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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
this collection of interwoven short stories really threads the needle between being heart-wrenching and joyful. there is not a woman on page you will find yourself without compassion for.
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This novel was a beautiful and devastating glimpse into the lives of Black women who, by happenstance or tragedy, ended up living in a derelict corner of a city in the middle part of the last century.
Some complaints about Naylor’s writing seems” to be that she has little affection for Black men, and that there are no good Black men in her writing. However, I find that to be a misunderstanding of her work, and also a blindness to the extent of misogyny, which can and does occur in ever population.
This book is in many ways a response to the male focus of a lot of classic African American literature. This book acknowledges that while Black men face racism from White men and women, Black women face that same racism and then also have to bear the brunt of misogyny from Black men.
That said, the male characters in this book aren’t all villains. Most are recognizably and achingly human, but also bear the same weaknesses as many other men benefiting from patriarchy: they are irresponsible or weak, they rely on women to ease the way for them, or they use the threat (or reality) of physical or sexual violence to exert power.
But even with dealing with all that, the thing this book does best is show the reader the beauty and depth of female friendships, and how those bonds can help us get through the absolute worst, and how the love keeps shining on.
All told with evocative and stunning language. What a novel.
The Women of Brewster Place is a powerful and heartbreaking book about the lives of 7 black women in a run-down housing estate in an unknown American city. These women have all ended up in Brewster Place for one reason or another but it never seems like the place they want to be. Brewster Place doesn’t seem like the place anyone ‘wants’ to be.
This is not a novel that you can enjoy, it’s filled with heartbreaking stories and vulnerability but also resilience. These women continue to carry on even after the most brutal of blows. I liked taking a look at each of the seven women as they all dealt with different aspects of life and relationships. One thing that does bind these women, other than the place, is the love they have to give.
The two characters that have stuck with me since I finished reading are Kiswana and Ciel. I loved Kiswana’s passion and youthful arrogance. She is filled with such compassion but also an uncertainty of what to do with her life. She wants to make it on her own but is not sure where to start. Her mother plays a big part in her story, and it’s clear that they are both judging each other for their decisions. As most children do, she fails to see her mother as a person and sees her only as a parent.
I would say there is heartbreak in all the stories but Ciel’s heartbreak hit me hard. She was broken by the end of her story and although she moves on she will always carry her pain with her.
This book is very harsh on the men in it. None of the men are likable, Ben is the best and even then he is not perfect. Some may argue that this is unfair, and maybe it is, however I think it is also truthful of how men can take their troubles out on the women in their lives. When they feel beaten down by the world or their masculinity is threatened they need someone to take it out on and oftentimes that is their wives or mothers or just women in general.
This book should have content warnings as there are some graphic scenes with violence and sexual assault at the end of the book. The tone changes distractly and I don’t think it needed to. I’m also unsure about the ending, I feel it is hard to say for sure what the outcome is and although I don’t mind an unresolved ending this just left me a little confused.
I would recommend this book and perhaps for a book club as there are some good discussions that could be had around it.
This is not a novel that you can enjoy, it’s filled with heartbreaking stories and vulnerability but also resilience. These women continue to carry on even after the most brutal of blows. I liked taking a look at each of the seven women as they all dealt with different aspects of life and relationships. One thing that does bind these women, other than the place, is the love they have to give.
The two characters that have stuck with me since I finished reading are Kiswana and Ciel. I loved Kiswana’s passion and youthful arrogance. She is filled with such compassion but also an uncertainty of what to do with her life. She wants to make it on her own but is not sure where to start. Her mother plays a big part in her story, and it’s clear that they are both judging each other for their decisions. As most children do, she fails to see her mother as a person and sees her only as a parent.
I would say there is heartbreak in all the stories but Ciel’s heartbreak hit me hard. She was broken by the end of her story and although she moves on she will always carry her pain with her.
This book is very harsh on the men in it. None of the men are likable, Ben is the best and even then he is not perfect. Some may argue that this is unfair, and maybe it is, however I think it is also truthful of how men can take their troubles out on the women in their lives. When they feel beaten down by the world or their masculinity is threatened they need someone to take it out on and oftentimes that is their wives or mothers or just women in general.
This book should have content warnings as there are some graphic scenes with violence and sexual assault at the end of the book. The tone changes distractly and I don’t think it needed to. I’m also unsure about the ending, I feel it is hard to say for sure what the outcome is and although I don’t mind an unresolved ending this just left me a little confused.
I would recommend this book and perhaps for a book club as there are some good discussions that could be had around it.
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.”
Heartbreaking and beautiful. It is not often that a book will make me smile, laugh, and also gasp in horror or despair.
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a tear jerker. The Heartbreak theses women suffered was painful to read, however, the resilience and hope they showed is inspiring.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content