Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Another Brooklyn

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

26 reviews

siobhanward's review

emotional medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

I'm torn on this one. It's called a novel, but it felt a lot more like a novella. I loved the characters and wish there had been more development, especially of relationships. August and her friends seemingly went from strangers to friends with no real context as to why and then just as quickly they drifted apart. I know that when you start to grow from a child to adult, friendships and relationships shift, but this just felt kind of jarring. It was an ok coming of age book, but maybe the style just wasn't for me.

Content Warnings

lizziaha's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.75

I think I might’ve enjoyed this more in a print format. Hearing it as an audiobook made the plot feel a bit disjointed at times. This is a story about girlhood and trauma and grief and religion and the things we tell ourselves and others. It’s got a powerful message, even if the execution wasn’t exactly to my liking.

Content Warnings

finn_vibing's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging 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

4.25

Content Warnings

eliajor's review

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings