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eliajor's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
People have recommended 'Another Brooklyn' as a toned-down version of 'A Little Life', but I'd say they're two different books. Another Brooklyn focuses on one protagonist whilst A Little Life has 4 distinct voices/narrators. Another Brooklyn fell short for me since the poetic lyrical verses the writer has used, flew over my head. At times I'd say it was too lyrical for heavy topics like assault, femicide, men(derogatory) . If anything it was so surface levelled that the main character feels like a plastic bag floating through her years rather than someone active. There are also hints of indoctrination from religion which is understandable, but there's never truly character growth. Granted the characters are young girls to teenagers who do dumb things but this book could've been so much more than a poem disguised as a novel. I found all the characters insufferable and shallow which made it difficult to read and the more I read the less I enjoyed the heavy implicit narrative. The author wants me to do the heavy lifting and think that her writing is 'deep' which it's not. I don't like the protagonist and I don't like the other girls as much as I sympathise with their situation.
Really there's very little substance that made it redeeming and simultaneously puts me off seeking therapy.
Really there's very little substance that made it redeeming and simultaneously puts me off seeking therapy.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual violence and Death of parent
sydapel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really loved how beautifully the prose in this novel flowed from one sentence to the next. It won't be for everyone, but for me it really captured the languorous feeling of being a teenager - the anticipatory waiting followed by sudden and unexpected heartbreak or hurt. I also loved the way Woodson weaves religion, motherhood and coming of age moments into the story. The only thing I felt was missing was primarily a moment of resolution with our main character in the present day.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy, Drug use, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Sexual violence, Violence, Suicide, and Pedophilia
annabella's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Easy to read and every line feels like poetry
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Slavery
Minor: Gun violence
jcstokes95's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is best enjoyed like a painting. I think the sooner you release the idea that a narrative is going to form, the better off your reading experience will be. Woodson is drawing vivid portraits of a place, time and its people. The stories here are heartbreaking, but presented as the mundane life of a community. Woodson doesn't dwell on the abuse, addiction or violence or at least, she doesn't present it for us to leer at. It feels so fluid, like you're moving through life with these girls. It also shares their moments of joy, of confidence and their friendship. Another Brooklyn manages to tell a real, dynamic story about young, Black girls and their different but intrinsically tied paths to adulthood.
It's really astonishing how full of a picture Woodson can draw in such a short book. I read it in audiobook form (highly recommend) and it felt like someone spilling their life history in a late night talk. It got straight to the heart of everything that could possibly touch girlhood without pulling punches or gawking. Woodson's always evocative writing is the centerpiece holding this together. Favorite quotes include:
"And she whispered how she was the queen of other places. ‘Close my eyes and boom, I’m gone. I learned it from my mother,’ she told us. ‘So many days you look in that woman’s eyes and she isn’t even there.’”
"We had blades inside our kneesocks and were growing our nails long. We were learning to walk the Brooklyn streets as though we had always belonged to them - our voices loud, our laughter even louder. But Brooklyn had longer nails and sharper blades."
There are so many of these gorgeous, lyrical moments here. I think this book will feel a bit plotless to some. I also am not sure if Woodson fully hammers home her message on memory at times; though I feel that may be because everything these young girls experience feels relevant and recent. In all, this books feels like a great doorway into lives of young girls not always fully seen.
It's really astonishing how full of a picture Woodson can draw in such a short book. I read it in audiobook form (highly recommend) and it felt like someone spilling their life history in a late night talk. It got straight to the heart of everything that could possibly touch girlhood without pulling punches or gawking. Woodson's always evocative writing is the centerpiece holding this together. Favorite quotes include:
"And she whispered how she was the queen of other places. ‘Close my eyes and boom, I’m gone. I learned it from my mother,’ she told us. ‘So many days you look in that woman’s eyes and she isn’t even there.’”
"We had blades inside our kneesocks and were growing our nails long. We were learning to walk the Brooklyn streets as though we had always belonged to them - our voices loud, our laughter even louder. But Brooklyn had longer nails and sharper blades."
There are so many of these gorgeous, lyrical moments here. I think this book will feel a bit plotless to some. I also am not sure if Woodson fully hammers home her message on memory at times; though I feel that may be because everything these young girls experience feels relevant and recent. In all, this books feels like a great doorway into lives of young girls not always fully seen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction
melaniereadsbooks's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book was such an interesting and well-written novella. I was able to read this in practically one sitting and it flew by.
I loved the character growth that happened in this memoir-esque fiction. It felt so real and I was definitely empathizing with the main character and her friends.
The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful. One thing I really loved about it was its repetition of memory, and how it played around that theme. There were some twists I didn't really see coming and the unreliability of the main characters memory really kept me on my toes.
Great and important story.
I loved the character growth that happened in this memoir-esque fiction. It felt so real and I was definitely empathizing with the main character and her friends.
The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful. One thing I really loved about it was its repetition of memory, and how it played around that theme. There were some twists I didn't really see coming and the unreliability of the main characters memory really kept me on my toes.
Great and important story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Grief
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