The Sparrow

music producer

My daughter is an avid reader; has a higher degree in creative writing non-fiction and says I need to read The Sparrow. Has anybody read it, and do you recommend it?

Einhard

Never even heard of it.

I am though, intrigued by the sound of a creative writing course in non-fiction. Is that not something of an oxymoron?

OakeyDokey

Who is it by? Congrats to your daughter, she must of worked hard.

BlueValkyrie

I have read The Sparrow - it's by Mary Doria Russell (who I had not heard of previously) - it was loaned to me by a friend who was working in Waterstones at the time, and came highly recommended. It was very well-written, and I would say definately worth reading, but maybe a little bit too ambitious for it's own good.

The story is difficult to explain without giving away any spoilers, but it is broadly speaking a literary science fiction novel with a spiritual/theological slant, which raises some fairly big ethical questions - with sometimes disturbing turns.

Overall, I would recommend it - in terms of similar authors, I would think of Kazuo Ishiguro (Never Let Me Go particularly), some of Neal Stephenson's less cyberpunk work, Philip K Dick, and maybe Donna Tartt and Iain Banks.

music producer

Einhard wrote: »

Never even heard of it.

I am though, intrigued by the sound of a creative writing course in non-fiction. Is that not something of an oxymoron?

Not really. The creative part refers to the craft and art of writing, not that it must necessarily be fictional to be creative.

Toby Take a Bow

music producer wrote: »

Not really. The creative part refers to the craft and art of writing, not that it must necessarily be fictional to be creative.

There's also the argument that even non-fiction necessarily carries elements of fiction.