Rating: 
Summary: Save your time and money.
Review: Looking at the reader reviews here in Amazon you will find them strongly bimodal. I found this book a huge dissappointment. My confidence in Reviews in major publications (NYT, etc) has never been high and the idea that this book was a BOTM club selection suggests to me that reviewers these days must be skimming books superficially rather than reading them. The NYT review reminds me that Richard Feynman when on a committee reviewing high school text books found that many of the books were blank inside (because they had not been finished yet), but other reviewers wrote positive comments because "the publishers were known to turn out good books."If you liked Ursula LeGuin there is only a 50/50 chance you'll like this book. I cared about LeGuins characters. For Russell's you felt like saying "Get real". The dropped plot threads were numerous. The plot holes were big enough to drive a fully loaded manure spreader through which Russell and her editor gleefully do. I wasted my time and money on this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought provoking
Review: I have never read a work in all my life that has touched the deepest part of my soul in the way "The Sparrow" has. I am a lover of good science-fiction (and contrary to popular belief, there are SOME good sci-fi works) -- "The Sparrow" was far more than sci-fi. The spiritual quest of Emilio Sandoz and his feelings of abandonment resurrected my own doubts of the Christian God. This book has awakened a need in me to search out my own true religious beliefs and make peace with my own soul. Who knew science fiction could do such a thing?
Rating:
Summary: A refreshing outpouring of emotions.
Review: I gave myself 3 days to devour the book, instead it took me 2 weeks to reach the last page.This is not the typical sci-fi book one will expect of. The story reads like a personal glimps of raw human emotions and lets one feel the uncertainty towards religion. There is no overt protrayals of spaceships and what-nots of the techno-fantasy stuff that usually fill sci-fi books. I admire Russell's ability to bring to life characters like DW, Mendez and Anne, and wonder in fasination at the refreshing picture of 'aliens' that was protrayed. The aliens were certainly no 'little green men'!!! The story reads like a flash between the past & present, and the future(?).The plot thickens and twists and so does your mind. i often find myself conducting silent debates between my heart and mind. One aspect that did not fill my otherwise perfect vision of the book was the stereotypical way which Emilo was ravaged. Read the story till the last page to understand what i mean. Ever wonder why the title< the sparrow>? Read till the end to unravel the mystery.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this book!
Review: You may find "The Sparrow" (and its sequel, "Children of God") inspiring and thought-provoking. It may drive you completely nuts. But you won't be sorry you read it. If you love SF but are fed up with the cookie-cutter novels clogging the shelves, or if you think you don't particularly like science fiction, this book is for you. And, thanks to one scene, you will never look at duct tape the same way again.
Rating:
Summary: well worth reading...
Review: A book that inspires such a range of comments, from 'the worst sophomoric writing i've ever read', to 'fantastic, it changed my life', is a must read. The Sparrow, I couldn't put it down, despite its flaws. Like life, bad and good, but beautiful, involving fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting but ultimately disappointing book
Review: I found the premise of the book very intriguing. But I was disappointed in the philisophical and religious questions the book asked. Basically the book came down to the Job question of why does God let bad things happen to good people. There are far more interesting questions that could and need to be addressed if an intelligent alien species is ever discovered. I was amazed that the book never delved into the question of redemption and Christ in the context of aliens. How would God choose to manifest himself to such a species if Jesus never came to them? Or do they have their own Jesus? Why didn't any of the characters spend more time asking the aliens about their believes? The whole nature of creation and God's place for humanity come into question if true aliens are ever found. The book addressed none of those issues and instead concentrated on familiar already well trodded religious issues. There was no need to have an alien world in the story. Put the book in the 16th or 17th century with missionaries and same story with questions can be told. It can even be set in the present day with missionaries in Africa and same story can be told. If the author had gone after the hard quesitons of redemption and God's love for humanity in the context of a completely alien species that does not share any common religious reference then this would have been a much more profound novel. Instead the aliens were just a gimmic to tell a story that's already been told.
Rating:
Summary: Does one experience hell first before meeting God?
Review: This book has left a deep mark in my mind. Wanting to find God, then finding something Emilio Sandoz never expected to find has brought me to tears. Just like him I have asked and still asking: Why? Why did all this happen? Maybe: to enter paradise and find God one has to go through hell first.
Rating:
Summary: Hardly needs more reviews, but I'll say it again, EXCELLENT!
Review: One of the best books I've ever read, the only drawback is that now all others pale in comparison, what to read now?
Rating:
Summary: Wow! An amazing book!
Review: First remarkable thing about this book: you are quickly made to REALLY care about the characters! The cast is bright, compassionate, inviting, real, and full- and well-rounded. Take these folk, and integrate them into a story about: space travel, catholicism, breaking and mending people, and aliens (pleasant and otherwise), and you have a really fine book that operates both as thriller and as character study, both as serious fiction and as science fiction. A MUST!
Rating:
Summary: This novel will change your whole outlook on life.
Review: This novel will cause you to rethink organized religion. It shows that good intentions can have catastrophic consequences. I equated the story with Jesuits expedition to gain the souls of the Native Americans for their God. A very powerful message!
| 
