I’ve read several of Hynes’ novels and this was very different. I was very interested in the historical setting, but that’s kind of all there was. The character development was not particularly deep and there wasn’t a lot of plot until the last 25 pages when everything went into overdrive. And then the ending was a bit abrupt and not all that satisfying. So, I kept reading because I was interested in the historical detail, but I wasn’t all that engaged with the characters.
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Reader, writer, mostly literary fiction with brief forays into nonfiction and poetry
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Rachel Unkefer reviewed Sparrow by James Hynes
Not much plot or character development
3 stars
Rachel Unkefer rated Sparrow: 3 stars
Rachel Unkefer rated Sparrow: 3 stars
Rachel Unkefer finished reading Sparrow by James Hynes
I’ve read several of Hynes’ novels and this was very different. I was very interested in the historical setting, but that’s kind of all there was. The character development was not particularly deep and there wasn’t a lot of plot until the last 25 pages when everything went into overdrive. And then the ending was a bit abrupt and not all that satisfying. So, I kept reading because I was interested in the historical detail, but I wasn’t all that engaged with the characters.
Rachel Unkefer started reading Matrix by Lauren Groff
Matrix by Lauren Groff
Cast out of the royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine, deemed too coarse and rough-hewn for marriage or courtly life, …
Rachel Unkefer started reading Sparrow by James Hynes
Rachel Unkefer finished reading Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Bee Sting by Paul Murray
An unhappy Irish family plumbs the depths of their unhappiness, each in their own way.
Rachel Unkefer started reading Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Bee Sting by Paul Murray
An unhappy Irish family plumbs the depths of their unhappiness, each in their own way.
Rachel Unkefer finished reading The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrère
The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrère
"A sweeping fictional account of the early Christians, whose unlikely beliefs conquered the world. Gripped by the tale of a …
Rachel Unkefer started reading The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrère
The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrère
"A sweeping fictional account of the early Christians, whose unlikely beliefs conquered the world. Gripped by the tale of a …
Rachel Unkefer finished reading The Complicities by Stacey D'Erasmo
Rachel Unkefer rated The Fraud: 3 stars
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
From acclaimed and bestselling novelist Zadie Smith, a kaleidoscopic work of historical fiction set against the legal trial that divided …
Rachel Unkefer finished reading The Fraud by Zadie Smith
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
From acclaimed and bestselling novelist Zadie Smith, a kaleidoscopic work of historical fiction set against the legal trial that divided …