Scan barcode
calamityin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
It's about exhaustion, it's about burnout. Can I ever live up to the life I was supposed to have? Is it even worth trying?
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
brown's assembly is so effective in achieving its goals that it's akin to a manifesto, a subdued rallying cry of exasperation, exhaustion, rage, and detached numbness of those who are black and british.
there's not a whole lot of plot here, merely different contexts and scenes from the narrator's life that eventually come together to form a finished puzzle and allow the reader to understand the reasoning behind her ultimate choice.
the novel's very reflective and introspective, and straddles the border of being almost preachy at times, but somehow it works: one couldnt possibly understand the narrator's current circumstances w/o being aware of the larger historical and political forces that precede her, shaping britain and its ppl into what they are - and how they act towards her and those like her - today.
i have to say brown does a stellar job of depicting what it's like to be a black british woman, even one on the ascent. i felt claustrophobic, exasperated, constantly judged simply reading abt the narrator's daily experience. the lie of being taught to always strive and be better so things can get better, but in reality it's never enough no matter what one does, white ppl will always deem minorities as outsiders granted unfair advantages. no wonder the narrator's seemingly bone-deep exhausted; the clownery rly never ends.
while the narrative can feel disjointed at times bc of the frequent, abrupt changes in setting, assembly is nevertheless an impactful book.
there's not a whole lot of plot here, merely different contexts and scenes from the narrator's life that eventually come together to form a finished puzzle and allow the reader to understand the reasoning behind her ultimate choice.
the novel's very reflective and introspective, and straddles the border of being almost preachy at times, but somehow it works: one couldnt possibly understand the narrator's current circumstances w/o being aware of the larger historical and political forces that precede her, shaping britain and its ppl into what they are - and how they act towards her and those like her - today.
i have to say brown does a stellar job of depicting what it's like to be a black british woman, even one on the ascent. i felt claustrophobic, exasperated, constantly judged simply reading abt the narrator's daily experience. the lie of being taught to always strive and be better so things can get better, but in reality it's never enough no matter what one does, white ppl will always deem minorities as outsiders granted unfair advantages. no wonder the narrator's seemingly bone-deep exhausted; the clownery rly never ends.
while the narrative can feel disjointed at times bc of the frequent, abrupt changes in setting, assembly is nevertheless an impactful book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Minor: Death and Medical content
shewantsthediction's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I've waited months for this one but it was disappointing. Highlighted a bunch of quotes about racism, but this felt more like a vehicle for delivering the quotes than a full-fledged story. (Plus, although beautifully phrased, any racialized individual will be overly familiar with these realities already and she's not really bringing anything new to the table.)
The characters felt like vague sketches, to the point I thought some of them (like her sister) were a metaphor. And thecancer felt like a cliche. So much of this was just corny and clumsily done.
The characters felt like vague sketches, to the point I thought some of them (like her sister) were a metaphor. And the
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, and Colonisation