I discovered Mary Doria Russell’s novel The Sparrow (and its sequel, Children of God) in 2007, through a random link on Amazon. Since the first time I read it, it’s been one of my most frequent book recommendations. I recently re-read both books, and I’m even more impressed with them now, if that’s possible.
The Sparrow is set in the semi-near future. It focuses on Emilio Sandoz, a charming Jesuit priest and linguist with a rough past. Through some friends, he meets a young astronomer who is the first to discover music coming from an alien planet called Rakhat. The circumstances surrounding the discovery, and gathering of this particular group of people, are such that Emilio is convinced they’ve been given a mission from God. Within a short time, the small motley crew is off to Rakhat to meet “the singers,” and that’s when the real story begins.
Many reviewers have taken issue with the lack of a happy ending in these books (although Children of God ends on a hopeful, if not ideal, note). Personally, I think that’s part of what makes them so brilliant, and what I related to on this re-reading. Although he’s a priest, Emilio’s faith doesn’t fully bloom until the crew arrives on Rakhat and starts interacting with the natives. Then, he feels a deep sense of fulfillment, purpose, and destiny. He “falls in love with God” – and at this peak of love and trust, God allows tragic, horrific things to happen to him. Shattered by his experiences, Emilio is left to struggle, grieve, despair, and try to make sense of it all. Yet his love for God never completely dies, and he eventually finds healing. My own experiences, while not nearly as terrible as Emilio’s, have left me asking many of the same questions. When you feel assured that you’re exactly where God wants you and doing what He wants you to do, and it results in pain and loss, how can you reconcile that with the fact of His love? Or, on a more basic level, why do bad things happen to “good” people? These books give voice to things I haven’t been able to express, and don’t provide pat answers, and I’m thankful for that.
By the way, don’t be scared away from these books if you’re not a Christian – a lot of faiths, and non-faiths, are represented respectfully and intelligently. I think everyone can get something out of it.
On a writing note, one of my favorite things in any kind of story is a strong ensemble cast, in which all the characters are well-drawn individuals, but interwoven with each other in all the ways that real people are. These books are some of the best examples I’ve seen. Emilio is the center, but the other characters are no less vivid or important. In fact, I’d say that character development is the real focus of the books. This is sci-fi in which the sci-fi is almost incidental at times.
Apparently Brad Pitt bought the movie rights to The Sparrow around 2005, but nothing is actually in the works. Too bad, because it would be an incredible movie. I think Antonio Banderas could be a good Emilio, but I’m not familiar with too many Hispanic actors. He might be too old for the role by the time the movie gets made.
3 Comments + Posted in: faith, reading
I happened to drive past the Agricenter on Friday night and saw the sunflower field at Shelby Farms in full bloom. I love to stop there at this time of year, but my regular routes don’t take me that way anymore, and I’d forgotten about it. But I did a U-turn and drove back for a little quality time with the flowers!
The sun was setting and the lighting was wonderful. I even remembered to use the “sunset” setting on my camera.
Lots of people were having portraits taken in front of the sunflowers – there were fancy cameras and light reflectors everywhere! I’ll have to remember that (Jessica, you should come next year! You would LOVE it). For now, this was the best I could do.
11 Comments + Posted in: memphis, nature
I loved being married, even when it was difficult. All things being equal, I would still prefer to be married. But I’m truly thankful for many aspects of my single-again life – things I couldn’t fully appreciate when I was single the first time:
♥ I’m free to invest in people. I’m more flexible to drop everything to be there for a friend or family member if they need me, or just want to do something spontaneously. Instead of focusing on nurturing one relationship, I can give my time and attention to multiple people. I can make new friends. I can get involved in ministries. At times no one seems interested in my “investment,” and then I start feeling a little Ecclesiastes. But most of the time it’s good.
♥ No one decides my fate but me (and God). If I “feel led” to change careers, or move to another state, or take up a time-consuming activity, no one’s stopping me. My goals, dreams, and interests aren’t secondary to someone else’s. This is huge.
♥ It’s easier to be single than to be in a troubled marriage. I believed this logically in my younger days, but now I know it for a fact. It’s a dense topic, but I only mention it here to say that this knowledge removes the desperation from relationships, or finding a man, and I appreciate that!
♥ I am only responsible for myself. I know I can trust myself to be responsible, and at least try to make wise decisions, in multiple areas of life. I don’t have to live in crisis management mode, bracing for the next problem. I can do my best and trust that there’s grace enough for my mistakes.
♥ I’m in control of my finances. This point is an offshoot of the previous one. Knowing that I’m capable of living on a budget, that I can sacrifice or adjust if I have to, gives me peace. I love being able to save and plan, and to give, and to splurge if I want to, with a feeling of security.
♥ Traveling and going out is MUCH cheaper.
♥ I can cook (or not cook) whatever I want! Once the dust settled, this was the first thing I felt excited about, and it continues to be one of my great joys. Related domestic things, like the house staying clean and having control of the thermostat, also make me happy.
♥ I can trust my environment. This sort of sums up the entire list. I know everything that’s happening in my home, and I can be relatively confident that the things and people in my life are as they appear. It sounds melodramatic, but I lived in an atmosphere of uncertainty and deception for a long time. So it does me a world of good to live with cleanness and honesty and solid ground under my feet.
I believe that not all of these things are exclusive to single life, that they can be part of a good and healthy relationship. But experientially, I wouldn’t know. So I’m enjoying them to the max in my current state, and am thankful!
2 Comments + Posted in: singleness, thankful
My new-old oven was installed last weekend! What a difference, right? Since my house was built in the mid-70’s and they don’t make ovens exactly the size of my old one anymore, getting the new oven in was more difficult than anticipated. I expected problems, but not problems requiring major cabinet surgery. So I hired a handyman, and thanks to him and my wonderful dad, the oven is in AND my cabinets and drawers are still intact. I’m relieved that it’s all over!
Since I was out of town last weekend visiting friends, I didn’t have a chance to use the new oven until last night. It is SUCH a pleasure to work with. The digital readouts are so handy, the light comes on automatically when you open the door, and if you set the timer, the oven turns itself off when the time is up. I’m pretty sure it has more features that I haven’t discovered yet. I’m looking forward to lots of baking in the months and years to come.
The whole unit was really filthy when I bought it, but Easy-Off cooktop cleaner and oven cleaner took care of most of the yuckiness. One of the burners is a little scarred, but I’m told there’s a really heavy-duty product or procedure that can fix that too. I’ll share if it works!
Here’s what I made to inaugurate the oven!
(Yes, my muffin tin is icky. It gets so much use that I have a hard time getting all the gunk off.
I welcome cleaning tips.)
Blueberry Flax Muffins
Slightly adapted from Chef Meg of Sparkrecipes. Makes 12 muffins, about 140 calories each.
Ingredients:
1 cup quick oats
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
¾ cup brown sugar (can substitute Splenda if desired)
1 cup blueberries
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F and prepare your muffin tin(s).
2. In a small bowl, combine oats and buttermilk. Let stand at room temperature for five minutes. If you prefer a lighter, crunchier muffin, you can skip this step.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt (and oats if skipping step 2). Mix with a fork or whisk and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine egg, applesauce, and brown sugar (and buttermilk if skipping step 2). Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for three minutes. Blend in oat-buttermilk mixture, if applicable.
5. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups ¾ full, and sprinkle flaxseed on top of each muffin.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
4 Comments + Posted in: baking, domestic
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I did, I enjoyed it as much as the rest of the Sarah Dessen oeuvre. :) Like all SD heroines, Mclean has a troubled family. After her mom’s betrayal of her dad and their subsequent divorce, she moves from town to town with her dad, inventing a new personality for herself in each place, never getting too attached. But when they move to Lakeview, she finds a real home, real friends, and her own real self for the first time. I loved it!
So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore
This book is life-changing and I’ll probably have more to say about it in the future. I recommend it for ALL women (and men, if they want a better understanding of female insecurity). I had to return it to the library before finishing it the first time, so I bought my own copy and re-read from the beginning. Everything Beth says here is right on target, and I appreciate her honesty and straightforwardness!
90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper
My non-bookworm sister read and liked this, and asked me to read it too. I’m glad I did. In 1989, Don Piper was killed in a car crash and was legally dead for 90 minutes (trapped in his crushed car) before reviving. He had extensive injuries and a long, very difficult recovery. His memories of heaven are moving, but only make up a small part of the book – the rest of it is about his recovery from the accident, and how people have responded and been touched by his story. It’s not Great Literature, but it’s honest and insightful. I think anyone who’s been through any sort of major crisis can relate to it. I’m often skeptical of memoirs about near-death experiences, but Rev. Piper’s humility and genuine faith make me believe him.
The Sparrow and Children of God by Mary Doria Russell (re-reads)
The Sparrow is one of my all-time favorite novels, and I got even more out of it (and its sequel) this time than I have previously. It’s just amazing. I want to give these books their own post soon, so I won’t say more here.
Books for July: 5
2011 year to date: 45
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