Reviews - A Castle in Brooklyn: A Novel

46 reviews for:

A Castle in Brooklyn: A Novel

Shirley Russak Wachtel

3.32 AVERAGE

kemiadeleke's review against another edition

2.5

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really wish I liked it more
Kinship between Jacob & Zalman was my favorite storyline but only bc the last 25% or so of the book
The story just didn’t really go anywhere for me
And the intermingling of story lines seemed forced

beachbookbabe's review against another edition

4.0

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

maplegrey's review against another edition

3.0

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

lizardsound's review against another edition

3.0

emotional reflective medium-paced

msbookmarked's review against another edition

3.0

This was a rather melancholic read, dealing with relationships with underlying issues of grief and PTSD.

Spoiler

I liked how different responses to trauma were highlighted and contrasted between the three main characters, and subsequently affected their choices and relationships. I also liked how the story was compared to the building of the house in the beginning of each section. I also particularly liked the inclusion of Riku, the first featured tenant. Not only did it showcased the house hosting a loving family, but also emphasized that war victims are not necessary black and white by country association.

However, the story had left me quite unsatisfied. With such complex characters set up, there was so much potential for development and yet I feel the story lines were not tied up properly. Out of the three main characters, two of them were killed off suddenly that it felt like a cop-out to avoid the scenes of confrontations/resolution, and their story seemed unfinished as a result. The second tenant was introduced with such details, yet I felt barely added to the story apart from showcasing who else the house has hosted. I appreciated that it ended on an emotional note with Zalman's daughter inheriting the house, but I felt that there were a lot in between missing to truly be able to comprehend the full achievement. I wish that some of the chapters did not include time jumps, and rather expand more on the characters' gradual changes and mindsets throughout the years.

Overall, A Castle in Brooklyn was a decent read but there's definitely potential yet to be filled.

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