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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
I thought I wrote a review on The Women of Brewster Place but apparently, I didn't get around to it 4 years ago. Well at least not on Goodreads. Anyway I am sure mostly everyone has already seen the 1989 movie adaptation (if I'm not mistaken that may have been the year it came out).
The movie covers a lot of what happens in the book but as always the book is much better with details but nevertheless the story whether on film or in a book, it is still a gripping tale of seven women ( the author refers to it as only 6 women with good measure) who all are intertwined on a dead end street. Mattie Michael, Etta Mae Johnson, Lucielia "Ciel" Turner, Melanie "Kiswana" Browne, Cora Lee, Lorraine, and Theresa. A few of the women are together through friendships before "landing" on Brewster Place.
The main character and the first character mentioned, Mattie Michael and Etta Mae were both from the same small southern country town and they both ended up seeking escape for different reasons. Mattie could no longer stay at home with a child on the way so she had to find her own way which leads her to a young Lucielia "Ciel" who was around the age of her son Basil. Ms. Eva (Ciel's grandmother) took in Mattie and Basil. Ms. Eva was by far the most funniest character in the story even though her part was short lived, she taught Mattie a few things about raising a child and living her own life. Coming up on my least favorite character which is Melanie "Kiswana" Browne, ehh Kiswana meant well leaving Linden Hills intentionally to bring some light to the plight of the people down below. Mrs. Browne, Melanie's mother delivered a strong message of truth and facts to her daughter. Melanie thought her family was too uppity and yes they were but she learned she comes from a strong lineage that she should be proud of, however, I do feel that Mrs. Browne could have been more inclined to include Kiswana into that strong lineage with the path she has chosen to take. Also Gloria Naylor has a book called [b:Linden Hills: A Novel|39675028|Linden Hills A Novel|Gloria Naylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1522291904s/39675028.jpg|61267747] that traces back to the opposite or not so opposite reality of Brewster Place.
Now Melanie appears to be the exact opposite of Cora Lee who has several children and the detailed story of her introduction tells so much about how she ended up with so many children at a young age. Cora Lee's story was very intriguing. Lorraine and Theresa "The Two"shows how ahead of time Gloria Naylor was when she wrote this book. Two lesbian women looking for their own place in the community without being looked at strangely and frowned upon. I liked their story the most because not only were they educated black women but they were women who let their voices be heard even though it resulted in tragedy.
Etta Mae represents women who want to be free to be themselves and not told its inappropriate to show off your sexuality and be with men at random. This too is frowned upon and well Etta Mae thought she had found someone to make her appear more respectable but that shed light on a situation as well about men. ALL OF THE MEN are TERRIBLE Yes all of them. Mattie lived through it three times with her father, Butch Fuller and Basil. Ciel's husband Eugene was the worst person to me because of the way he treated her was just downright dirty and the epitome of the scum of the earth. Basil was sorry and lowdown he didn't care about himself so how could he care about his mother. The typical absentee father who is not mentioned at all in Cora Lee's story says a lot without saying anything at all. The thug on the street corner C.C. that taunted Lorraine and eventually leads to tragedy; was enough to be fed up with all the men. The only men who did not cause any problems and who wanted to help would be Kiswana's boyfriend and Ben. The only person who gets by unscathed is Kiswana's boyfriend who put on a play for the children in the neighborhood.
This story sticks with me and is utterly timeless in its own right. The issues of the past are the same today with a little more confrontation and outspoken words. This one is for the book shelf and I found the story to speak to black women and black men as well. It tells how women no matter what else they have going on in their own life, they will stop and uplift on another the best way possible. There were limits in the ways they supported one another and that showed the differences between the women. It all tells a story of truth and opens the door to want change.
The movie covers a lot of what happens in the book but as always the book is much better with details but nevertheless the story whether on film or in a book, it is still a gripping tale of seven women ( the author refers to it as only 6 women with good measure) who all are intertwined on a dead end street. Mattie Michael, Etta Mae Johnson, Lucielia "Ciel" Turner, Melanie "Kiswana" Browne, Cora Lee, Lorraine, and Theresa. A few of the women are together through friendships before "landing" on Brewster Place.
The main character and the first character mentioned, Mattie Michael and Etta Mae were both from the same small southern country town and they both ended up seeking escape for different reasons. Mattie could no longer stay at home with a child on the way so she had to find her own way which leads her to a young Lucielia "Ciel" who was around the age of her son Basil. Ms. Eva (Ciel's grandmother) took in Mattie and Basil. Ms. Eva was by far the most funniest character in the story even though her part was short lived, she taught Mattie a few things about raising a child and living her own life. Coming up on my least favorite character which is Melanie "Kiswana" Browne, ehh Kiswana meant well leaving Linden Hills intentionally to bring some light to the plight of the people down below. Mrs. Browne, Melanie's mother delivered a strong message of truth and facts to her daughter. Melanie thought her family was too uppity and yes they were but she learned she comes from a strong lineage that she should be proud of, however, I do feel that Mrs. Browne could have been more inclined to include Kiswana into that strong lineage with the path she has chosen to take. Also Gloria Naylor has a book called [b:Linden Hills: A Novel|39675028|Linden Hills A Novel|Gloria Naylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1522291904s/39675028.jpg|61267747] that traces back to the opposite or not so opposite reality of Brewster Place.
Now Melanie appears to be the exact opposite of Cora Lee who has several children and the detailed story of her introduction tells so much about how she ended up with so many children at a young age. Cora Lee's story was very intriguing. Lorraine and Theresa "The Two"shows how ahead of time Gloria Naylor was when she wrote this book. Two lesbian women looking for their own place in the community without being looked at strangely and frowned upon. I liked their story the most because not only were they educated black women but they were women who let their voices be heard even though it resulted in tragedy.
Etta Mae represents women who want to be free to be themselves and not told its inappropriate to show off your sexuality and be with men at random. This too is frowned upon and well Etta Mae thought she had found someone to make her appear more respectable but that shed light on a situation as well about men. ALL OF THE MEN are TERRIBLE Yes all of them. Mattie lived through it three times with her father, Butch Fuller and Basil. Ciel's husband Eugene was the worst person to me because of the way he treated her was just downright dirty and the epitome of the scum of the earth. Basil was sorry and lowdown he didn't care about himself so how could he care about his mother. The typical absentee father who is not mentioned at all in Cora Lee's story says a lot without saying anything at all. The thug on the street corner C.C. that taunted Lorraine and eventually leads to tragedy; was enough to be fed up with all the men. The only men who did not cause any problems and who wanted to help would be Kiswana's boyfriend and Ben. The only person who gets by unscathed is Kiswana's boyfriend who put on a play for the children in the neighborhood.
This story sticks with me and is utterly timeless in its own right. The issues of the past are the same today with a little more confrontation and outspoken words. This one is for the book shelf and I found the story to speak to black women and black men as well. It tells how women no matter what else they have going on in their own life, they will stop and uplift on another the best way possible. There were limits in the ways they supported one another and that showed the differences between the women. It all tells a story of truth and opens the door to want change.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautifully written. This collection is funny, devastating, heartwarming, and thought provoking all at once. Definitely one I’ll be thinking about for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape
It was a quick read, and I decided to join a book discussion on it today. I did the audio. I enjoyed this book - I enjoy multiple perspective stories. Don’t know why by Lorraine’s story touched me the most. I’ll be reading more from the author.
Rounded up from 4.5. Naylor is brilliant at playing with and depicting memory and the passage of time in individual stories and across the novel. Each women’s voice and story stands alone, and they also make a cohesive novel. In addition to time and memory, dreams and the bonds between women are important threads to follow.
There are some brutal things in here, and I wonder if some of the depiction of violence was necessary and justified, or a bit excessive. Still thinking on that.
There are some brutal things in here, and I wonder if some of the depiction of violence was necessary and justified, or a bit excessive. Still thinking on that.
challenging
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
emotional
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
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racism, Rape
Additional content warning: explicit descriptions of systemic anti-Blackness & poverty
Stunning. A novel of short stories that is still relevant and breathtaking. Tw: racism, sexual assault, sexism, homophobia
To quote Tayari Jones in Lithub: …”The Women of Brewster Place is the type of novel that I like to call a “Swiss Army knife,” as it enriches the curriculum for numerous courses. I assign it for African American Literature, Women’s Literature, Contemporary American Literature, Popular American Literature. The list goes on. On the creative writing syllabus it serves a dual duty—demonstrating great mastery of both the short story and the novel.”
To quote Tayari Jones in Lithub: …”The Women of Brewster Place is the type of novel that I like to call a “Swiss Army knife,” as it enriches the curriculum for numerous courses. I assign it for African American Literature, Women’s Literature, Contemporary American Literature, Popular American Literature. The list goes on. On the creative writing syllabus it serves a dual duty—demonstrating great mastery of both the short story and the novel.”
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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