Module 3 Verse Novel Review: Lisa Ann Sandell

Module 3 Poetry Review

Diana Stephens

Poetry 5646

Song of the Sparrow

By Lisa Ann Sandell

Thank you for the opportunity to read a book that had been appealing to me since it came last spring, but never jumped off the shelf into my hand. Now I can recommend it appropriately.

Song of the Sparrow, an historical verse novel set in the time of King Arthur, very appropriately blends poetic language with a poetic story and setting. More character than plot driven, Elaine, the narrator, is finely drawn with enough medieval sensibilities (talented at sewing and healing) to be believable, but rounded out with enough modern feminine values (“I can protect /myself, /I know I would fight for this country,”) to maintain appeal to YA readers. Though the tome runs 383 pages, none of the other characters is as rich as she, which causes the plot to suffer at the end. True to Tennyson’s vision, this Lady of Shalott pines for Lancelot, but too quickly falls for Tristan who has been consistently mourning his own loss. Also, Gynivere’s character twists just like the plot events, shallow and mean to Elaine in the beginning, but heroic and open at the end. These are minor annoyances, however, since there is plenty of high adventure, romance, and fighting to build and sustain interest, and the imaginative reworking of the traditional ending is far more interesting than Tennyson’s.

Song of the Sparrow is beautifully written, sometimes reading just like prose: “Once I heard Lavain whisper /to Tirry that it was a good /thing our mothers lived to /see me through eight years /of life.” But mostly, it reads like poetry, often with rhythm and, in this case, consonance, (the‘d’ sound in this, the next line,) “Till I was old enough to learn /to use a thread and needle /and old enough to grow /skilled at mending clothes.”

The sparse, powerful word choices that alliterate the ‘b’ sound, reminds the reader of the violence or beatings that occur in this novel. It occurs in the beginning lines as well as elsewhere: “Motherless. /Sisterless. /I am both. /But I have brothers, /dozens /nay, hundreds /of brothers. /Only two real ones: /brash Lavain /and my biggest brother, thoughtful Tirry. /The others are not brothers by blood.”

The alliterative images are precise and descriptive: “My fingers find the trunk /of the tree I hide behind, /Grasping its warmth, /its steadiness. /On this night when the earth rocks beneath my feet, /the birch tree is solid. /But its /papery bark /peels away, /leaving a sticky sap /that coats my fingernails /like blood.” There is that theme of blood again, underscoring the constant threat or actual violence in the story. When personification is added to this rich mix, “The willow’s boughs /curve in elegant swoops, /and it feels as though she means /to protect me,” it makes reading this verse novel a pleasure and a passion.

Figurative language is used sparingly, but to good effect. Simile abounds and even combines with personification in this example, “His voice is also like water, /smooth and warm, fluidly tripping /over notes and words.” The title’s purpose becomes obvious in the metaphor of the sparrow which represents Elaine’s heart, “His fingers flutter at the nape /of my neck. /My heart flutters too. . . . /The sparrow beats her wings.”

The verses are well placed to maintain the suspense. When Elaine was kidnapped by the Saxons, I felt the very real immediate danger; then when she left in the boat, I genuinely wondered what twist would allow her to survive.

The Publisher’s Weekly reviewer of Song of the Sparrow asserts that the “poetic narrative-a mix of observations, dialogue and laments-evokes a remarkable range (and natural progression) of emotions.” I strongly concur with this assessment and note that it is this finely tuned emotional painting that will draw in and engage the readers of YA fiction and verse novels in a thrilling historical/adventure/romance.

Sandell, Lisa Ann. 2007. Song of the Sparrow. New York: Scholastic Press.