Special Offers see all

More at Powell's

Interviews | Q&As | Essays

How to Clarify Butter: A Writer's Tale

2 comments By Edward Lee

Chefs don't have time to write. While I was working on Smoke and Pickles, I was running a restaurant — a daily regimen of testing recipes,... Continue »

$20.97 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

Smoke and Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen
Edward LeeEdward Lee 9781579654924

$45.00

Used Hardcover

Ships in 1 to 3 days

Qty	Store	Section
1	Hawthorne	Science Fiction and Fantasy- A to Z

This title in other editions

Sparrow Signed Edition

by Mary Doria Russell

ISBN13: 9780679451501
ISBN10: 0679451501
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details

Only 1 left in stock at $45.00!

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The Sparrow is a novel about a remarkable man, a living saint, a life-long celibate and Jesuit priest, who undergoes an experience so harrowing and profound that it makes him question the existence of God. This experience--the first contact between human beings and intelligent extraterrestrial life--begins with a small mistake and ends in a horrible catastrophe.

About the Author

Trained as a paleoanthropologist, and the author of scientific articles on subjects ranging from bone biology to cannibalism, Mary Doria Russell received her B.A. in cultural anthropology from the University of Illinois, her M.A. in social anthropology from Northeastern University and her doctorate in biological anthropology from the University of Michigan. After quitting academia and writing computer manuals, she began work on The Sparrow. She lives with her husband and son in Cleveland, Ohio.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!

Average customer rating based on 2 comments:

: S.Elliott, January 19, 2010 (view all comments by S.Elliott)
hen a book just makes me break down and cry, I know that it is powerful. This book did that to me. As a matter of fact, I’m unsure if I will ever be the same after reading this book. My friend Debbi loaned me her copy nearly 10 years ago; I started to read it and then put it down and forgot about it. Then I got a copy for my birthday this year and devoured it. This book is about God — it’s about faith — it’s about children — it’s about the ethics of invading unknown lands (socially, ecologically, spiritually); it’s about science and religion. And it’s about love. But more than that, it’s an engaging story [the second half more so than the first half] that will totally invade your life and make you crave for someone to talk to after you’re finished.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No

report this comment

: scupcat, January 19, 2010 (view all comments by scupcat)
This book really forces you to think. It's not only "what might be out there" (good science fiction) but also of how we approach new cultures and what our preconceived ideas are of what is "good". It streches one's view of compassion and consequences.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No

report this comment

View all 2 comments

Product Details

ISBN:: 9780679451501
Author:: Russell, Mary Doria
Publisher:: Villard Books
Location:: New York :
Subject:: General
Subject:: Science Fiction - General
Subject:: Science fiction
Subject:: Life on other planets
Subject:: Twenty-first century
Subject:: Twenty-first century -- Fiction.
Edition Number:: 1st ed.
Series Volume:: 27
Publication Date:: c1996
Binding:: Trade Cloth
Language:: English
Illustrations:: Yes
Pages:: 408 p.
Dimensions:: 9.57x6.68x1.35 in. 1.53 lbs.

Other books you might like

A Case of Conscience James Blish Used Trade Paper $9.95
A Thread of Grace Mary Doria Russell

Used Trade Paper $5.50
Children of God Mary Doria Russell Used Trade Paper $3.95
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi Chris Van Allsburg

Used Hardcover $10.00
The Christmas Bears Chris Conover New Hardcover $16.25
Ring of earth :a child's book of seasons Jane Yolen Used Hardcover $3.50

Related Subjects

» Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » A to Z
» Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » Adventure

Follow us on...

RSS 2.0
Log Off

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.