Song of the Sparrow

As an English major I was required to read many works written in verse, and excepting very few, I could never really get into the rhythm enough to see it as beautiful and free rather than stilted and restrictive. This was not at all the case for Song of the Sparrow. I was immediately caught in the flow of the words, Sandell’s lyricism pulling me deeper and deeper into this beautifully told tale. Her words paint incredibly detailed images:
"I pace the small room, the walls,
the thick folds of my
roughly woven dress
imprisoning me,
keeping me from the
affairs of men."
Reading that I feel suffocated, confined, desperate to break free from imprisonment. Thanks to writing like this, I felt fully present in the story at all times.
I’ve show more read and enjoyed other Arthurian works, though I’m by no means an expert on the subject. Honestly it wasn’t until I read the Author’s Note in the back of the book that I realized who Elaine was based on, and even then it was only a vague recollection of the story. For me it wasn’t the Arthurian aspect of the story that appealed to me, but the premise of Elaine’s character: I’m a sucker for a story about a girl growing up surrounded by boys. Regardless of the time period, those stories always interest me. This book eloquently captures the emotions of a girl in that situation, and my heart soared and crashed and rose again alongside Elaine’s as she searched for her place in her world.
Elaine’s relationships to those in her camp are the real heart of this book. Arthur is an honorable leader, introspective and diplomatic, who is forced into a situation that he doesn’t like but must endure for the good of his people. In his interactions with Elaine he never treats her like an ignorant child, but instead considers her thoughts judiciously and appreciates all she does for the men of his camp. When Gwynivere arrives to camp, callous and blatantly in love with Lancelot despite her status as Arthur’s betrothed, Elaine is heartbroken, not only that a potential friend wants nothing to do with her, but that Lancelot, who she has idolized and loved for so long, seems to be hypnotized by Gwynivere’s beauty. It would be easy to brand Gwynivere as a pampered, selfish girl, but when she is forced into action, a new side of her is revealed.
My only problem with the story is that I feel like Elaine came to a big two-pronged revelation at the end too quickly. She was at once shocked at her feelings and felt she knew them all along, and in my opinion it would take longer to get from Point A to Point B, at least with the second revelation. (This is difficult to write without giving away any major spoilers, so please forgive the circumspection of my wording.) Ultimately, though, this is an outstanding read. The 21st century slant given to a story set in the 5th century breathes new life into both the characters and the plot. That energy coupled with the poetry of the writing creates a thoroughly engrossing book. show less

I'll admit it first thing: I was a King Arthur groupie. Summers were spent at Renaissance festivals, and one year my best friend and I even made medieval dresses for ourselves - and it wasn't even close to Halloween. So coming into this lovely, lovely book which retells the story of Elaine, the Lady of Shalott, I was more than excited. Then I opened the book and saw it was all in verse and I sort of did a little dance around the house. Okay, so it was a big happy dance. In this revised version of The Lady of Shaott, Elaine along with her brothers and father live in the soldiers camp under the direction of Arthur. She has become friend, sister and healer to the men but her only wish is that she could have more female friends. As war show more progresses, Elaine gets her wish when Lancelot, the love of her life, brings back Gwynivere to be Arthur's bride. But Lancelot is obviously in love with Gwyn and can only see Elaine as a young girl. To make matters worse, Gwyn is utterly beautiful and completely mean and nasty to Elaine. Which I thought was a totally delicious change.Sandell may not have stayed completely true to Tennyson's original poem about Elaine, but this version was more filled with hope for the future. The cadence and smooth flow of events competely had me sucked in from the very beginning. Here's one of my favorite passages: "The warriors gather, but I am not welcome./ Or so Lavaian tells me, hurling / the words like rocks over his shoulder. / Stay here. The meeting is no place for a girl. / Leaving me here, alone, / to wait and wonder. / What will become of us?"Just so dang great. show less

Absolutely lovely retelling of the legend of Elaine of Ascolot - the Lady of Shalott.

As Arthur leads his soldiers into battle after battle, Elaine learns the price of war and works with her small skills to bring healing to the wounded. She escapes into dreams of Lancelot, hoping he will return her love. But when Gwynivere arrives, she sees her hope end. Kidnapped and threatened with death and worse, Elaine must fight for her own life, and that of the lady Gwynivere. A powerful story of a strong, complex young woman finding her own place in a wartorn story, finding her own identity in a world dominated by men, and finding the strength to love after bitter betrayal.

The language of this story is beautifully lyrical, the free verse style show more adding to the epic feel of the story. An excellent addition to Arthurian canon. show less

I have always loved the legend of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, so this book appealed to me from the start, although I didn't realise that "Song of the Sparrow" was a retelling of Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott". Elaine was a strong, determined female protagonist who refused to be shackled to women's work.

The writing was lovely, especially the descriptions of the forest and I was soon swept up in the story. I appreciated that the story was told from Elaine's point of view and that the author made the women heroic instead of Arthur and his knights. A sweet story.

This was a really sweet book. The heroine was realistically crafted, and a sweetheart of a girl. And verse was a perfect medium for the story.

This is a great story that retells the famous Lady of Shelott. It was a great approach to do the book in a lyrical poem form! The story of Elaine finding her place in a camp full of men. She is a girl that constantly worries about finding herself alone and fights to truly belong in the only home avaliable. Elaine is like all young girls who find themselves seeing the difference between hatred and friendship, and between a simple crush and love. A great story of Arthurian times that keeps the reader engaged throughout the whole book. A fast read that i believe you can't go wrong with.

This book surprised me. I wasn’t expecting much, but it exceeded any expectations I had. I loved our main character and I loved just about every part of this book. And while I understand some people may not like the writing, I found it lovely and refreshing. This is a favorite.