Picador have high hopes for this novel which has been appearing on 2023 anticipated read lists from before the New Year. I knew nothing about book nor author before reading it. I wasn’t surprised on completing it to find out this is the work of a very established American writer and his sixth novel, his first being published some 33 years ago (“The Wild Colonial Boy” which has a Northern Ireland terrorism theme). Nor was I surprised that the has been making a living teaching creative writing courses at American universities and getting qualifications from the highly influential Iowa Writer’s Workshop as this is a technical masterclass of a novel which shows a gifted writer demonstrating much experience and talent. I also discovered, on completion, that a few years ago I’d purchased from The Great Courses a DVD course on “Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques” and the tutor is James Hynes. To be honest, I’ve never actually got round to starting that but am far more motivated to do so now I have read what could be the book to bring this writer considerable international success.
“Sparrow” is the story of a slave in Ancient Rome who as a small child finds himself living amongst a group of prostitutes (“wolves”), who live and work in a tavern. It took me a little while to get into the story but that’s because the author is busy employing his tips and techniques to draw you in. Very little background is needed as we are reading a first-person narrative from the boy written as an old man looking back. He doesn’t know his own background but works from one of his first memories which is a violent altercation between an unknown man and the woman who resentfully feeds him. He is “Pusus”, which just means "boy" and the woman, another slave, referred to as “Focaria” – cook. He has no other identity and a virtually non-existent outlook on his world. Through Focaria and one of the prostitutes, known as “Euterpe” his ignorance is slowly diminished and over time his very small part of the world begins to extend a few hundred yards from the tavern.
One of the ways in which this is achieved is by the author’s multi-sensory approach and description of sights, smells, taste and the feel of the environment which allows the boy to make sense of his world and has the added bonus for us as readers in creating a very strong fictional depiction. We all know how valuable a technique this can be and here it is employed superbly. Books set in Ancient Times can be a little off-putting for some as it feels so alien and often too much information is needed to be taken on board but here as we are working through the child’s narrative we only know what we need to and his questioning of his experiences allows us to access his world. I’m not saying that this is not superbly researched but it is so seamlessly integrated and never over-complicated which also brings the reader right into the text.
Of course, all these technical skills would be pointless if the story did not involve. Time is taken with plot, strong characters are established and we see things like the boy coping with the social dynamics of getting water from the public fountain at some length before realising that a rich, gripping plot has developed which builds beautifully.
I was very impressed by this work, there are characters I will remember for a long time. The characterisation of the narrator feels as potent as “Shuggie Bain” or “Young Mungo”, two of the most vital literary depictions of male youth in recent years. It never shirks from the horrors facing these people (it’s never totally clear how old the boy is, at one point he says he thinks he is ten, which completely floored me, given the ways he has to survive). You can take these characters out of their Ancient Times setting and place them anytime in history and, shockingly, their ordeals and issues would still be relevant, a sobering realisation.
Despite the darkness of the subject matter the book does have an uplift and there is an overriding sense of hope. The boy uses a sparrow as a metaphor for escape and can visualise out-of-body experiences when things get too grim, another technique that lifts any sense of gloom and like this metaphorical sparrow this book really flies.
“Sparrow” is published by Picador on May 4th 2023. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

He is Sparrow, who sings without reason and can fly from trouble. His world is a kitchen, a herb-scented garden, a loud and dangerous tavern, and the mysterious upstairs where the ‘wolves’ – prostitutes and slaves from every corner of the empire – conduct their business.

When not being told stories by his beloved ‘mother’ Euterpe, he runs errands for her lover the cook, dodging the blows of their brutal overseer or the machinations of the chief wolf, Melpomene.

A hard fate awaits Sparrow, one that involves suffering, murder, mayhem, and the scattering of the women who have been his whole world.

Through meticulous research and bold imagination, James Hynes brings the entirety of the Roman city of Carthago Nova – its markets, temples, taverns of the lowly and mansions of the rich – to vivid, brutal life.

An amazing book. Wonderfully crafted and constructed by the author. A disturbing and upsetting story but one that should be read. Highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Not for the faint hearted!!

This is the story of a young slave boy raised in a brothel in the Spanish Town of Nova Carthago at the height of the Roman Empire

The women working in the brothel are known as wolves, and the wolves raise this young boy to join them in their profession. The boy's means of mental escape is to be "sparrow".

This is so vividly depicted and graphic at times, it's almost hard to read, but well written at the same time. This will no doubt draw comparison to Wolf Den by Elodie Harper, written in a different style and both have their place.

This was a beautifully written novel. It was such an emotional story about a young slave and how things were for him.
There were lots of triggers in this book so please check them before reading but it was definitely worth reading

Interesting, shocking, heartbreaking, and very well written. The story of a slave boy in Roman times, being raised by "wolves" (prostitutes) and ultimately being forced into prostitution himself - his story and that of the women who raise him is both devastatingly sad and heartwarming, as we glimpses of good in people in even the worst situations. It's nice to have some redemption at the end, though we don't know exactly how he comes to that point, so perhaps there will be a sequel that fleshes out the rest of his story.

Disclaimer - if you are easily shocked or offended this book isn't for you! However if you want a thought provoking and authentic feeling story following a slave in the Roman empire then this is going to drag you into that world and show you it's dark underbelly.

Set in a brothel we follow a slave boy as he grows, from kitchen hand, to dogsbody to Wolf. He has no name and instead is known by different things by all those around him, whether that be Pusus/Antiochus/Little One/Mouse/Antinous. Of all his names he most associates with Sparrow.

The setting of the story is very rich and feels so well researched without drowning you in facts. Sparrow's naivety is so endearing, and it is heart breaking that you can see where his story is going long before he can. And even more heartbreaking as that naivety is broken.

As you would expect with brothel life large portions of the story are really quite graphic once Sparrow takes on roles upstairs. There is no cutting away at the bedroom door (or more aptly cell curtain) and leaving the audience to imagine what may be happening. We are made to care about the characters and then see them defiled and used by all those around them. Despite this we also get to see how they care for, and love, one another and the lengths they will go to in order to protect those they care about.

I think this book is going to stay with me for a long time.

I was given an ARC by the publisher (Picador) in return for an honest review.

Sparrow is the name the young slave names himself, a name known to him alone and how he sees the world through a sparrow's eyes when he is unable to cope with the abuse.

He goes by many other names, Pusus and Mouse amongst others. Brought by ship from his, unknown, birth place to Carthago Nova as very young boy he is sold into a brothel. This is the story of his time there. The two women who become his 'mothers', the other wolves (prostitutes) and the townspeople who he interacts with when he is out on errands.

The author has certainly done his research, although as he states himself, this is a work of fiction and a piece of hard hitting fiction. Although graphic at times, at least the author did not describe each and every time Sparrow was abused.

It is a descriptive book that takes you into the heart of the brothel and surrounding town. The sights, smells and sounds are described, sometimes repeatedly although this gets less the further into the book you go.

I have given it 4* as I felt the ending was rushed. I was left wondering what happened to him. There are clues to the end of his life through the book, but to be honest I am unsure whether or not Sparrow was suffering from what we would now call PTSD and the finish was his imagination.

Maybe the author has plans to write a sequel and my question can be answered.

A powerful ,but at times, very uncomfortable read. The graphic scenes being very difficult to read. The story was strong and full of interesting characters and emotion ran high. The description of being a slave during the Roman empire was fascinating.

Sparrow, for me, was rather overlong - or at least the pace was off so that it took a long time to get interesting. I’d not recently read the blurb so hadn’t appreciated that the whole novel, apart from the narrative concept of looking back towards the end of his life, was going to be his time at the brothel. I’d been impatient for things to get started as a result - I assumed we had a lot of life to get through yet.

Sparrow’s story itself is quite hard work given the subject matter - I’m not easily offended but a combination of early naivety on the character’s part and then later the sexually explicit content involving the young slave boy was a bit repetitive and didn’t drive the narrative as much as it needed to. I also didn’t feel the cast of wolves / prostitutes was as fleshed out as they could have been to withstand the length of the novel.

Overall, It lacked the poetry and characterisation of, say, Mary Renault in telling of the ancient world and drawing the parallels without being ‘clunky’. It would be a decent enough beach read I think, but I don’t expect I’ll pick up any sequels.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Raised by Wolves

Sparrow is raised in a brothel in a Roman coastal town. The slaves around him are his only family, though his days are hard he manages to find some happiness in his work and with his ‘mother’ who is one of the enslaved prostitutes (known as ‘wolves’). Then the day comes where Sparrow becomes a wolf himself…

Written as his memoir from Britannia at the end of the Roman empire, you are constantly reminded that this story is not one with a happy end. It is unflinching in describing the despicable treatment slaves endure, I definitely wouldn’t recommend this as an uplifting read! The description of Roman society, customs, religious changes in a newly Christian empire, prostitution and slavery was completely immersive to me.

I hope we get to hear more of Sparrow’s life story, though knowing how little control he and his family have over their own lives I don’t hold out much hope of it being a happy one or that he will ever reunite with his mother. I wish Sparrows ending was as it was written. It probably wasn’t, but as Euterpe says, stories bring hope.

This book follows the early life of a young boy slave in a Taberna which is also a brothel, in Roman Carthago Nova which is modern day Cartagena in the Murcia region of Spain. It follows the life, trials and tribulations of a group of slaves who have little to no control over their lives and have to deal with anything that comes their way. It is a very raw book with some extremely explicit scenes so I would definitely be warned about that. I don't think it is the most amazing book, I didn't feel fully absorbed into the story and characters as I felt the pacing was a little off but overall it does take you through a wide range of emotions and is written very well.

The book narrative starts off introducing the protagonist as Jacob, and then it goes right to the early years of his life as a young boy.
Pusus, which means little boy, is what the others call him. He is a slave, and he lives in the kitchen of a Taberna brothel, with Focaria the cook, also a slave.
Reading about Pusus, Focaria, and the prostitutes who are called the wolves, also slaves, is quite the read.
I found the descriptions of the place they lived in called Carthago Nova very descriptive and well written. It is in the times of the Roman Empire. I have been to Cartagena in Spain, which it is now known as, so it was also very easy for me to picture the amphitheatre and quayside.
I found the book to be a warts and all story. Some extremely very explicit, sexually graphic parts, which leads to some unsettling, uncomfortable reading. A bit of a shame for me personally, as I would still have felt the impact of the storyline, without it being so graphic.. A hint at the details in my opinion would have been better, so the reader themselves could work it out what had happened.
The story itself weaved a tale of probability of how life would have been during that era, and I found it very interesting, a bit heart pounding near the end of the book as I was racing along wondering how it would end.
It wasn’t exactly how I visualised the ending to be, but I thought it drew it to an understandable conclusion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e- book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

This book follows the early life of a young boy slave in a Taberna which is also a brothel, in Roman Carthago Nova which is modern day Cartegena in the Murcia region of Spain.
It follows the life and tribulations of a group of slaves who have little control over their lives.
Enjoyed it as it was an unusual setting and group of characters. Very believable except for the ending which I felt wasn't quite as creditable and unlikely given the circumstances.
Worth a read though.

Brutal, raw and beautifully told, this is the story of a nameless boy - a slave, a little mouse, a wolf, a sparrow.
Set during Roman times, it very much reminded me of Elodie Harper’s Wolf Den, which I absolutely loved too.
As he reflects on his life, the book mainly details his early years, with the ending suggesting it could lead to a sequel - let’s hope so.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I must say this is the first book that I struggled to read some parts. There should be a trigger warning as one episode is very upsetting. Otherwise, it was a story of a servant with many names who went through many episodes of violence and mistreatment at the hands of owners and fellow servants. He would imagine he was a sparrow flying out of his body to switch off from what he was enduring. He does have some happy moments with his mother figure called Euterpe, who he's closest to amongst all the other female servants in his "family".
The story plodded along , got more interesting and then ended. It's worth a read. Not really my cup of tea though, so sorry to say.
I received this free ARC book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #panmacmillan, #jameshynes.

Gritty, unflinching and hugely vivid the author takes us on a very descriptive journey of Carthage and Sparrow’s life there. I loved it.

A very raw and unflinching tale of life in Roman times of a young slave boy. It’s a hard read in parts but there is some kindness and the tale is well told.

This book was sooo atmospheric. James Hynes writing was pure bliss!!

I had heard a lot about this book, but wasn't 100% convinced it would be my cup of tea, I thought it may be a bit too literary for me. I could not have been more wrong. I was super wrapped up in the characters from the very beginning.
Hyne's writing was so spot on - it felt like I was right there. But without the faff that some books have when descriptive writing - none of it felt like waffle. Everything added something and added to the atmosphere.

This was not the happiest of books - its incredibly downbeat but there is so much hope and fight, that you just want the characters to get out of the life they are living. You feel like they should, and you feel like they can. Never once do the characters feel sorry for themselves, they are fighters. This makes the sad and dark subject matter easier to read.

This was the most atmospheric book I have read for a long long time. Definitely recommend if you want to be swept up into a completely different world!