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tylerross's review against another edition
The format did not capture my interest despite the story being intriguing
literarycrushes's review against another edition
4.0
Brooklyn Crime Novel is Jonathan Lethem’s sort-of-sequel to The Fortress of Solitude, his 2003 semi-autobiographical novel about growing up in the changing world of Brooklyn in the 1970s (Dean Street in Boerum Hill, specifically). Brooklyn Crime Novel returns to Dean Street, but not in any linear way. The title itself is misleading – not only because it’s not really a crime novel – the crimes here are multitudinous and petty - but it’s not really even a novel in the traditional sense. Told in short bursts that jump back and forth between at least a dozen different time periods (all spanning between 1960 – 2019),
While reading this book (and hearing him speak), you feel just how deep his feelings run for the neighborhood and its changing tides (his complex and contradictory view on gentrification, for example, given how he himself (as author and character) was one of the first white families to begin buying up real estate in the neighborhood). Brooklyn, to him, was a place people strove to escape, and has now become, confusingly, a place to be in its own right. Lethem, though he has not lived in Brooklyn for many years, joins the ranks of Paul Auster or Pete Hamill in his depiction of his home borough and his genius integration of the memoir with literary fiction. While I found it occasionally difficult to follow along with the jumpy narrative style, his writing was as beautiful as ever, and I hope he finds a way to return to Dean Street again and again in the future.
While reading this book (and hearing him speak), you feel just how deep his feelings run for the neighborhood and its changing tides (his complex and contradictory view on gentrification, for example, given how he himself (as author and character) was one of the first white families to begin buying up real estate in the neighborhood). Brooklyn, to him, was a place people strove to escape, and has now become, confusingly, a place to be in its own right. Lethem, though he has not lived in Brooklyn for many years, joins the ranks of Paul Auster or Pete Hamill in his depiction of his home borough and his genius integration of the memoir with literary fiction. While I found it occasionally difficult to follow along with the jumpy narrative style, his writing was as beautiful as ever, and I hope he finds a way to return to Dean Street again and again in the future.
cfl97's review against another edition
The writing was awful and the story didn’t go anywhere
shoba's review against another edition
3.0
Police just an epiphenomenon of a city that’s written off this whole zone…This writing off frees the white boys to write cops off in turn….The cops drive off….
Most, but not all, of the white kids can summon, when needed, the slightest deference.
Not one of the Black kids can summon, when needed, white skin.
So, do the Black boys of Dean Street carry a different sense? If so, it is a thing maintained, during collective street play, in silence within their bodies.
Most, but not all, of the white kids can summon, when needed, the slightest deference.
Not one of the Black kids can summon, when needed, white skin.
So, do the Black boys of Dean Street carry a different sense? If so, it is a thing maintained, during collective street play, in silence within their bodies.
jarthur's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
vlyon's review against another edition
So boring and couldn’t find a thread through the book. It was like someone trying to describe dreams from their childhood and read you a journal at the same time
papsby's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Colonisation, Drug use, Violence, Child abuse, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, and Sexism
jmosser's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
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
4.25
kate_303's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75