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Title: The Fall of a Sparrow by Robert Hellenga, David Birney, Alyssa Bresnahan ISBN: 0-7871-1752-8 Publisher: Dove Books Audio Pub. Date: July, 1998 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 4 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.52 (64 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Engrossing, Generous Story Telling, Mostly Good
Comment: 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: 2
Summary: doesn't live up to his debut
Comment: After reading and enjoying "The Sixteen Pleasures," I was profoundly disappointed with the pretentious and overwritten "The Fall of the Sparrow." The main character--so obviously Hellenga himself--is a weasly fool who doesn't have the sense to toss a drunken student out of his bed. He just seems to bumble from one event to another with absolutely no sense of honor or conviction. The sex scenes are embarrassing, for they smack of mid-life crisis gone mad. The convenient way the wife takes off for a monastery is not only unbelievable, but cruel, for what mother would turn her back on her remaining children after they already suffered the loss of a beloved sibling? The shifts in point of view are annoying and seem to have no point whatsoever. One minute we are seeing things through Woody's eyes, then Sara's. Hellenga did the same thing in "The Sixteen Pleasures," but at least that was a tightly contained, beautifully written book about characters you loved and wanted to know in real life. I didn't want to know anyone from "The Fall of the Sparrow."
Rating: 4
Summary: Not for fans of "Sixteen Pleasures," but good nonetheless
Comment: Fans of Hellenga's earlier "The Sixteen Pleasures" will likely not like this book. That just seems to be a fact. In "Pleasures" we get a sympathetic female character who's on a path of discovery about herself, her sexuality, and the world. It's a book with a broad base of appeal among book lovers. "Sparrow" is just a different kind of animal.
Hellenga seems to have a way of misdirecting his readers. In "Pleasures" one gets the idea that the whole point is a controversial rediscovered text when in fact its just a set piece.
The same is true of "Sparrow." The jacket talks about Woody's daughter dying in a terrorist attack in Italy. This certainly makes for an interesting story. Or rather, it would have. Instead, Hellenga takes us on another path as the main character, this time an older man, takes his own path of discovery. It's likely that some don't want to take the ride, especially fans "Pleasures."
Yes, this book has sex. But then, so does "Pleasures." Maybe folks are just more comfortable reading about a younger woman's maturing sexuality than they are with an older man who lusts for young and older women alike. Frankly, both books are honest and both are good (I admit "Pleasures" is by far the better read). At the risk of offending certain readers, I think the problem is more with one's views on sex and not necessarily a failing of Hellenga.
In one scene Hellenga describes a situation in which he realizes that he's hurt a female colleague his own age who's emotionally distant. Woody recognizes the lost opportunity and shows empathy, at least internally, towards the woman. In other words, this isn't just some guy out to have sex with a student. He's complicated and he has feelings.
Hellenga is a versatile author. Unfortunately, he attracts certain readers by his apparent misdirection. While he might be guilty of false advertising, he's certainly not guilty of being a bad writer. If you're open to the experience, give "Sparrow" a chance. Just be forewarned - it's not "The Sixteen Pleasures."
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Title: The Sixteen Pleasures: A Novel by Robert Hellenga ISBN: 0385314698 Publisher: Delta Pub. Date: 01 May, 1995 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Blues Lessons: A Novel by Robert Hellenga ISBN: 0743225465 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 31 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Caramelo by SANDRA CISNEROS ISBN: 0679742581 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 09 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Family History by Dani Shapiro ISBN: 0375415475 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
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Title: Sister of My Heart : A Novel by Chitra Divakaruni ISBN: 038548951X Publisher: Anchor Pub Pub. Date: 18 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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