moirwyn's review against another edition
5.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2019/01/16/sparrow-hill-road-by-seanan-mcguire/
Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire is the first book in the Ghost Roads series. It’s about a girl named Rose Marshall who was run off the road and killed on prom night. Now Rose is a ghost, and she travels among America’s highway preparing to confront Bobby Cross, the man who killed her.
But that description doesn’t do the story justice at all, because Sparrow Hill Road is a lot more experimental and far less linear. The plot of the story jumps around in time and space. Each chapter is like a short story starring Rose, and only when taken together do you really get a sense of the larger plot. And because the book is more like a collection of short stories gathered into one place, organized into a chronology, but not meddled with overly much, the story takes on an almost lyrical quality as Rose repeats certain bits of wisdom and lore about being a ghost.
Sparrow Hill Road is dark and whimsical and a delight to read, even when the story itself feels like it could be a bit more polished to hang together as a novel rather than as separate stories.
Seanan McGuire is one of those authors who is able to blend older vintage elements with the modern era without that contrast seeming jarring. That means that Rose talks like a normal person, she can dress like a normal person, interact with modern people, while still being the same Rose who died in the early 50s and who still hasn’t let go of her past.
My sister had been telling me for years that I need to read something by Seanan McGuire. I’m so glad I finally did!
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2019/01/16/sparrow-hill-road-by-seanan-mcguire/
Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire is the first book in the Ghost Roads series. It’s about a girl named Rose Marshall who was run off the road and killed on prom night. Now Rose is a ghost, and she travels among America’s highway preparing to confront Bobby Cross, the man who killed her.
But that description doesn’t do the story justice at all, because Sparrow Hill Road is a lot more experimental and far less linear. The plot of the story jumps around in time and space. Each chapter is like a short story starring Rose, and only when taken together do you really get a sense of the larger plot. And because the book is more like a collection of short stories gathered into one place, organized into a chronology, but not meddled with overly much, the story takes on an almost lyrical quality as Rose repeats certain bits of wisdom and lore about being a ghost.
Sparrow Hill Road is dark and whimsical and a delight to read, even when the story itself feels like it could be a bit more polished to hang together as a novel rather than as separate stories.
Seanan McGuire is one of those authors who is able to blend older vintage elements with the modern era without that contrast seeming jarring. That means that Rose talks like a normal person, she can dress like a normal person, interact with modern people, while still being the same Rose who died in the early 50s and who still hasn’t let go of her past.
My sister had been telling me for years that I need to read something by Seanan McGuire. I’m so glad I finally did!
meganpbell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Welcome to the world of hitchhiking ghost Rose Marshall—run off the road on prom night 1952 by a man who sold his soul to drive forever young. Originally published in several short stories, Sparrow Hill Road reads as time jumping but still narratively cohesive vignettes following Rose through life, death, and afterlife, learning the rules of the Ghost Roads. THESE VIBES made for such a fun read for my work trip to Winslow, Arizona off Route 66!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Death
Moderate: Violence, Torture, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Confinement, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Classism and Bullying
saoki's review against another edition
5.0
The book is a collection of shorts that tell a story, so you could say it's very structure invites pause and though. It's not a book to be read in a single day, but one to be savored.
Seanan McGuire's prose is poetic, immersive and beautiful. The setting, and its urban fantasy americana with rich and interesting characters, has a lot of promise, and delivers much of it.
But of course I wanted to read more by the time the book ended. That's the whole point of an evocative, compelling writing. A feature, not a bug.
Seanan McGuire's prose is poetic, immersive and beautiful. The setting, and its urban fantasy americana with rich and interesting characters, has a lot of promise, and delivers much of it.
But of course I wanted to read more by the time the book ended. That's the whole point of an evocative, compelling writing. A feature, not a bug.
kevinmccarrick's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
thegeekyblogger's review against another edition
3.0
Read for Fun (Library Book)
Overall Rating: 3.50
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 3.50
Read It File It Review: Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire is a collection of stories that were originally published in serial form. I wish that I would have looked that up before reading it because my problems with the book were those that I also associate with reading serial stylized stories: constant repetition every time a new story is started, reintroduction of characters, and reestablishing of the world building. If you strip that out of every new story then I otherwise enjoyed this collection of stories. It isn't Seanan's fault--I know I don't like serials and I need to start paying closer attention to books with short stories to make sure they aren't serials!
However, I do want to say this: These ghost stories were fantastic in general. I especially liked the Strogoi named Dimitri (nod to VA)
Overall Rating: 3.50
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 3.50
Read It File It Review: Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire is a collection of stories that were originally published in serial form. I wish that I would have looked that up before reading it because my problems with the book were those that I also associate with reading serial stylized stories: constant repetition every time a new story is started, reintroduction of characters, and reestablishing of the world building. If you strip that out of every new story then I otherwise enjoyed this collection of stories. It isn't Seanan's fault--I know I don't like serials and I need to start paying closer attention to books with short stories to make sure they aren't serials!
However, I do want to say this: These ghost stories were fantastic in general. I especially liked the Strogoi named Dimitri (nod to VA)
heathersbike's review against another edition
5.0
Of course Seanan could write a grocery list and I would eagerly read it. This was fun - I actually have wondered about Rose and Mary.
nyx_hook's review against another edition
5.0
Really interesting world building. I liked the short story collection format, excited to read the next book.
cj13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Car accident
Minor: Sexual content and Grief
The narrator is a ghost who died in a car accident and spends her after-life alternately helping people avoid life-ending accidents and shepherding their ghosts away from the scenes of their deaths. No moments of death are described in detail, only the occasional aftermath.nanceoir's review against another edition
5.0
A perfect book for autumn reading. Also, and this could just be the baby driver talking, what with discovering the enjoyment that can come from driving, but the entire atmosphere of the book particularly spoke to me.