Book Review: Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell

Song Of The Sparrowis a beautiful book in verse telling the story of Elaine of Ascolot, commonly known as the Lady of Shalott. She grew up in the army camp with Arthur, Lancelot, Gaiwan, Tristan, and others of the round table, the only girl among them, wishing that Lancelot would notice she has become a woman. Things seem to be going well for her, until the bewitching Gwynivere arrives.

Things I Liked:
The poetry is really beautiful and I love the symbolic and often lyrical use of birds, obviously sparrows, throughout the book. I think Elaine is very well portrayed and I like her as a person in the story. I love the relationships between Elaine and her family, as well as Arthur, though her interactions with Lancelot and Tristan are somewhat less appealing. (Also love the cover!)

Things I Didn't Like:
I didn't like how the story ended. It seemed too neat and pretty. I think it would have been more believable and powerful if it had ended in the way Alfred, Lord Tennyson had written it. It is more tragic, but also I think more interesting. The fairy tale ending, while happy, did not seem to quite fit in with my idea of Elaine. I like that she is a strong and interesting character, but that doesn't mean she should have a perfect ending.

Read-alikes:
Definitely read The Lady of Shalott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
I haven't read a lot of Arthurian legend books, but I love Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur
And also any Anne of Green Gablesfan will want to watch the movie again :)

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Overall rating:***