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Drafted against her will to serve the regime of Vladimir Putin as an intelligence seductress, Dominika Egorova engages in a charged effort of deception and tradecraft with first-tour CIA officer Nathaniel Nash before a forbidden attraction threatens their careers.Tags
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"Red Sparrow" may not be a great work of literature, but as a debut spy novel, it's extremely impressive. It's a new century and things are the same — the United States is Russia's main enemy, and they are still hours, but the players are a mix of late Gen-X recruits and old-time Soviet bureaucratic survivors and Cold War old-timers. In some ways, the game of spies involves more and sophisticated technology, but Matthews, who apparently spent thirty years with the CIA, includes a whole lot here about tradecraft, human surveillance, and good old fashioned instinct.
In the middle of this is a spectacular newcomer, Domenika, a former aspiring ballerina who comes from a family of spies but whose aptitude for the family business is so show more uncanny that she's able to sense, rather than observe, the things that good operatives are taught to look out for. To many, this might put "Red Sparrow halfway into the realm of the superhero narrative, but I wondered if this wasn't a specific reference to Vladimir Nabokov and his family, who talks about possessing a similar, very real neurological condition in "Speak Memory." All of this may annoy readers who like their spy stories dry, factual, and scientific, but I'm pleased to tell you that Matthews is enough of a writer to carry off this gambit most of the time: his prose, though occasionally purple, if you'll forgive a pun, is a pleasure to read, and strikes a good balance between artistry and sheer speed.
The other big questions concern Domenika's body and her heart, which is to say, the human factor. In my limited experience, this is always tricky, unpredictable terrain in spy novels, but I admired that the author dealt with it two different ways. "Red Sparrow" isn't just about agencies and information, it also deals specifically with Domenika's body, and her heart. The former is an asset of uncommon beauty and precision that is put at the service of the Russian state. In some books, this aspect of her character would be included merely for the titielation of the book's male readership, to say nothing of her specialized training in seduction techniques. I'm not going to say that I wasn't titelated myself, but Matthews also makes clear that Domenika's not without agency or control here: she's a trained dancer, after all, and she's also try to see whether her body can be anything more than a weapon. She's not a warm-and-cuddly type, but this is, in its own, blood-soaked way, a story about emotional growth. Her sexual debut, if that's what we're going to call it, is horrifying in every sense, but Matthews takes a big risk when he posits that Domenika's sexual self is one of the things that gives her a certain measure of personal independance, even character. And there's romance involved, yes: Domenika's American target is as charming, handsome, and good-hearted as they come. Once in a while, it genuinely cheering to see these two highly-trained operators test their emotional boundaries with each other.
Lastly, "Red Sparrow" deals with the problem of loyalty and betrayal in unexpectedly sensitive ways. The book deals with life in the intelligence services as a lifelong commitment and as sort of a lifelong sentence, too. Those who decide to go over to the other side risk their lives and will never really know peace again. After a while, it seems that every significant character in "Red Sparrow" lives in their own pressure chamber, whose settings are continuously ratcheted up or down, depending on the choices they've made or the place they happen to be. The fact that danger seems to be ambient can make this one a particularly delicious reading experience. I'm buying the next one as soon as I can find a budget copy. Recommended to fans of the genre. show less
In the middle of this is a spectacular newcomer, Domenika, a former aspiring ballerina who comes from a family of spies but whose aptitude for the family business is so show more uncanny that she's able to sense, rather than observe, the things that good operatives are taught to look out for. To many, this might put "Red Sparrow halfway into the realm of the superhero narrative, but I wondered if this wasn't a specific reference to Vladimir Nabokov and his family, who talks about possessing a similar, very real neurological condition in "Speak Memory." All of this may annoy readers who like their spy stories dry, factual, and scientific, but I'm pleased to tell you that Matthews is enough of a writer to carry off this gambit most of the time: his prose, though occasionally purple, if you'll forgive a pun, is a pleasure to read, and strikes a good balance between artistry and sheer speed.
The other big questions concern Domenika's body and her heart, which is to say, the human factor. In my limited experience, this is always tricky, unpredictable terrain in spy novels, but I admired that the author dealt with it two different ways. "Red Sparrow" isn't just about agencies and information, it also deals specifically with Domenika's body, and her heart. The former is an asset of uncommon beauty and precision that is put at the service of the Russian state. In some books, this aspect of her character would be included merely for the titielation of the book's male readership, to say nothing of her specialized training in seduction techniques. I'm not going to say that I wasn't titelated myself, but Matthews also makes clear that Domenika's not without agency or control here: she's a trained dancer, after all, and she's also try to see whether her body can be anything more than a weapon. She's not a warm-and-cuddly type, but this is, in its own, blood-soaked way, a story about emotional growth. Her sexual debut, if that's what we're going to call it, is horrifying in every sense, but Matthews takes a big risk when he posits that Domenika's sexual self is one of the things that gives her a certain measure of personal independance, even character. And there's romance involved, yes: Domenika's American target is as charming, handsome, and good-hearted as they come. Once in a while, it genuinely cheering to see these two highly-trained operators test their emotional boundaries with each other.
Lastly, "Red Sparrow" deals with the problem of loyalty and betrayal in unexpectedly sensitive ways. The book deals with life in the intelligence services as a lifelong commitment and as sort of a lifelong sentence, too. Those who decide to go over to the other side risk their lives and will never really know peace again. After a while, it seems that every significant character in "Red Sparrow" lives in their own pressure chamber, whose settings are continuously ratcheted up or down, depending on the choices they've made or the place they happen to be. The fact that danger seems to be ambient can make this one a particularly delicious reading experience. I'm buying the next one as soon as I can find a budget copy. Recommended to fans of the genre. show less
Jason Matthews is something of a novelty in that he actually worked for the CIA for over 30 years before writing Red Sparrow and its two sequels. His experience creates a deeply authentic world within the novel, which follows the unbelievably beautiful and intelligent Domenika Egorova as she becomes a spy for the Russian Federation. Domenika is pure male fantasy: a classically trained ballerina, highly educated, she is sent to "Sparrow School" for instruction in sexpionage. As expected, the experience is pretty harrowing and degrading. For a bit of balance she also gets to go to the actual proper spy training academy.
I spent the first two-thirds of this book getting really pissed off at the way a white, male, middle-aged ex-spook show more created this paragon and exploited her. Then Matthews' story took off in a way that made me forget how annoyed I'd been and I just enjoyed the ride. After all, there are so many stories out there about impossibly beautiful, intelligent and resourceful men having ripping adventures and getting one up on the bad guys. About bloody time we got a fabulous female spy. Domenika is a critical thinker, brilliant in a crisis, has drive, ambition and a temper to boot. She's also crazy gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to be just like her? So read and enjoy, rest assured your feminist principles will only take a slight knock. show less
I spent the first two-thirds of this book getting really pissed off at the way a white, male, middle-aged ex-spook show more created this paragon and exploited her. Then Matthews' story took off in a way that made me forget how annoyed I'd been and I just enjoyed the ride. After all, there are so many stories out there about impossibly beautiful, intelligent and resourceful men having ripping adventures and getting one up on the bad guys. About bloody time we got a fabulous female spy. Domenika is a critical thinker, brilliant in a crisis, has drive, ambition and a temper to boot. She's also crazy gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to be just like her? So read and enjoy, rest assured your feminist principles will only take a slight knock. show less
I don't read a lot of (OK, any) espionage fiction but decided to give this book a try and I'm glad I did. It's a great tale, extremely well told, with an enlightening take on post Cold War East-West relationship and spycraft. Our heroes, American Nate and Russian Dominika, are both entirely worth rooting for but I especially appreciated the other characters, from venal old bureaucrats to the canny field agents who know they can get screwed over by chance ... or the bungling of other people. It's such a good book that I've had a little post-book letdown since I finished it yesterday. Maybe I'll go look up some vintage Le Carre so I can return to spy-versus-spy world.
Terrific spy thriller. Written by a CIA veteran, it is filled with all kinds of fascinating, authentic-seeming spy stuff and a complex, nuanced, intricate plot.
But what really elevates Red Sparrow above your average international intrigue-type thriller is the impressive writing. The writing here is far, far above average for this type of book. Instead of the usual workmanlike thriller prose, with a new chapter every 2 pages and lots of one sentence (or even one sentence fragment)paragraphs as a cheap ploy to amp up the suspense (I'm looking at you, James Rollins), the writing here is well-crafted, unique, literary. Instead of 2 dimensional, cliched characters, there all sorts of well-drawn characters. I salute Jason Matthews for show more putting in the time and energy & having the talent to create something unique, rather than using his "Former CIA agent" street cred to churn out something quickly in a bid to become the next David Baldacci.
I was riveted. It was a very satisfying entertainment.This is a very assured debut & I'm eagerly looking forward to more novels from Mr. Matthews, possible a sequel. show less
But what really elevates Red Sparrow above your average international intrigue-type thriller is the impressive writing. The writing here is far, far above average for this type of book. Instead of the usual workmanlike thriller prose, with a new chapter every 2 pages and lots of one sentence (or even one sentence fragment)paragraphs as a cheap ploy to amp up the suspense (I'm looking at you, James Rollins), the writing here is well-crafted, unique, literary. Instead of 2 dimensional, cliched characters, there all sorts of well-drawn characters. I salute Jason Matthews for show more putting in the time and energy & having the talent to create something unique, rather than using his "Former CIA agent" street cred to churn out something quickly in a bid to become the next David Baldacci.
I was riveted. It was a very satisfying entertainment.This is a very assured debut & I'm eagerly looking forward to more novels from Mr. Matthews, possible a sequel. show less
One of the best espionage novels in recent memory, Red Sparrow is long on tradecraft and realistic details and short on unlikely nonsense, for the most part. The writing is sharp, the characters and most of the scenarios are believable, and the chapters are appended with recipes lifted from the plot – and the food sounds great. (The Austrian espionage writer Johannes Mario Simmel also incorporated recipes into at least one of his novels to great effect). I already have the sequel, Palace of Treason, and am looking forward to reading it.
It seems somewhat anachronistic that with the last decades consumed with Jihadist attacks on the West (and responses from the West against ISIS, Al Quaeda, and other groups) that Washington and Moscow are still playing spy vs. spy with a surprising vigor and commitment. The author, a spook for decades, writes of active and malevalent tit for tat spying initiatives between Russia and the U.S., and the Russians are given their old Stalinoid evil cloak. The Americans don't come off unscathed; many of their actions are odious as well. Yet, the book focuses on individual players and is extraordinarily authentic about the price paid by men and women in the respective spy services who are manipulated and discarded in the name of national show more interest. The author manages to create both action and interior characterization that move this work from a pure genre exercise into something more memorable. It is depressing to think that given the revelations of CIA blunders and its use of torture (which makes us like everyone else) that the author still takes pride in the agency's ability to capture information. Of course, in the real world, events such as the recent attempted coup in Turkey testify to the CIA's failure to do its job. But this is not a non-fiction work; it is one of the best espionage adventures you'll ever find, and probably also the start of a new series featuring the memorable characters who populate this claustrophobic world. show less
Jason Matthews writes with such authority about the CIA that I kept thinking as I read this book -- he's either got a great imagination, or he was a player. It turns out to be the latter. A retired CIA officer, he has written Red Sparrow as the first of a trilogy. If I could sum up my thoughts on completing it, I'd have to say this: I can't wait to start reading the second volume. There are things I could have done without, such as the recipes that end each chapter (and the constant references to food in the text that seem to be placed there as an excuse for the recipes that follow) and the over-use of Russian phrases. That having been said, the book is wonderfully plotted, full of suspense, with memorable characters (most notably show more Dominika Egorova), violent and sexy and unputdownable. Matthews is a thriller writer of the first order, as good as le Carré and better than Fleming. Yes, that good. show less
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ThingScore 75
Although Matthews may have a rose-tinted view of the C.I.A., he is terrifically good on the turf wars and enervating bureaucracy of espionage. There are several digs at the F.B.I. — including an operation in Finland botched by the excitable feds — which his former colleagues will doubtless cheer to the rafters.
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Author Information
5+ Works 3,447 Members
Jason Matthews is an American author, speaker, and publishing coach. He was born in 1951 and is based in California. He retired from the CIA after serving for over thirty-three years, working in the CIA's Operations Directorate. He is the author of the political thriller series, Red Sparrow Trilogy which includes the books Red Sparrow, Palace of show more Treason, and The Kremlin's Candidate. He also wrote a short story that is included in the book, Cipher Sisters. He won the 2014 Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author for Red Sparrow. In March 2018, the feature film of Red Sparrow will be released. Jason Matthews died at his home on April 28, 2021. He was 69. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Red Sparrow
- Original title
- Red Sparrow
- Original publication date
- 2013
- People/Characters
- Dominika Egorova; Nathaniel Nash; Dimitri Ustinov; Marta Yelenova; Gen. Vladimir Andreievich Korchnoi; MARBLE (show all 33); DIVA; SWAN; Marty Gable; Maj. Gen.Ivan "Vanya" Dimitrievich Egorov; Alexei Zyuganov; Gordon Gondorf; Sonya Moroyeva; Maj. Sergey Matorin; Tom Forsyth; Simon Delon; Maxim Volontov; Jaana Raikkonen; Marcus Raikkonen; Elwood Maratos; Simon Benford; John Paul Bullard; Nina Egorova; Jennifer Santini; Rudy (dog of the Raikkonen's); Vladimir Putin (fictionalized); Stephanie Boucher; Gen. Anatoly Golov; Yury Nasarenko; Boris Alushevsky; Socrates Burbank; Charles "Chaz" Montgomery; Lyudmila Tsukanova
- Important places
- Vienna, Austria; Moscow, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; Vyartsilya, Russia; New London, Connecticut, USA; Washington, D.C., USA (show all 8); Rome, Italy; Athens, Greece
- Related movies
- Red Sparrow (2018 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- To Suzanne, Alexandra, and Sophia
- First words
- Twelve hours into his SDR Nathaniel Nash was numb from the waist down.
- Quotations
- One may fall in love with the State, but the State does not reciprocate, ever.
I was in the shit so often I rented the top floor of the latrine. That's how I got here.
If there is a person, there is a problem. If there is no person, then there is no problem.
"Fucking guy," said Gable when Maratos left, "thinks espresso means 'nonstop train' in Spanish."
"If you guys fuck this up, better have your wife start your car every morning." - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The old man's sodden overcoat lay forgotten at the middle of the bridge.
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.6
- Canonical LCC
- PS3613.A8484
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- Reviews
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- Rating
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- Languages
- 8 — English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese (Portugal)
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 46
- ASINs
- 9