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A review by destdest
Brownstone by Samuel Teer
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The artwork is so beautiful!
The characters are messy and complicated here. They feel so human. The parents honestly have Almudena parenting herself through most of this, and her lack of connection to her Guatemalan heritage is a pain point. For example, everyone goes in on her mom, but like the onus was on her dad to make sure she understood her culture, the actual Guatemalan parent. But the “it takes a village to raise a child” reigns here as you seen each character Alumdena grows her in some way. From the beginning of summer to the end, you can see Almudena’s maturity.
Also, while Beto was obviously struggling with his own issues, he was terribly nasty to Almudena and NEVER got reprimanded. Queralt was the only one to acknowledge his attitude. “Off-brand” became a tongue-in-cheek nickname, but it obviously hurt Almudena.
Overall, the community aspect was so beautiful, and the portrayal of a different family dynamic (absentee father returns into life with a “what’s understood need not be explained” woman, still has feelings for the mother, and flirts with every woman that moves; parents have amicable relationship ) will be very relatable for some readers. It's also satisfying to see Almudena connect to her heritage.
SN: Xavier got off so easily. ignore this upcoming xavier rant: I can see how he was lovable, kindhearted, and fun. but you just know that man isn't faithful, and he kept stringing along Idola. why does his teen daughter have to put a label on their relationship? because that man don't want to.
and providing monetarily isn't enough. you created a child, so you need to be in its life. almudena's mom didn't get to just find herself and it didn't matter whether she was ready to be a mom or not; she's caring for their daughter. so many excuses get made for why a father couldn't be in a child's life, but single moms get demonized.
The characters are messy and complicated here. They feel so human. The parents honestly have Almudena parenting herself through most of this, and her lack of connection to her Guatemalan heritage is a pain point. For example,
Also, while Beto was obviously struggling with his own issues, he was terribly nasty to Almudena and NEVER got reprimanded. Queralt was the only one to acknowledge his attitude. “Off-brand” became a tongue-in-cheek nickname, but it obviously hurt Almudena.
Overall, the community aspect was so beautiful, and the portrayal of a different family dynamic (
SN: Xavier got off so easily. ignore this upcoming xavier rant:
and providing monetarily isn't enough. you created a child, so you need to be in its life. almudena's mom didn't get to just find herself and it didn't matter whether she was ready to be a mom or not; she's caring for their daughter. so many excuses get made for why a father couldn't be in a child's life, but single moms get demonized.