Rating: 
Summary: Total Disappointment
Review: I hate when you can tell by the text whether a book is written by a man or a woman. This book has such pathetic "girly" writing - especially in the references she makes to today's society. Clearly, there is too much effort, and not enough result.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully Developed Characters
Review: I've read the other customer reviews, and strongly disagree with those who found nothing worthy of this novel. Russell's characters are carefully developed. The questions she raises are thought-provoking, and I liked the fact she didn't pretend to have all the answers.I also felt her description of the first meeting between humans and aliens was incredibly (for lack of a better adjective) "human." It did not read like science fiction at all. My wife and I both have very different tastes in books, and she loved this book as well, and is now reading the sequel.
Rating: 
Summary: On the level of Left Hand of Darkness
Review: This book deals with the complex issue of what would happen if the missionary period were to reoccur. It could, on another planet, and it would be with modern people in a modern context. Mary Doria Russell poses that problem, and does not give it a Hollywood ending. Her characters are believable and likeable. She draws from a vast store of knowledge and interest in the missionary period of the Jesuit order, in astronomy, and in many other areas. Her sense of history adds as wonderful a dimension as Ursula Le Guin's sense of anthropology does to her writings. It is a book that will develop an ever expanding following.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking
Review: This is a wonderful combination of my two favorite subjects...life elsewhere and spirituality. As a practicing Catholic the premise was irresistible, Jesuits reaching out to yet another "culture". What will haunt me forever is the discussion which gives the book its title...God knows even when the tiny sparrow falls to earth, how much more important is man. Russell turns that phrase from Matthew on its head by reminding us that yes God knows the sparrow falls, but it still falls. The pain and feeling of betrayal that Father Sandoz experiences is so personnel and easily to relate. The book was wonderful and I look foward to the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: A SLEEPER....
Review: The idea and concept of the novel seemed intriguing. However, the story never seems to get off the ground. When does the climax come? It was a total bore. Not worth wasting the time to read.
Rating:
Summary: People Like This?
Review: If there is any benefit to the publication of The Sparrow it can only be in the belief that reading, regardless of the material, is always a good thing. This must be said because it is assumed that those who praise this book just learned to read. Other than that, Russell's first and unfortunately not last attempt at entertaining writing fails miserably in everthnig it attempts. Russell's character Anne is an excellent depiction of the most annoying kind of woman you may know, and this is indeed the character that Russell modeled after herself, so you can imagine what happens to a piece of fiction she writes. In its admirable goal of examing the relationship between man and God, Russel doesn't even begin to pose any questions worthy of interest to anyone but the most uncreative Catholic. Russel allows the reader to know the basic storyline before getting too far into the book, and so any experienced reader assumes there will be twists and turns and surprises along the way. Utter disappointment. Even in the one place the reader hopes to be a welcome diversion to the mundane story and absolute absence of interesting philosophical examination - the life forms on Rakaht - Russel is abominable. So many before her have successfully entertained with creative life forms in SF that make us think twice about what we assume to be automatic about existence. You would think she could have just borrowed some ideas and it would have worked. Instead, she does little more than differentiate between the two plantes and peoples by colors or textures, literally and figuratively. Specifically, there are countless holes in the narritive that should have been edited out by a tired high school English teacher. The characters are killed off so easily that her inexperienced writing process comes right out in the story. The love connection between Jimmy and Sofia is ridiculous and absolutely not credible. And please, the aliens - the action that has taken nearly 400 pages to lead up to, is explaine! d in a page and left at that. Are you kidding? I mean, I will give it to her that she had an idea entertaining in possibility, but why did we read the book? For the one-page explanation? Her words alone are not nearly powerful enough to do anything but disappoint at the end of this book, but then again, it was no let down, as the reader stops expecting anything out of this book before it even attempts to get started. Most distressing at all is that there are people who thought intensely about this book. I just hope those people are inspired to read more, and certainly they will look back at their first book with a certain pride, but laugh that they thought it provoking.
Rating: 
Summary: All that for that?
Review: Ms. Russell's first attempt at fiction should be applauded at several levels. The character development was superb. This author's ability to create such multi-dimensional subjects make it an easy 3 star book. Furthermore Ms. Russell's scientific background makes the storyline plausible albeit probable. But for all that, I am left with extreme frustration over having read 406 pages only to have Father Sandoz come to some inane conclusion about God. Ms. Russell created Father Sandoz as the epitome of humility and all that can be good about men. Then in the last few pages Father Sandoz becomes this egocentric maniac attempting to answer questions within himself, which I am sure he should have and would have addressed many years earlier. My expectations, built up after 406 pages, were shattered with such a wimpy ending.
Rating:
Summary: Good idea, but only that
Review: The author has had a good idead, but barely little else. The writing is sloppy, the storyline is implausible and the characters are completely shallow. At the beginning, all problems are magically solved, as if the author hadn't enough imagination to deal with them. Then an expedition of unprepared, old people is sent to make contact with extraterrestrials. An then the aliens raping humans? Come on. I haven't seen any profound philosophical or trascendental questions, at least not more than the ones found in most good science fiction books. The science fiction frame is completely wrong - this should have been a plain fiction book, with the action taking place on Earth on some distant island, rather than trying to dress it like SF. It would have been much more credible.
Rating:
Summary: An Engrossing Read
Review: There have been very few books that I have read in nearly one sitting, and this was one of them. It was difficult to put down, and I am still thinking about the book and the characters. Rich character development and minimum techno-babble.
Rating:
Summary: Russell explores the fraility and power of spirituality
Review: Russell's debut, The Sparrow, is less concerned with the scientific aspects of extraterrestrial contact and space exploration as with societal and religious impacts of expanding the human purview. While she makes a few strong points for the science, the books real force of the novel lies in character development and existential realities that we all wrestle with. She makes a case for understanding humanity - not science.
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