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liamliayaum's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
This book is a melody. An ode to space and rhythm, of finding those spaces to live and grow in. An anthem of Black life, joy, and sorrow.
It was repetitive, often the same sentences repeated, which is why this was a 4.5 and not a 5 star for me.
It was repetitive, often the same sentences repeated, which is why this was a 4.5 and not a 5 star for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Racism
sakisreads's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
✨ Gifted ✨
Caleb Azumah Nelson does it again 👏🏼 Small Worlds encapsulates so much love and especially during the second half, I found it hard to put down 🥹
Of course Joy’s death hit me hard and made me weep, but we still manage to grieve and love her ❤️ Everything in this book is so human which I think is one of its biggest attractions!
I ‘only’ give it 4.5 stars out of 5, because although it was phenomenal, nothing has done it for me quite in the same way that Open Water has since I finished that 😂 Still brilliant though and highly recommend reading Small Worlds, thanks ✨
Caleb Azumah Nelson does it again 👏🏼 Small Worlds encapsulates so much love and especially during the second half, I found it hard to put down 🥹
I ‘only’ give it 4.5 stars out of 5, because although it was phenomenal, nothing has done it for me quite in the same way that Open Water has since I finished that 😂 Still brilliant though and highly recommend reading Small Worlds, thanks ✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Death of parent, Police brutality, Racism, Death, and Hate crime
elizaob's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Death of parent, Racism, and Violence
sandwiiche's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
wow. nelson is a masterful writer. his prose is absolutely gorgeous and reads like poetry.
this story is about the struggles of immigrant families, and how they strive to build a new place they can call home. it's a story about loss, the grievance of loved ones, but also the loss of purpose and connection. the story truly heroes the idea that when all else fails, when words cannot express one's thoughts and feelings, it is through the language of song and dance that allows one to voice their heart's truest emotions. it is the space created by music, by letting yourself get lost in the rhythm that gives an individual the opportunity to feel, to open their heart up to the wounds of the past, the joys of the present, and the hopes for the future. ultimately, it is a narrative about the journey to discovering one's identity whilst navigating the rollercoaster of life.
this story is about the struggles of immigrant families, and how they strive to build a new place they can call home. it's a story about loss, the grievance of loved ones, but also the loss of purpose and connection. the story truly heroes the idea that when all else fails, when words cannot express one's thoughts and feelings, it is through the language of song and dance that allows one to voice their heart's truest emotions. it is the space created by music, by letting yourself get lost in the rhythm that gives an individual the opportunity to feel, to open their heart up to the wounds of the past, the joys of the present, and the hopes for the future. ultimately, it is a narrative about the journey to discovering one's identity whilst navigating the rollercoaster of life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Police brutality, Drug use, Death, Alcohol, and Racism
zara89's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Alcoholism, Hate crime, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
clairew97's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Drug use, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Deportation, Alcohol, and Cursing
whoisthisjan's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Exquisit writing which makes you want to dive into every sentence this man puts on a piece of paper. I had to inhibit the initial impulse to devour Small Worlds immediately. So I stretched the reading experience like a good meal.
This book is masterfully crafted, with lots of love and feeling. In my opinion it shouldn't be compared to Open Water, but if you still want to - it is by no means less important. The main topics considered in this book are love concerning romantic partners, friends and family, identity, music and immigration. It's unbelievable how much one can say in a few pages.
Hands down: Caleb Azumah Nelson is my favourite modern day author.
Highly recommend.
This book is masterfully crafted, with lots of love and feeling. In my opinion it shouldn't be compared to Open Water, but if you still want to - it is by no means less important. The main topics considered in this book are love concerning romantic partners, friends and family, identity, music and immigration. It's unbelievable how much one can say in a few pages.
Hands down: Caleb Azumah Nelson is my favourite modern day author.
Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Racism
laurataylor's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Hate crime, Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Drug use, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Grief
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
Small Worlds is another stunner of a novel by Caleb Azumah Nelson. Set in London and Ghana, it follows Stephen for three summers beginning with the break between school and university. It starts off almost in YA territory with a very tentative possible romance with his best friend, dance parties, wondering what his exam marks are going to be and whether he’s going to get the marks and scholarship to enable him to follow his music dreams. The coming-of-age storyline continues as Stephen moves from teenager to new adulthood but, bit by bit the novel adds increasing layers and depth including examinations of the realities of the migration experience, of racism, of police brutality, of lingering trauma, of lost dreams, of generational divides. The power of music and of dance, their importance in Stephen’s life - for freedom, for healing, for cultural identity, for creativity - was a strong feature of this novel and I couldn’t help but notice the parallels with Fire Rush. Music and dance are not my thing but these books really made me feel their importance to others. Food played a similarly important role for Stephen. This story is one of the more powerful and beautiful explorations of a complicated father-son relationship that I’ve read in a long time. Stylistically there’s a lot of repetition as well as a sense of rhythm which give the prose an almost musical quality. The prose itself is gorgeous and lyrical, yet hard-hitting in its truth-telling.
“I tell Mum, as another fire erupts on-screen, we’re watching a group of people who are tired of being erased, tired of being forced into where they do not fit, tired of inhabiting a restless spirit, tired of crying, tired of being murdered in the seclusion of daylight. I tell Mum, we’re watching what happens when a community feel they have nothing to lose: how they turn to protest to make their voices heard. Otherwise, what else is there to do but sit in silence? What else is there to do but wait until next time? What else is there to do but wait until it is your mother, or brother, or you?”
“I tell Mum, as another fire erupts on-screen, we’re watching a group of people who are tired of being erased, tired of being forced into where they do not fit, tired of inhabiting a restless spirit, tired of crying, tired of being murdered in the seclusion of daylight. I tell Mum, we’re watching what happens when a community feel they have nothing to lose: how they turn to protest to make their voices heard. Otherwise, what else is there to do but sit in silence? What else is there to do but wait until next time? What else is there to do but wait until it is your mother, or brother, or you?”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Death, and Police brutality
Moderate: Racism
kat_impossible's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
*I was provided with an eARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!*
Caleb Azumah Nelson's debut Open Water was one of my favorite bookish discoveries last year and my appreciation for his writing has only grown after reading his sophomore novel. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Small Worlds hit me even harder and has cemented him as an auto-buy author for me.
Dealing with music and family, love and loss, Small Worlds follows Stephen through various life stages in three consecutive summers. While we still get the author's signature second person POV in parts of the novel, most of it is written in first person and brings us all the closer to Stephen's world of emotions. As always, the poetic prose is just so beautiful to read, but at the same time there was an added element of repetition that really served to highlight how cyclical life can be. It also makes you feel everything tenfold - Caleb Azumah Nelson never fails to make his characters' experiences feel authentic and relatable, be it joy and laughter or pain and sorrow. It is the balance of all these elements - and the way they intertwine - that makes Small Worlds work so well.
I especially enjoyed the focus on family in this one. Family is a complicated beast and Small Worlds truly showed every facet of that. I liked the way sibling-, parental- and mother/son or father/son relationships were depicted. It felt so nuanced, layered and steeped in generational history.
I gaze at my parents, and see that a world can be two people, occupying a space where they don't have to explain. Where they can feel beautiful. Where they might feel free.
Tender, vulnerable and refreshingly open, I always enjoy Caleb Azumah Nelson's portrayal of Black culture (in the UK). This one felt special in particular to the many music references, which gave it an extra spark of life. Truly, everything this man writes is just a big recommendation from me!
Fazit: 5/5 stars! No notes - this was a stunning book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Police brutality, Racism, and Death