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cmrbwa's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Biphobia, Racial slurs, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Rape, and Racism
bookishevy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
-Mattie, the most prominent character in the novel. She ends up at Brewster Place after coddling her grown son causes her to lose her home.
-Etta, Mattie's life-long best friend, moves to Brewster Place to settle down but keeps looking for love in all the wrong places.
-Kiswana, formerly named Melanie, is from a middle-class family. She drops out of college and moves from the upscale Linden Hills to Brewster Place to the chagrin of her mother.
-Cora, loves having babies but neglects her children after infancy. She resolves to be a better mother after taking them to a Shakespeare play.
-Luciela, grows up alongside Mattie's son and later lives at Brewster Place with her boyfriend Eugene until a tragic event leaves her heartbroken.
-Theresa, a bold lesbian who doesn't care what others think but eventually becomes disturbed by the prejudice she and her partner face at Brewster Place.
--Lorraine, Theresa's timid girlfriend, worries about being judged by the other members of Brewster Place for her sexuality. This judgment gives way to acts of violence that lead to a breaking point when members of Brewster Place congregate for a block party.
I love Naylor's writing and how she balances the bleak picture she paints of Brewster Place with smart and funny dialogue. Brewster Place is both a last resort and sanctuary. The block is cut off from the rest of the community by a wall that symbolizes a distinction in class and race. That dead-end is a literal representation of these people's lives. Most of them seem to have accepted that it's not going to get better. The owner of the buildings of Brewster Place is a slumlord who doesn't care to refurbish these apartments that are inhabited by blacks. Living in poverty is frustrating, but there's also a lot of love at Brewster Place. Like Mattie and Etta, who make fun of, but accept, each other's flaws; and Kiswana, who is so caring to Cora's kids and brings her community together to demand change. This book is a celebration of the hopes of black women in America.
Graphic: Violence and Rape
zanjor68's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Rape and Child death
lyssie03's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Rape, Murder, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Rape, Violence, and Toxic relationship
reneereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Rape
jlworley's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Child death, Rape, and Murder
mmmbooqz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
syds_shelves's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Rape, and Panic attacks/disorders
caughtbetweenpages's review against another edition
- 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
I was a little thrown off by the variety in length for some of the stories (eg. the opening story, Mattie, was about 1/5 of the whole book, whereas others were only a few pages long), because it seemed to grant more weight to some of these women compared to the others, and set me up to expect more of them, but it didn't make it less enjoyable to read overall. It did make it a little hard to pick up on the fact that the collection was moving through time, but again that wasn't a detracting factor to my enjoyment.
Graphic: Homophobia, Alcoholism, Racism, Rape, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Lesbophobia
artmommy2's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Rape, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia