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mindy23's review
4.0
This is a great novel about a mother and daughter and their journey to understand each other. The alternating perspectives for each chapter give the reader a better sense of who Elsie and Luljeta are and what they are seeking in their relationship. I found this book to be very engaging and well worth the read.
*Thank you to Random House for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.
*Thank you to Random House for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.
davygibbs's review
5.0
Where do you start talking about Brass, the debut novel by Xhenet Aliu? Do you start with the shape and structure of the thing, with the intertwining, generation-spanning narratives of mother and daughter, the former always leaning toward tomorrow, the latter rushing back to where she came from? Their stories knot together like shoelaces, or shoot off in parallel courses like racers on a track, or pummel one another like boxers in a ring, or glide and spin like dancers on a ballroom floor, but in every case, they enrich one another.
Or do you begin with the fundamental story the two women share, not an outlandish or even uncommon one, but one that's always worth telling, of men and women -- seeking, loving, finding, losing -- and entire nations, making promises and failing to keep them. A story of history repeating itself.
What about the characters, Elsie and Lulu, those gorgeous messes, their own eloquent narrators, so much harder on themselves than the cruel world in which they were born? Neither one able to solve the central problem of their lives, or even figure out if it's worth the trouble.
How about Aliu's agile, pugnacious prose? Sentences that snake around in complex, circular designs despite their directness. You won't need to read the paragraphs twice to catch their meaning, but you might read them again just for fun. In fact, it may be the language itself that will burn this book into your memory. You'll remember it the way you remember any moment of startling clarity or emotional resonance in your life. Aliu has a knack for writing scenes the way you'd remember them if they happened to you.
Brass comes at you in waves of increasing intensity and frequency. The pacing is masterful and when the waves break, they are devastating. You may even have to set the book aside for a while. But when you reopen it, the next wave is already building and you'll feel that tug and you'll read some more. Brass will pull you all the way to the last page -- and the emotions you'll feel upon reaching that moment may not be so unlike those of the characters with whom you are sharing it.
Or do you begin with the fundamental story the two women share, not an outlandish or even uncommon one, but one that's always worth telling, of men and women -- seeking, loving, finding, losing -- and entire nations, making promises and failing to keep them. A story of history repeating itself.
What about the characters, Elsie and Lulu, those gorgeous messes, their own eloquent narrators, so much harder on themselves than the cruel world in which they were born? Neither one able to solve the central problem of their lives, or even figure out if it's worth the trouble.
How about Aliu's agile, pugnacious prose? Sentences that snake around in complex, circular designs despite their directness. You won't need to read the paragraphs twice to catch their meaning, but you might read them again just for fun. In fact, it may be the language itself that will burn this book into your memory. You'll remember it the way you remember any moment of startling clarity or emotional resonance in your life. Aliu has a knack for writing scenes the way you'd remember them if they happened to you.
Brass comes at you in waves of increasing intensity and frequency. The pacing is masterful and when the waves break, they are devastating. You may even have to set the book aside for a while. But when you reopen it, the next wave is already building and you'll feel that tug and you'll read some more. Brass will pull you all the way to the last page -- and the emotions you'll feel upon reaching that moment may not be so unlike those of the characters with whom you are sharing it.
annetjeberg's review
3.0
Wonder how much of this book is autobiographical. I rather enjoyed it, the main characters were very real, and their lives messy and interesting. Really enjoyed reading this, though I felt like there was something missing, but I cannot say WHAT. Therefore, 3 stars.
manaledi's review
3.0
This book was gritty and real - family story with some immigration issues (Eastern Europe) thrown in.
zellm's review
2.0
This kind of parallel mother and daughter narrative is always intriguing to me, but I felt bored and annoyed with the characters for most of the book. They make such terrible decisions and it doesn't feel realistic.
kmdooley's review
3.0
GLT Reading Challenge 2021: #23 - a book where the main character's love interest is from a different country than the main character. #34 - A book with a method of transportation on the cover. #43 - a book related to immigration. #49 - A debut novel. #50 - a book involving a multigenerational family.
wildgurl's review
4.0
Brassππππ
By Xhenet Aliu
2018
Random House
Elise Kuzavinas, a Lithuanian meets Bashkim, a married man from Albania, while working as a waitress in the Betsy Ross Diner in Waterbury Conn. They have a daughter, Luljeta, whose dreams of living in Manhattan and attending NYU. However, when Lulu is suspended and receives a rejection letter from NYU on the same day, Lulu returns home to Waterbury, very unhappy. Once home she decides to learn the history and past of her fairweather father....oh the things sf he will find....
The wit, candor and spunk take this novel to the perfect level to tell this tale.
I loved it. Great story....Great pace and awesome humor.
By Xhenet Aliu
2018
Random House
Elise Kuzavinas, a Lithuanian meets Bashkim, a married man from Albania, while working as a waitress in the Betsy Ross Diner in Waterbury Conn. They have a daughter, Luljeta, whose dreams of living in Manhattan and attending NYU. However, when Lulu is suspended and receives a rejection letter from NYU on the same day, Lulu returns home to Waterbury, very unhappy. Once home she decides to learn the history and past of her fairweather father....oh the things sf he will find....
The wit, candor and spunk take this novel to the perfect level to tell this tale.
I loved it. Great story....Great pace and awesome humor.
sasha_is_reading's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
denaiir's review
3.0
Brass is a quiet family drama, but a little too quiet. I enjoyed reading about the Luthuanian/Albanian immigrants because I had not read about this community boefre, so it was very interesting. Luljeta's discovery of her Albanian relatives was a part that I really enjoyed reading about.
However, I feel like the mother/daughter relationship could have been more central, it was almost not developed at all. In addition, none of the stakes seemed high enough to keep me engrossed in the sotry, which seemed just average.
Overall it was a well-written book but it will not leave a long-lasting impression on me.
However, I feel like the mother/daughter relationship could have been more central, it was almost not developed at all. In addition, none of the stakes seemed high enough to keep me engrossed in the sotry, which seemed just average.
Overall it was a well-written book but it will not leave a long-lasting impression on me.