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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
sydapel's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
5.0
If there's someone else writing like Caleb Azumah Nelson, point me to them immediately. The sheer lyricism and musicality of his descriptions, how each emotion his characters experience flies off the page and directly into my chest is absolutely astounding to me. This is a gorgeous coming of age story about where we feel at home, with whom home is and how the small worlds of safety and understanding we create with loved ones are deeply personal, but also universal. I don't this this would be for everyone, especially as the pace meanders a bit in the middle, but I found the payoff in the final few chapters to be so worth it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Drug use, Grief, Police brutality, Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
laurareads87's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Open Waters follows Stephen, a young Ghanian-British man, in the years after high school; it is especially focused on his relationship with his father and his changing connection to his long-time friend. Stephen is a musician, and I loved Nelson's inclusion of so many musical references; I would love a playlist of all the songs mentioned in this book. I found it more interesting as it went along, and didn't love the repetitive writing in places.
Content warnings: racism, discrimination, police brutality, grief, death of a parent, drug & alcohol use
Content warnings: racism, discrimination, police brutality, grief, death of a parent, drug & alcohol use
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Police brutality, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, and Drug abuse
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
madelinedalton's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.5
I'm a bit disappointed by this one. Open Water was a slam dunk for me last year, and I expected Small Worlds to be the same. Caleb Azumah Nelson's otherworldly grasp of the English language is still apparent in this novel, which I love. Unfortunately, though, I felt as though the first ~150 pages were so focused on beautiful prose that they meandered away from the heartbeat of the story. The first ~60-80 pages especially felt like such a slog to me.
I think that Small Worlds largely repeats what Open Water did, not in a good way, and then stacks more characters/topics on top of that. I struggled to differentiate characters in the beginning because Nelson emphasizes flowery prose and big-picture emotions over characterization and dialogue in his writing. In my eyes, Open Water did not have this problem because it was shorter and had a more centralized focus.
All of that said, the ending wrapped things up really nicely and tied all the themes together. I was just a little checked out by that point, so I couldn't fully appreciate it.
I think that Small Worlds largely repeats what Open Water did, not in a good way, and then stacks more characters/topics on top of that. I struggled to differentiate characters in the beginning because Nelson emphasizes flowery prose and big-picture emotions over characterization and dialogue in his writing. In my eyes, Open Water did not have this problem because it was shorter and had a more centralized focus.
All of that said, the ending wrapped things up really nicely and tied all the themes together. I was just a little checked out by that point, so I couldn't fully appreciate it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Police brutality
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, and Sexual content
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
booksjessreads's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
slow-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
4.5
I appreciate Caleb Azumah Nelson's work so much. The prose is so lyrical, smooth and conveys the deepest of feelings. I really liked how certain words and phrases were repeated in subsequent chapters so that the themes and emotion were carried throughout the novel in a smooth and effortless way. I loved the flow of the plot and it did not feel unnatural and did not feel like we were being forced down a particular route.
It was a lovely slow-burning plot and I have not been able to sit down with a novel as patiently as I had with this one for a while. Recently, I have felt really rushed with my books, and just want to get through something and couldn't wait to get onto my next read. I had no such feeling with this. I devoured every page and was excited to take my time, which is a rarity.
Perhaps one of my most favourite bits about this book, was not only the description and appreciation of food in this novel (honestly, I have never been so hungry reading a book in my life), but also how vividly I could picture everything. It is rare that I picture images from reading, but I felt the prose allowed me to picture what was happening, and elicited a lot of emotion. It was certainly brilliant for that.
Also, I think it is important not to compare this novel to Open Water. I went into this book at first with Open Water at the forefront of my mind but I quickly abandoned that because this book is different and deserves to be appreciated in its own right. There is something familiar in the tone of the writing (although the second-person isn't really used at all in Small Worlds), but this novel just feels different and is different. I don't quite know how to explain it.
Caleb has become an auto-buy author for me. I can't wait to see any other novels that he writes!
It was a lovely slow-burning plot and I have not been able to sit down with a novel as patiently as I had with this one for a while. Recently, I have felt really rushed with my books, and just want to get through something and couldn't wait to get onto my next read. I had no such feeling with this. I devoured every page and was excited to take my time, which is a rarity.
Perhaps one of my most favourite bits about this book, was not only the description and appreciation of food in this novel (honestly, I have never been so hungry reading a book in my life), but also how vividly I could picture everything. It is rare that I picture images from reading, but I felt the prose allowed me to picture what was happening, and elicited a lot of emotion. It was certainly brilliant for that.
Also, I think it is important not to compare this novel to Open Water. I went into this book at first with Open Water at the forefront of my mind but I quickly abandoned that because this book is different and deserves to be appreciated in its own right. There is something familiar in the tone of the writing (although the second-person isn't really used at all in Small Worlds), but this novel just feels different and is different. I don't quite know how to explain it.
Caleb has become an auto-buy author for me. I can't wait to see any other novels that he writes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Police brutality
Moderate: Racism, Alcohol, and Drug use
Minor: Sexual content and Abandonment
apmreads's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
5.0
Caleb Azumah Nelson does it again. If you were a fan of the prose of Open Water, but maybe you wanted less romance and more family dynamics explored, then this is the book.
Small Worlds follows Stephen over the course of the first three summers after he graduates high school as he navigates a relationship with his childhood best friend, Del, his first semester of college, growing pains with his father, and finding what brings him joy and purpose in life. Open Water explores community,--I truly, truly love how Nelson builds community in his books. They are warm, inviting, and a big hug wrapped in light--identity, love, family relationships, systemic racism and colonialism, immigration and the pressure of first generation immigrants living in a place where they aren't fully welcome.
I think I loved this book more than Open Water because the majority of Small Worlds was written in simple present tense, mainly following Stephen during a period of growth and transition. I enjoyed that Open Water was told as "You are doing this..." but I liked that only a small portion of Small Worlds did this (a chapter from Stephen's father's POV).
This was such an emotional experience for me, and I appreciate the concept of this story. The title, Small Worlds, referring to the small worlds each of us are living in every day. The little things we're going through every minute of every hour, some feeling or being harder than it may seem on the outside. And the prose is the same as you can expect from his previous work--repeated phrases that show up throughout the book that provide emphasis or gentle reminders or themes. It was stunning. I loved pretty much everything about this, and I will be thinking about it for a long, long time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for giving me advanced reader access in exchange for an honest review. This title publishes July 18, 2023.
Small Worlds follows Stephen over the course of the first three summers after he graduates high school as he navigates a relationship with his childhood best friend, Del, his first semester of college, growing pains with his father, and finding what brings him joy and purpose in life. Open Water explores community,--I truly, truly love how Nelson builds community in his books. They are warm, inviting, and a big hug wrapped in light--identity, love, family relationships, systemic racism and colonialism, immigration and the pressure of first generation immigrants living in a place where they aren't fully welcome.
I think I loved this book more than Open Water because the majority of Small Worlds was written in simple present tense, mainly following Stephen during a period of growth and transition. I enjoyed that Open Water was told as "You are doing this..." but I liked that only a small portion of Small Worlds did this (a chapter from Stephen's father's POV).
This was such an emotional experience for me, and I appreciate the concept of this story. The title, Small Worlds, referring to the small worlds each of us are living in every day. The little things we're going through every minute of every hour, some feeling or being harder than it may seem on the outside. And the prose is the same as you can expect from his previous work--repeated phrases that show up throughout the book that provide emphasis or gentle reminders or themes. It was stunning. I loved pretty much everything about this, and I will be thinking about it for a long, long time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for giving me advanced reader access in exchange for an honest review. This title publishes July 18, 2023.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, and Racism
Moderate: Police brutality, Violence, Colonisation, and Death of parent
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
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