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momey's review
5.0
i enjoyed this. i readit because its situated in waterbury ct where my dad worked in the 60s at stanley tool
elizlizabeth's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Three (four if we count Greta) women who love each other so much but fail to give the other what they really need. Love lost in translation is no less love, and this gets proven beautifuly by the end of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Infidelity
anneke_b'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.
fiberreader's review
4.0
At first, I found this book to be incredibly depressing. But it steadily grew on me. By the end, I found myself very invested in the lives of the main characters.
Though it is a sad and somewhat hopeless story without a real resolution, it’s very well written and, I think, a very realistic representation of a mother/daughter relationship. The way the story is told, alternating chapters between the mother and the daughter, really illuminates the parallels in their lives as well as how pervasive poverty can be on a generational level.
Though it is a sad and somewhat hopeless story without a real resolution, it’s very well written and, I think, a very realistic representation of a mother/daughter relationship. The way the story is told, alternating chapters between the mother and the daughter, really illuminates the parallels in their lives as well as how pervasive poverty can be on a generational level.
taralpittman's review
4.0
I've always been interested in the stories that we tell one another, especially those we love, in an effort to guard or protect each other from painful truths, harsh realities and negative feelings. In her debut novel, Xhenet Aliu shares the lives of Elsie and Luljeta, a mother and daughter, and they beautifully quench my thirst for the types of stories that both build and break.
While I braced myself for emotionally-heavy fare, equipped with an acknowledgement of my own broken parental relationship, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of laughing I did while reading this novel; I found the perfect balance of thoughtful prose and witty, sarcastic observation.
Most notably, as Elsie and Luljeta each evolve and mature individually and in relationship to one another, the men in the background have a significant role but they never stand out; in Brass, the shine belongs solely to these strong, persistent women who work so hard to escape the dead ends they encounter at every turn.
Instead of feeling despondent or discouraged by the seemingly endless obstacles, I found myself feeling hopeful; I was left with a profound sense of empowerment and resilience that speaks to the remarkable writing of this brave new author. I will not soon forget these characters!
You feel like you have some version of that disease which makes people believe that their limbs aren’t really theirs, so they travel to Indonesia and pay doctors big American dollars to amputate their not-their arm or not-their leg, only you have a version where you feel like you ended up in a family that isn’t really yours, surrounded by bodies that are just a little off.
While I braced myself for emotionally-heavy fare, equipped with an acknowledgement of my own broken parental relationship, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of laughing I did while reading this novel; I found the perfect balance of thoughtful prose and witty, sarcastic observation.
Your mother’s plan has been for you to be the first in the family to never have to rely on government assistance, to live a life of such comfort that when early heart disease sets in, you won’t even have the will to swallow your daily prescribed beta-blockers.
Most notably, as Elsie and Luljeta each evolve and mature individually and in relationship to one another, the men in the background have a significant role but they never stand out; in Brass, the shine belongs solely to these strong, persistent women who work so hard to escape the dead ends they encounter at every turn.
Your plan, meanwhile, is to bloom into something freakish but interesting and impossible to ignore, like a corpse flower. [...] You’ll be wild and mysterious, like the father you’re not supposed to want to resemble.
Instead of feeling despondent or discouraged by the seemingly endless obstacles, I found myself feeling hopeful; I was left with a profound sense of empowerment and resilience that speaks to the remarkable writing of this brave new author. I will not soon forget these characters!
shelfimprovement's review
4.0
I loved this book so much that I read all 290 pages in a single day. Granted, work was closed and I lost power due to Windmageddon, but still. This was a great read. More to come.
shaniquekee's review
4.0
This took me a while to finish, because it's so... atmospheric. So much happens in the lives of Elsie and Luljeta, and yet nothing really happens at all. A beautifully written novel about the struggle to overcome in a life with virtually no choices.
jamiereadsbooks's review
3.0
2.75? In the last six months I’ve read a handful of books about motherhood and mother-daughter relationships, and maybe I’m just burnt out on the genre, but I never became fully invested in this one.
taylorb's review against another edition
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nourhanhesham's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0