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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Universality is a good book: I'll get that out of the way first. It's well written, it's articulate, it's intelligent; Brown is obviously a talented writer. It just wasn't for me. I went in not really knowing what to expect, and while I stuck with it to the end, I was glad when I hit the last page.
If you're not familiar with Brown's work, you might, like me, be fooled by the book's description:
"Late one night on a Yorkshire farm, a man is brutally bludgeoned with a solid gold bar.
A plucky young journalist sets out to uncover the truth surrounding the attack, connecting the dots between an amoral banker landlord, an iconoclastic columnist, and a radical anarchist movement. She solves the mystery, but her viral longread exposé raises more questions than it answers."
I expected violence, investigation, thrills - the trappings of a crime novel. There's none of that. The "bludgeoning" itself feels largely glossed over, with Universality flicking between multiple characters, all supposedly related to this crime at the centre of the book, but there's little real direction. Brushing on politics and ideology, most of Universality is surface level. There's little story here and there's little room to walk away with a meaningful message, either.
There are glimmers of greatness. Lenny is a fantastic character, and I'd have loved to learn more about her, warts and all. I enjoyed Hannah's section, too; perhaps the most grounded of all segments of the book. But everything here feels too fleeting. The first chunk of Universality, about 50%, reads like a journalistic essay about the event on the Yorkshire farm, although details are glossed over in lieu of the people involved. The rest of the book is split into several short chapters, each from the perspective of a key player. But to say anything cohesive and meaningful comes from it would be a stretch.
I'm glad I read this: it's nice to step outside of my comfort zone once in a while. But this wasn't for me; I feel like I've read something I shouldn't have, and now I'll tiptoe back over to my own bookshelf where I can get lost in the pages of a thrilling narrative.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.
If you're not familiar with Brown's work, you might, like me, be fooled by the book's description:
"Late one night on a Yorkshire farm, a man is brutally bludgeoned with a solid gold bar.
A plucky young journalist sets out to uncover the truth surrounding the attack, connecting the dots between an amoral banker landlord, an iconoclastic columnist, and a radical anarchist movement. She solves the mystery, but her viral longread exposé raises more questions than it answers."
I expected violence, investigation, thrills - the trappings of a crime novel. There's none of that. The "bludgeoning" itself feels largely glossed over, with Universality flicking between multiple characters, all supposedly related to this crime at the centre of the book, but there's little real direction. Brushing on politics and ideology, most of Universality is surface level. There's little story here and there's little room to walk away with a meaningful message, either.
There are glimmers of greatness. Lenny is a fantastic character, and I'd have loved to learn more about her, warts and all. I enjoyed Hannah's section, too; perhaps the most grounded of all segments of the book. But everything here feels too fleeting. The first chunk of Universality, about 50%, reads like a journalistic essay about the event on the Yorkshire farm, although details are glossed over in lieu of the people involved. The rest of the book is split into several short chapters, each from the perspective of a key player. But to say anything cohesive and meaningful comes from it would be a stretch.
I'm glad I read this: it's nice to step outside of my comfort zone once in a while. But this wasn't for me; I feel like I've read something I shouldn't have, and now I'll tiptoe back over to my own bookshelf where I can get lost in the pages of a thrilling narrative.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such a fascinating take on class and storytelling. I very much enjoyed the structure and seeing the narrative unfold one layer at a time as we watched the fallout, for several characters, of the first sections long-form article. The characters were well-written and believable and it brings up interesting thoughts about the power of words, language, and stories.
Medan jag läser Universality funderar jag på vad jag egentligen gillade med Assembly. En kvinna med cancer som … tänkte…? I min recension har jag dessutom skrivit att det är för akademiskt och för rasismcentrerat och för mörkt. Jag gissar att det var det sistnämnda som fick mig på fall…?
Den här boken har precis samma DNA, men blir ännu mer för-för mycket av allt. Brown försöker för mycket, använder omvänd psykologi (eller omvänd politik, om det finns nåt sånt?) och missar alla känslomål på vägen. Jag brydde mig om Assemblys huvudperson, här finns inte en enda sympati. Och då blir det ”akademiska” (smarta?) plötsligt bara pretentiöst. Jag läser redan The Observer varje söndag, så den här omvända, omständliga versionen av brittisk kultur var helt överflödig.
Sorry-not sorry. (Hon får ju en extra stjärna för begåvat språk.)
Den här boken har precis samma DNA, men blir ännu mer för-för mycket av allt. Brown försöker för mycket, använder omvänd psykologi (eller omvänd politik, om det finns nåt sånt?) och missar alla känslomål på vägen. Jag brydde mig om Assemblys huvudperson, här finns inte en enda sympati. Och då blir det ”akademiska” (smarta?) plötsligt bara pretentiöst. Jag läser redan The Observer varje söndag, så den här omvända, omständliga versionen av brittisk kultur var helt överflödig.
Sorry-not sorry. (Hon får ju en extra stjärna för begåvat språk.)
challenging
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am not smart enough for this author. I know she writes really well, but I never get what she’s doing with her books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence