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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved her first book but found this a bit of a chore to get through. The social commentary felt to be at the forefront at all times at the detriment of a plot rather than seamlessly integrated as in Assembly.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed it! I saw the characters aren’t lovable, which is true, but I love to hate them. Really relevant book with relevant talking points were always hearing about (fears of wokeness)
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
.5 ⭐
This was not a book for me. While I know some have loved it I do not follow or engage in politics so this book was just not it for me.
This was not a book for me. While I know some have loved it I do not follow or engage in politics so this book was just not it for me.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
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