Sparrow: A Book of Life and Death and Life

by Jan Richardson

From the author of The Cure for Sorrow, a luminous book about the endurance of love in the presence of grief. "Who am I, when the person who saw and knew me best in all the world is gone from this world?" Jan Richardson's question lies at the heart of Sparrow, a book that began as notes written to her husband, the singer/songwriter Garrison Doles, while keeping vigil for him in the hospital after a disastrous surgery just a few years into their marriage.Six months after Garrison's death, Jan returned to those notes and began to write again. The pages grew into an unexpected conversation as she worked to make a new life. Here, Jan invites us into that conversation. She resists simple answers for deepest sorrow, entering instead into the raw complexities of grief, which she calls "the least linear thing I know."In Jan's distinctive spare and elegant style, Sparrow traces a path through the first few years after her loss, articulating not only the ache of grief but also the strange graces and stubborn hope that live within its landscape.

Genres: Grief, Poetry

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2020

Reviews

[Bonnie Westmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grief group leader recommended this book. My spiritual director, a Catholic nun, told me recently that it’s possible God speaks to me through animals. I found it interesting that in this book, God speaks to her through birds. She feels the presence of her husband in sparrows. I could relate to many parts of this book. I find myself back in the hospital reliving the last 10 days frequently. I look for signs of my mom’s presence daily. In a dream she came to me. I have been angry at God. It’s clear that grief is a process and when you deeply love someone, it is hard to go on without them, even though I believe my mom is with me and God is carrying me. We are not alone. This book helped me to realize that these feelings are normal and that it’s important to acknowledge and tend to them.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of grief, of sorrow, is not for everyone. But it is for me. It resonates through me; she writes things I could have written( if I wrote as well). It took me a long time to read it because I used it to guide my own thoughts and feelings of grief. Jan Richardson is an ordained minister and this book includes what some of us might term "God talk", but it is not a religious guide. She states in the first chapters that she wants her grief at the death of her husband to be intentional. This is what the book has helped me do as well.

[Mary Ellington · Rating 4 out of 5]

It feels a little weird to say I really liked a book about someone else's heart aching grief. I've read some other things by Richardson and there's just something about her that speaks to me in an intimate way. And what can be more intimate than journal entries during the first days, weeks and year of the sudden and unexpected death of your beloved husband. It is raw, yet, maybe because I'm well acquainted with grief, healing. Coincidentally I know of someone who recently and just as suddenly lost her husband. I couldn't help but read it with this woman in mind. Wondering if any of the words might be of comfort to her.

Sparrow also invites me to think deeper on the subject of Eucharist. Something I'll ponder for awhile.

This is probably not a book for everyone but it was good for me.

[Christian Coon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich and beautiful reflection on grief


Jan asks the questions about death and grief that many hold but are nervous about asking. She also dares to dream of what might be when reflecting about life after death. Her writing is beautiful, rich, vulnerable and worth savoring. This will be a saving grace for all those experiencing loss.

[Laura Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this book is achingly beautiful. I purchased it right away in 2020 but I had to let sit on my shelve until I was ready to face it--oh I wished I had picked it up earlier. What a deeply personal, beautiful and profound collection: of thoughts, experiences, poetry, lyrics, and dreams, all woven together with deep love. Thank you, Jan, for this deeply personal piece, it was balm for my soul. (I am deeply sorry for your profound loss). This book is like a labyrinth carrying sorrow in and hope out; thank you for laying this path.

[Cathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up on a kindle sale because I do so love the author's blessings, but this was a much tougher read. She journals her experiences for about 4 years after her husband's untimely death. There are beautiful turns of phrase, partial blessings, songs of her husband - but it's wading through someone else's grief. She even said she couldn't bear to read grief memoirs for years but preferred poetry instead. Still a worthwhile read.

[Linda Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Jan's writing. So as a widow, I was looking forward to this book. I started it about a week ago, but found I wasn't relating to it as I'd hoped. I didn't finish it, but maybe some day. Did relate to a number of things, tho. Don't want to discourage anyone about the book and Jan's story

[Lisa Degrenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jan's most personal book to date. It's a privilege to walk with her in her tender, raw sharing of her deep grief over the unexpected death of her beloved husband. Jan finds the words where most of us can't. Beauty and hope make their way from the ashes.

[Amy Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so thankful for this book. So thankful for Jan Richardson's openness in sharing her pain and grief and search for life after the death of her husband. I felt less alone and less strange after the loss of my husband.

[Tamara Suttle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a deep, thoughtful journey with this author as she mines her grief in search of hope and meaning. Her insights are now my own. This authors generosity and fearlessness have both inspired and informed my own journey. Simply life-altering! Cannot recommend it highly enough!

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might not be a book for everyone but for me, yes!

[Kristin Peterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that I will continue to read over and over as I grow older.

[Karen May]

Recommended by Kindred Spirits

[Deb Handrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book. Jan’s grief story inspires my contemplative soul. Jan is a woman of grit and strength. Her open-ended questions about her wonderings of the afterlife ….have me wondering too.