Scan barcode
hilarylouise's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Cancer and Racism
Minor: Death, Colonisation, and War
calamityin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
One possible theme is that one cannot stop, but must always keep moving, something Brown directly challenges with her character who questions why the movement is necessary. Much of this questioning rings into suicidal ideation, with detachment, confusion, and resignation all seeping into the words, and the main character's consideration of her cancer diagnosis further bolsters this idea.
As the book came to a close, I was left with the distinct impression that this book was supposed to be a speech more than a novel. It was saying something not about a narrative story but about experience on the whole, which I can understand turns many readers away when they find they cannot connect with the characters. I, however, thought this worked beautifully and could feel myself aligning with an orator who can tell the audience is not getting what they should from the presentation. By the end, I was drawn back to the early image of a talk at a school for young girls, encouraging them to pursue the life of the MC, while the MC herself is questioning if she wants to continue pursuing this life.
Altogether a beautiful book that I will be buying a personal copy of so that I can make my own annotations to the text on my next read.
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Hate crime, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Deportation
Minor: Body shaming, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
felicityebhaslin's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, and Colonisation
Minor: Racial slurs
sektaufeis's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
So scharf und zielgerichtete geschrieben - wow.
Graphic: Racism and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Racial slurs
safymo's review
- 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? No
4.0
it's the story of a black woman living in the UK. a woman who has "made it" and now ponders the question "what was this all for?". it's about the inherited grit, guilt, self-effacement, characteristic of people of immigrant descent in a Western, white male-dominated world – "what was this all for?". when you've merged your work and identity "but what it takes to get there isn't what you need once you've arrived." then what?
this glimpse into a single week in a fictional character's life is sadly reflective of many of our lives. Brown uses many devices to convey the impersonal and perennial value of the text – dialogues without quotation marks, imprecise but evocative descriptions of entitled Janes and Johns Smith. she uses form for a similar goal – poem-like passages, legends of infographics depicting casual racism and "an organised, systematic brutality that their soft and sagging children can scarcely stomach – won't even acknowledge".
the writing is eloquent but challenging at times – some sentence structures eluded my comprehension which made these reflections feel private (to the author) and exclusive but not untrue.
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Cancer and Death
sydapel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Death and Death of parent
lysander__a's review
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Misogyny, and Racism
aliyachaudhry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Hate crime
tiriol's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Cancer, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Minor: Death
notthatcosta's review
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Even as plot lines and moments fade in and out within the space of a few pages, I remained grounded in the motions - I felt tension, fear, frustration and even peace at points. I was also confused a lot, don't get me wrong.
While part of me would have liked more than the snapshot we received of this story, I was more impressed at the economy and the confidence in its delivery than I was disappointed in its length.
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation