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smurfettereads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Let me collect my thoughts….
Stephen’s life was absolutely relatable, especially in terms of culture. Unknowingly, I found myself having a deep attachment with him and his small world. Caleb’s writing didn’t help either, because I lived through every single emotion. Every word. I can’t explain further but will say that it was worth the read and tears
Stephen’s life was absolutely relatable, especially in terms of culture. Unknowingly, I found myself having a deep attachment with him and his small world. Caleb’s writing didn’t help either, because I lived through every single emotion. Every word. I can’t explain further but will say that it was worth the read and tears
I feel like I’m realizing my small world for the first time and I have a strong urge to cherish it with all my might. To savor the old memories and create new countless ones. I just don’t want to remember, I don’t want to forget. Ever
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Racism and Police brutality
kirstym25'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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Police brutality
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Alcoholism
Minor: Abandonment
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
bookishplantmom'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
4.0
Nelson does it again with this beautiful book. It’s melancholic and soft and tender. This story is love in all its forms. It’s about coming of age, change, trauma, healing and growing. The writing is stunning and rhythmic. This is a book you want to savour, slowly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
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
fkshg8465'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? Yes
4.0
Lyrically written and beautifully told
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
thewordsdevourer's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
I am disappointed to say that Small Worlds was not for me, which is unfortunate as I really enjoyed Nelson's debut novella. This novel was a slog to get through - I wanted to DNF it several times - because of the uneven pacing and overly contemplative story, which at times chose to focus on the most boring minute details over the meat of the plot. Meanwhile the writing, which I had found so poetic and enjoyable in the author's previous work, did not stand out to me. The sum of the uninteresting parts thus created a book that I did not particularly enjoy, despite the very real themes and relevant issues it raised and explored.
I am disappointed to say that Small Worlds was not for me, which is unfortunate as I really enjoyed Nelson's debut novella. This novel was a slog to get through - I wanted to DNF it several times - because of the uneven pacing and overly contemplative story, which at times chose to focus on the most boring minute details over the meat of the plot. Meanwhile the writing, which I had found so poetic and enjoyable in the author's previous work, did not stand out to me. The sum of the uninteresting parts thus created a book that I did not particularly enjoy, despite the very real themes and relevant issues it raised and explored.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, and Police brutality
Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, Slavery, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content
belarna's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
I listened to the audiobook for this read and I can’t recommend it enough. The author narrates it and this alone made me feel so immersed in the story; this is truly a transportive book when listened to. It takes a little bit to get use to the prose and the pacing felt a little slow to me, but the audiobook feels so personal it was worth pushing through any doubts I had. This is a beautiful story that explores conversations of grief, immigration, love, race, and growth.
I truly don’t think anything could beat the audiobook experience. The last chapter especially, hearing the emotion in Caleb’s voice made me tear up. Truly a beautiful audio experience. If you plan to pick up this book and have the audiobook on hand, I 100% recommend listening to it to enhance your experience. This is definitely something I recommend for those that love literary fiction.
3.75⭐️, a captivating slice-of-life story and a stunning piece of literary fiction.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy of an audio-arc in exchange for a honest review - all opinions in this review are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Racism
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
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