, I love the development of the characters and I wish I could sit down to dinner at the Edwards’.But in a strange way this book is leading me to ponder my lapse from Catholicism, clearly the author has a positive view of Faith and The Church. I don’t think I’ve ever read such a generous depiction of Jesuits.
Greg- in response to your question, I didn’t see anything about the author being a nun at any time. She was a Catholic until age 15 and later converted to Judaism! You don’t hear about people doing that too often.
Chapter 18I feel like a dope but I don’t get what Anne allusions about the causes of D.W.’s behavior.
Chapter 20I am amazed at the number of social, psychological and theological issues woven into this story - and she does it so well. It doesn’t feel overstuffed or scattered because they all weave together.
(view spoiler)
Greg wrote: "Pam wrote: "I am also curious to know if any of you plan on reading the sequel. I think I will wait, if I do read it. I don't know if my heart can take it! There is a short excerpt at the end of th..."I think I will wait until 2019 since my 2018 reading plan is pretty much set...so I say now!
It didn’t dawn on me until later in the book how close the team became, essentially a family. I really liked that aspect, especially since none of them had family/kids on Earth. ~Ch 27 (view spoiler)
Odd, I don’t usually do this, but I have an image in my mind of each main character. Perhaps because the author has done an outstanding job of sketching their personalities.My casting list of actors so far; I’ve labeled spoiler so I don’t mess with your heads.
(view spoiler)
Chap. 23 at the end reminded me of The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope(view spoiler)
It’s a classic theme In books I’ve read but is it universal across cultures?
YIKES, except the very last section of Chap. 23 - nothing like that in Trollop! ;-)
WOW, finished! A roller coaster.The book I have includes an interview with the author. I found it interesting, especially her point about motherhood, religion and culture.
I will probably read through the discussion questions, too.
My irreverent response to one of the discussion group questions at the back of the book.Q: Who would you choose for an expedition team to another planet?
A: A team of all women would cut out a lot of drama and if you added vials of frozen sperm they could procreate if and when conditions were good.
A team of all men might lack the drama but give no mechanism for procreation.
@Greg - I'm only on chapter 6! Hoping to make some significant progress on it this weekend. Glad to see you're all enjoying it and bringing up some good discussion which I will love to go back on and look at.
Colleen, I started out reading it slowly but towards the end I just could not put it down. So be prepared!
You may already know this. On November 9, 1968 workers on the Arecibo telescope identified radio waves coming from the Crab Nebula. Back then astronomers thought the radio waves could be signs of intelligent life. (From Cosmic Imagery: Key Images in the History of ScienceFor an image
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/ne...
Thanks Joan - I'm sure it will pick up once I get to know more of the book, characters, plot etc. It's definitely intriguing and written well.
I read this over 10 years ago, so am waiting until people are discussing it with spoilers :).
Mod
And I definitely agree with you Joan about how well she weaves in social, theological, and psychological issues into it .. brilliant!
I'll go back through the spoilers and respond to more of them over the next couple days. I'm about 4 chapters from the end, maybe 80 pages left.
Mod
It's funny how this happens - I get a mistaken piece of information and end up believing it for years. Most likely I am confusing her with another author, though I have no idea who. Thanks for the correction Pam - I looked it up and you are absolutely right!
Mod
Hope you enjoy it too Collen!
Mod
I was surpr..."
I loved this aspect too Pam - there is something so endearing about the characters' interactions. Even in their squabbles, they feel like family.
I just started and am on Chapter 9. I'm listening to it in my car on the way to and from work. But since it was so involved, I grabbed a paper copy from the library. I'm taking notes to follow along and keep track of what happened in 2014/5 vs 2060. This was recommended to me by a friend. I'm enjoying it. I'll start reading more of your comments when I get further along. I'm afraid I'll read some spoilers.
Chapter 19 - almost halfway through. I must admit this book is making me nervous! Lots of mystery yet. I am not sure why it has been so slow going for me so far, but it's definitely picking up.
Finally finished - it only took me a month. :)Lots to discuss - I wonder if the Father General et al aren't more of a leader of the world and have more power & access to funds, since it would seem a world leader would need to be in charge of this. It's funny to see the 2019 references - I think we are somewhat beyond the technology, somewhat not. My book had the author's discussion which certainly added to my overall opinion and understanding of the book. Do we really expect God to play nice by our rules? And answer to us??? The awful grace of God to be sure.
At least I finally get the title! It's very interesting theology to be sure. Honestly, I just don't see how any alien/foreign meetings going well - not in the past centuries and not in the future either. Space is so fascinating.
I've heard the sequel should be read immediately as it seems to just be one book - but I need a break. :) To quote one reviewer - "The Sparrow casts a strange, unsettling spell, bouncing readers from scenes of black despair to ones of wild euphoria, from the bracing simplicity of pure adventure to the complicated tangles of nonhuman culture and politics...The smooth storytelling & gorgeous characterization can't be faulted."
Thanks Greg for getting this one read together!
Congratulations on finishing Coleen!And ditto thank you to Greg
Re: reading the sequel
My book had an author discussion in which she said something like - she felt that writing a sequel was complicated by the visceral attachment readers formed with the characters.
That sums up how I feel about reading the sequel - I’m not sure that I want to know what she thinks comes next because I have my own feelings about where the characters are headed.
Well the sequel concentrates more on Rakhat and the aftermath of the humans being there. The thought of an uprising and a rebellion (so true what is bearable to us seems unthinkable to continue with our children) makes me think it will be more of a plot driven and social commentary on repression than so focused on the characters in The Sparrow.
I liked the sequel and was glad to have read it. What I don't usually like are sequels written by different authors than the original, particularly with classics. This is why I no longer try to read "sequels" to things like Pride and Prejudice.
Pam wrote: "I changed my mind about giving the book a break for the weekend when I realized how close I am to finishing it! I’m now on Ch 30. I’m reading an e-book so it’s not always easy to estimate what’s le..."I enjoyed this book too. I also read the interview with the author. She mentions that she converted from Christianity to Judaism. She felt that Christianity implied that God micromanaged your life. She found it off putting that people credited God with every little good thing that happens in their life (like a close parking space) but isn't willing to blame God for the bad things. She found Judaism more to her liking. One of the things you learn as a Jew is that God will not help you. She wanted to explore that religious idea. This is something I've been thinking a lot about too so it was perfect timing for me to read it. It was recommended years ago to me, but when I saw this read-a-long, I took it as a "sign." ;)
I am in this reading group and got notification the you all will be reading “Daisy Jones and the Six” next and so will I! I just don’t know where to find the link on the group to participate? Also I saw that you read “The Sparrow”....I loved this book so much!! Sue C
Mod
Sue wrote: "I am in this reading group and got notification the you all will be reading “Daisy Jones and the Six” next and so will I! I just don’t know where to find the link on the group to participate? Also ..."
Here is the link for Daisy Jones and the Six Sue: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
This thread was set up as an unofficial readalong for some of the members but you're always more than welcome to add your review if you have read the book, we always welcome members sharing their views even if the thread has been quiet for quite some time.
All About Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Cosmic Imagery: Key Images in the History of Science (other topics)The Prime Minister (other topics)
The Sparrow (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Anthony Trollope (other topics)Mary Doria Russell (other topics)
One of the characters comments that taking notes in longhand helps that individual master the topic.
It reminded me of this research on student note taking
https://www.npr.org/2016/04/..."
How interesting Joan - I can see how that would be true. It also gives me an excuse for my old-school methods. Very difficult specifications at work, I still like to print out and tale notes on by hand. I've always felt that the process of the notetaking helps me process it, even if I don't look at the notes again.