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hilikus_00's review against another edition
4.0
Brown Girl in the Ring is set in a future dystopian Toronto, where the wealthy have fled to the suburbs following a large-scale economic collapse fuelled by failed negotiations with local First Nations communities. Infused with magical realism, it follows Ti-Jeanne as she reconnects with her Caribbean culture, largely via her grandmother, Gros-Jeane (who is, as one may call her, an obeah woman) to take down a local gang lord, Rudy.
At first, I really connected with Ti-Jeanne, a single mother with a young baby. I thought she was strong and flawed and thus, quite human. I connected very much to the dialect, being Caribbean-Canadian myself. The setting was also great, as a current Torontonian. I was able to picture the ruins of the places that Ti-Jeanne visited and actually that made it quite scary! Plot-wise, it was quite gritty and intense at some points. Speaking of which, my main issue with the plot was
I thought the writing was quite disjointed and at times difficult to follow. I struggled through some of it, but where this novel fails in prose, it definitely makes up for in its inclusion of cultural ceremonies, language and folklore. I cannot praise this book enough for its references to Caribbean folklore and myth, as well as things like obeah. It was an enlightening experience to read in this sense, particularly for me, a Caribbean-descended woman living in Toronto. Further, we could spend some time interrogating and unpacking what it means for these Caribbean cultural references to have permeated a largely white-, male-dominated genre and industry and how powerful an act of resistance has been created in this work. But I'll save that for an essay.
Brilliant.
At first, I really connected with Ti-Jeanne, a single mother with a young baby. I thought she was strong and flawed and thus, quite human. I connected very much to the dialect, being Caribbean-Canadian myself. The setting was also great, as a current Torontonian. I was able to picture the ruins of the places that Ti-Jeanne visited and actually that made it quite scary! Plot-wise, it was quite gritty and intense at some points.
Spoiler
particularly Gros-Jeanne's brutal murder.Spoiler
how Ti-Jeanne forgives Tony in the end. Am I supposed to interpret that as strong and diplomatic? Because I interpreted it as stupid and unrealistic. If my baby's father smashed my grandmother's head in with a hammer, no matter WHAT the motive, I think I might have to kill him myself. I thought it was absurd that Ti-Jeanne forgave him.I thought the writing was quite disjointed and at times difficult to follow. I struggled through some of it, but where this novel fails in prose, it definitely makes up for in its inclusion of cultural ceremonies, language and folklore. I cannot praise this book enough for its references to Caribbean folklore and myth, as well as things like obeah. It was an enlightening experience to read in this sense, particularly for me, a Caribbean-descended woman living in Toronto. Further, we could spend some time interrogating and unpacking what it means for these Caribbean cultural references to have permeated a largely white-, male-dominated genre and industry and how powerful an act of resistance has been created in this work. But I'll save that for an essay.
Brilliant.
hexie88's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
2.0
Bullet Review:
Don’t faint - I finished it!
Unlike with my other recent slow read, “Kenobi”, this book was one I avoided. I never really grew to like the characters, while the Jamaican post-apocalyptic setting was interesting, I felt there was too much going on and plot threads that disappeared, the story was way too slow (half the book could easily have been omitted - the parts with Ti-Jeanne ever so slowly doing ANYTHING), and even the end, being the most awesome part of the book, essentially relied on a literal Deus ex Machina.
Full Review:
Ti-Jeanne lives in a post-apocalyptic version of Toronto; at one point, the city collapsed upon itself, and the well-to-do fled the inner city, leaving it behind to those who couldn't flee. She lives with her grandmother, Gros-Jeanne, an herbalist/nurse, who provides her substantial services to her community, and her newborn baby boy, the product of her liaison with Tony, a former med student turned drug (called "buff") addict. Ti-Jeanne is special because she sees visions - she can see how and when people die. But she hides this from her grandmother, partly because of what happened to her mother, Mi-Jeanne. (I feel like I'm missing out on a huge portion of Jamaican culture to understand the naming of these women.) She's struggling with her visions, trying to be a mother to her boy and her relationship with Tony.
Meanwhile, Tony works for drug crime lord, Rudy. Rudy has been tasked to find a human heart for a politician, so he forces Tony to carry out the deed.
And that is probably a good 2/3 of the novel. No, really. This book had the speed of a slug in molasses - a shame because I think this book is doing something unique and special in the drudgery of fantasy or dystopians.
I absolutely loved how this book is about people of color and their culture, what seems to be a form of Jamaican culture by what I've managed to glean. A lot of fantasy turns to Tolkien and White Europe, and I think there is so much more to be gained from the many, many other cultures dotting this planet. By the end of the book, I also really grew to like Mami, Ti-Jeanne's grandmother, a sharp tongued woman who loves her family but may have also contributed to Rudy's rise to power. But I am really having a hard time detailing anything else I enjoyed because the book was so painfully slow.
Firstly, Ti-Jeanne was a rather boring protagonist. I think the setup was there, but she never made that step from child to adult - even at the end, she has to be saved by a literal Deus Ex Machina, a spirit who descends and reminds her what the whole point of her mission is. So if she hadn't received that vision...she would just have never completed the mission and defeated the bad guy? Well, that's lackluster. Instead she spent so much time wangsting over Tony...and walking, I guess. Yes, at the end of this book, when I am desperately grasping at what actually happened, all I can think of is that she did a lot of walking from one place to another. Also, I grappled to describe what her actual fantastical powers are - she communicates with spirits? She can command spirits? It's still so fuzzy to me.
The other problem is just the scope; I feel combining the post-apocalypse with the Jamaican fantasy was unique but not the best done. So this Toronto is dingy - it's not really ever used to any effect in this book. I am really struggling for words to describe this, and I feel a lot has to do with the fact that it's poorly constructed. We see the people making farms out of parks and whatnot, but that may as well be set dressing. It doesn't help Ti-Jeanne in her fight at the end; she faces off the baddies mano-a-mano. Perhaps it is because this is one book set in this time and the author wrote others - then fair. But honestly, it felt strange to call out something as post-apocalyptic and not use it.
And then we have the sub-sub-sub plot of the politician finding a new heart. While that event is the incident which sets off the entire story, I felt it was so poorly integrated, it was a waste of time every time we pulled away from Ti-Jeanne, Tony or Rudy to go to the politician or the doctor. I thought at the end, there would be a great revelation, but what we got was much, much milder . Yawn. Again, maybe this is set up for another book, but I am not going to find out.
I added this book because I wanted to read more scifi and fantasy from non-white authors. And while on one hand, I am glad I tried to read this, on the other, I sorta wish I had peaced-out while I was ahead. At one point, I was so close to the end, I knuckled down and pushed through - and the ending wasn't half bad. (Marred only because of aforementioned Deus Ex Machina.) I think we need more voices adding different fantasy and visions of dystopias; I just didn't happen to like this one very much. But your mileage may vary.
Don’t faint - I finished it!
Unlike with my other recent slow read, “Kenobi”, this book was one I avoided. I never really grew to like the characters, while the Jamaican post-apocalyptic setting was interesting, I felt there was too much going on and plot threads that disappeared, the story was way too slow (half the book could easily have been omitted - the parts with Ti-Jeanne ever so slowly doing ANYTHING), and even the end, being the most awesome part of the book, essentially relied on a literal Deus ex Machina.
Full Review:
Ti-Jeanne lives in a post-apocalyptic version of Toronto; at one point, the city collapsed upon itself, and the well-to-do fled the inner city, leaving it behind to those who couldn't flee. She lives with her grandmother, Gros-Jeanne, an herbalist/nurse, who provides her substantial services to her community, and her newborn baby boy, the product of her liaison with Tony, a former med student turned drug (called "buff") addict. Ti-Jeanne is special because she sees visions - she can see how and when people die. But she hides this from her grandmother, partly because of what happened to her mother, Mi-Jeanne. (I feel like I'm missing out on a huge portion of Jamaican culture to understand the naming of these women.) She's struggling with her visions, trying to be a mother to her boy and her relationship with Tony.
Meanwhile, Tony works for drug crime lord, Rudy. Rudy has been tasked to find a human heart for a politician, so he forces Tony to carry out the deed.
And that is probably a good 2/3 of the novel. No, really. This book had the speed of a slug in molasses - a shame because I think this book is doing something unique and special in the drudgery of fantasy or dystopians.
I absolutely loved how this book is about people of color and their culture, what seems to be a form of Jamaican culture by what I've managed to glean. A lot of fantasy turns to Tolkien and White Europe, and I think there is so much more to be gained from the many, many other cultures dotting this planet. By the end of the book, I also really grew to like Mami, Ti-Jeanne's grandmother, a sharp tongued woman who loves her family but may have also contributed to Rudy's rise to power. But I am really having a hard time detailing anything else I enjoyed because the book was so painfully slow.
Firstly, Ti-Jeanne was a rather boring protagonist. I think the setup was there, but she never made that step from child to adult - even at the end, she has to be saved by a literal Deus Ex Machina, a spirit who descends and reminds her what the whole point of her mission is. So if she hadn't received that vision...she would just have never completed the mission and defeated the bad guy? Well, that's lackluster. Instead she spent so much time wangsting over Tony...and walking, I guess. Yes, at the end of this book, when I am desperately grasping at what actually happened, all I can think of is that she did a lot of walking from one place to another. Also, I grappled to describe what her actual fantastical powers are - she communicates with spirits? She can command spirits? It's still so fuzzy to me.
The other problem is just the scope; I feel combining the post-apocalypse with the Jamaican fantasy was unique but not the best done. So this Toronto is dingy - it's not really ever used to any effect in this book. I am really struggling for words to describe this, and I feel a lot has to do with the fact that it's poorly constructed. We see the people making farms out of parks and whatnot, but that may as well be set dressing. It doesn't help Ti-Jeanne in her fight at the end; she faces off the baddies mano-a-mano. Perhaps it is because this is one book set in this time and the author wrote others - then fair. But honestly, it felt strange to call out something as post-apocalyptic and not use it.
And then we have the sub-sub-sub plot of the politician finding a new heart. While that event is the incident which sets off the entire story, I felt it was so poorly integrated, it was a waste of time every time we pulled away from Ti-Jeanne, Tony or Rudy to go to the politician or the doctor. I thought at the end, there would be a great revelation
Spoiler
that Mami had indwelt the politicianSpoiler
the politician decides that people need to opt out of volunteering to donate organs, which is so much better and will help her win over everyone??? Huh???I added this book because I wanted to read more scifi and fantasy from non-white authors. And while on one hand, I am glad I tried to read this, on the other, I sorta wish I had peaced-out while I was ahead. At one point, I was so close to the end, I knuckled down and pushed through - and the ending wasn't half bad. (Marred only because of aforementioned Deus Ex Machina.) I think we need more voices adding different fantasy and visions of dystopias; I just didn't happen to like this one very much. But your mileage may vary.
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
3.0
This book was on a Flavorwire list of books you won't be assigned in high school, so I decided to check it out.
And it's interesting. It's not quite what I expected, but I'm glad I read it. The story merges a post-apocalyptic future with a Caribbean voodoo context, and the characters are multi-generational and well written. The dialect wasn't fun to read, but I'm glad I listened to it rather than read it because the narrator, Peter Jay Fernandez, did a much better job than I ever could have done in my head.
I plan to recommend it to my creative writing students, who love this genre but don't have much experience drawing characters and integrating conflict and the world they've created.
And it's interesting. It's not quite what I expected, but I'm glad I read it. The story merges a post-apocalyptic future with a Caribbean voodoo context, and the characters are multi-generational and well written. The dialect wasn't fun to read, but I'm glad I listened to it rather than read it because the narrator, Peter Jay Fernandez, did a much better job than I ever could have done in my head.
I plan to recommend it to my creative writing students, who love this genre but don't have much experience drawing characters and integrating conflict and the world they've created.
nithreasaigh's review against another edition
5.0
This book has everything I love -- PoCo, Dystopia, Magic Realism, and elements of Sci-Fi -- held between two covers. It’s also one of those rare stories set in Toronto so it’s interesting to see Hopkinson’s vision of what my hometown could look like after the apocalypse. I loved the weaving of West Indian folklore with a very realistic vision of where our racialized income inequalities could lead us. I also loved that all relationships were described equally whether hetero- or homo-sexual -- this is the first narrative I've read or watched where same-sex relationships were mentioned as nonchalantly as heterosexual relationships are usually described without drawing any extra attention to them (one could even say "normalized"). Now I have to re-read Ti-Jean and His Brothers to understand the significance of naming the three generations of women after Derek Walcott's characters and to know whether the "white devil" in this story is the gang and ghetto culture that racism and income-inequality have foisted upon way too many black people in this city? I’m left with many questions: What way forward is being suggested when Ti-Jean embraces her native culture, gifts & instincts to defeat the devil where her mother and grandmother failed? Is there significance to the fact that Gros-Jean helped create the “devil” in this story? This one will keep me thinking for awhile...
thejadedhippy's review against another edition
5.0
This book is amazing. Everything you could want out of magical realism and so much more. Even the rather gory descriptions at times didn't bother me as much because of the way they were presented much of the time, and I have set down more than one book and numerous movies unable to deal with the same. It's been a while that I read a book that drew me in more and more as the story went on, but this built steadily and well, to the point where I just couldn't put the second half down to take a break until I finished it. This would make an absolutely incredible movie!!!
fredicia's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The ideas behind the story are good, but the pacing is inconsistent. The writing in the middle is awkward.
I do like the overall theme of equivalent exchange in the Magic. And the spirits in this book have defined personalities, which I enjoyed reading about.
I do like the overall theme of equivalent exchange in the Magic. And the spirits in this book have defined personalities, which I enjoyed reading about.
kwims's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
outcolder's review against another edition
5.0
After a shaky start, with some wacky and barely comprehensible macroeconomics involving an indigenous lawsuit, Brown Girl in the Ring quickly brings the Orishas into a nightmarish horror story, gorier and more frightening than the other Hopkinson books I have read. I loved the Yoruba rituals and magic battles, and even the cracked-out Toronto setting began to grow on me, especially the tribe of homeless children and the Romani friend of the family. Great stuff if you have the stomach for it.
mariaslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This book was so unique it took a little bit for me to get into it at first. The blend of science fiction, magical realism, and Caribbean folklore took on the rhythm I was unfamiliar with but came to really appreciate and enjoy. As I struggled to focus in the beginning of the book I decided to get the audiobook as well and hybrid read. The book only got better and better. And eventually I couldn't bear to read the slow pace of an audiobook and finished the book without it so I could read through the climax. I really enjoyed this setting of both a dystopian future and a harkening back to economies of old were communities help with one another even when they have so little. I found Gros-Jeane particularly endearing despite her gruff exterior. I found Ti-Jeane's early experience with motherhood and lack of bonding & annoyance with her child to be a more honest take than we usually see on the subject. The folklore and magical realism was enchanting and drew me in. I reveled in the final showdown with the book's big bad. An epic scene worthy of the big screen. My first foray into Nalo Hopkinson