The FALL OF A SPARROW: A NOVEL

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, Generous Story Telling, Mostly Good
Review: This is an expansive book, told by multiple voices, traveling across time and place (from small town Illinois, to Iran, to Bologna) with a fulcrum that's equal parts classical literature and the exploration of love and loss.
Sound like a lot? Throw in bats, guitars, the blues, Italian terrorism, museum installations, chaos, cooking and a nun or two and you get the idea of the richness and variety of this deftly written book.
The story is moving and well-woven. The central character is likable, interesting and a pleasure to watch, even as he stumbles in the wreckage of a life devastated by tragedy.
Does the author pull it off? Sort of. The ending falls a bit flat, the voices sometimes waver (and so does the prose), the well-researched details sometimes lack a deeper verisimilitude or empathetic human understanding and the explorations don't always lead anywhere. Still, it's a rich, intelligent, ambitious ride and well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most fortunate reading experiences of my life
Review: This masterfully told novel was my constant companion and best friend in the months that followed the accidental death of my twenty-four year old son. The book was given to me by a man who had read my own novel, and who saw some similarities in the blending of ancient and modern perspectives. Little did this man realize that "The Fall of a Sparrow" would come to mean much much more to me than his flattering perception of literary affinity. In fact, Hellenga's heartfelt wisdom was a lifeline that helped initiate whatever is positive in my life since that time. I only wonder at the strength and motivation this writer had which would lead him to create, and therefore live with, the very difficult circumstances he so realistically portrayed. I hope that the author will see this review and know of the gratitude I am yet feeling four years later for his profoundly effective, nearly-perfect, ultimately life-affirming story.

Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: What a wonderful book. I wanted to spend more time with all of these characters, I wanted to spend more time in their world. They deal with pain and tragedy and confusion so much more thoughtfully and interestingly than I do. I learned something from them all, like you would learn from a friend's misfortune that they were able to face gracefully. This book is as nourishing as an Italian banquet with friends outside under the trees on a balmy summer evening. I'm on to read more by Robert Hellenga. Why isn't he a household name?