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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
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
funny
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:
Yes
It’s quick and stimulating. It’s capitalism, consumerism, climate change, politics, equal rights -- and is there anything else?
The story started when Jake grabbed a solid gold bar worth a half million just sitting on the mantel. He used it to strike an activist down. He had enough of Pegasus who formed a self-sustaining farm community: the Universalists. This leader was striving to create change with equal rights for everyone except he was in control.
The characters made it seem like a TV series with the billionaire, Richard Spencer, the journalist, Lenny Leonard, the interviewer, Marin Bass, and the runaway with the gold. I could see similarities with politics and greed.
The story touched on real-life news stories related to class divisions and racism with the power of words. This short book had a lot to say. It was set up to send readers into a storm of thoughts.
My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 4, 2025.
The story started when Jake grabbed a solid gold bar worth a half million just sitting on the mantel. He used it to strike an activist down. He had enough of Pegasus who formed a self-sustaining farm community: the Universalists. This leader was striving to create change with equal rights for everyone except he was in control.
The characters made it seem like a TV series with the billionaire, Richard Spencer, the journalist, Lenny Leonard, the interviewer, Marin Bass, and the runaway with the gold. I could see similarities with politics and greed.
The story touched on real-life news stories related to class divisions and racism with the power of words. This short book had a lot to say. It was set up to send readers into a storm of thoughts.
My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 4, 2025.
I'm not against a book being more commentary and ideas than plot, but it was like this tried a load of different loose plot lines until it just ended up following one of them at random to the end, and for me the social commentary got lost along the way too. It started off with an attack at a hippy rave during the Covid lockdown, and seemed to be going down the mystery route, but ended up with a 50 page breakdown of a controversial journalist giving her take on politics, society and culture. I don't even remember what happened in the middle but it was barely related to either of these things. I just felt a bit lost throughout and couldn't connect to any of the characters or plot lines.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this was a mixed experience. I really like Natasha Brown’s prose, just her writing style is so good to read and I was so excited to read this book after reading Assembly. But the main way I would describe my reading experience of this book would be underwhelming.
This book has a lot of really interesting segments, there are some great scenes, and there are a lot of characters with interesting foundations that I would want to see more of.
However, as a whole, this book feels a bit too much but also not enough. The book is trying to cover SO MUCH of modern discourse and modern politics (which I think Natasha Brown is really good at identifying and pulling specific threads from) but because of the disjointed narratives, the different perspectives, and the short length of the book, it doesn’t really get beneath the surface on any of these issues.
I think if the book was longer I would have felt different about it. Since the book is interrogating the discourse around these political issues rather than the feeling of the issues themselves (like Assembly does) I would’ve just liked more time with the characters to develop some sort of narrative arc. Without a narrative arc for the plot or for the characters it just all feels a bit unsatisfying.
I think I would still recommend this book, Natasha Brown is an author I’d want to see more from for sure, but I think it’s hard to try and balance a discussion about the entirety of Britain’s modern political discourse in 150 pages, and I’m just left feeling like this could’ve been a 500 page masterpiece and we’re only getting a trial version.
Loved this at the start but it fell off a bit. Maybe just a bit too smart for me?