ginnygriggs_'s review against another edition
4.0
Dark and beautiful and I couldn’t stop reading. Every story is named for a street or neighborhood in Houston.
thebooksareeverywhere's review against another edition
3.0
https://thebooksareeverywhere.com/2020/08/05/blog-tour-review-lot-by-bryan-washington/
What a poignant and raw, emotional collection of voices. Lot is a short story assembly championing Black and Latinx working class voices, discussing racism, poverty, family, friendship and relationships. The stories felt strong, powerful and honest, really packing a punch.
All of the narrators were men, which I found really interesting but I actually really enjoyed. I thought this was a great way to highlight toxic masculinity and the spotlight men can be put under in certain situations, and how harmful this can be. I felt really grateful for how this was portrayed in the narration.
Your eyes will show you what they want to
This book felt alive, the narrators were brutal and had me gasping at times, and I felt like I was breathing alongside the men I was reading about, living their stories alongside them. It really captured me. I liked the short story aspect, and the narrators changing occasionally kept me on my toes, however I did enjoy coming back to the same narrator. I thought it was really inventive to read about the same stories of people in the same neighbourhood.
My biggest problem with this book was the lack of connection to the narrators. I’m unsure whether this was due to the short stories meaning we spent a fairly short amount of time with them, or something to do with not knowing their names or a lot about their lives, only seeing rough snippets and not much more. But the lack of connection ended up meaning a lot to me and changed my viewpoint of the book a lot.
or whatever they think you should see.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this book despite feeling distant from the characters themselves. It felt hard hitting and important, and it was unfortunate I felt like I was almost listening to these stories underwater – I just wish I could have felt more connected to them.
★★★
3 out of 5 stars
-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽
What a poignant and raw, emotional collection of voices. Lot is a short story assembly championing Black and Latinx working class voices, discussing racism, poverty, family, friendship and relationships. The stories felt strong, powerful and honest, really packing a punch.
All of the narrators were men, which I found really interesting but I actually really enjoyed. I thought this was a great way to highlight toxic masculinity and the spotlight men can be put under in certain situations, and how harmful this can be. I felt really grateful for how this was portrayed in the narration.
Your eyes will show you what they want to
This book felt alive, the narrators were brutal and had me gasping at times, and I felt like I was breathing alongside the men I was reading about, living their stories alongside them. It really captured me. I liked the short story aspect, and the narrators changing occasionally kept me on my toes, however I did enjoy coming back to the same narrator. I thought it was really inventive to read about the same stories of people in the same neighbourhood.
My biggest problem with this book was the lack of connection to the narrators. I’m unsure whether this was due to the short stories meaning we spent a fairly short amount of time with them, or something to do with not knowing their names or a lot about their lives, only seeing rough snippets and not much more. But the lack of connection ended up meaning a lot to me and changed my viewpoint of the book a lot.
or whatever they think you should see.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this book despite feeling distant from the characters themselves. It felt hard hitting and important, and it was unfortunate I felt like I was almost listening to these stories underwater – I just wish I could have felt more connected to them.
★★★
3 out of 5 stars
-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽
samlo28's review against another edition
3.0
i wish LOT focused solely on the central family instead of including stories of other people across houston because any time the focus shifted off the central family i found myself disengaged.
trigger warnings:
trigger warnings:
Spoiler
incest, infidelity, homophobia, death of a loved one, assault, murder, poverty, drug userbdeschamp's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ebalon's review against another edition
2.0
I feel slightly guilty giving this two stars. I listened to this on audiobook and right now I am clearly not in the right head space for audiobooks. That being said, it wasn’t captivating enough to keep my mind from wandering so who knows ? If this one does interest you maybe try the book version.
clairemariarose's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
realis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
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
4.0
disasterchick's review against another edition
3.0
The format of short stories didn’t work well for me in an audiobook format. There were times that my attention, but I didn’t feel I knew the characters.
How did I find this book? Jesmyn Ward selected this book for her January 2022 Gathering of Voices book club hosted through Literati book store.
How did I find this book? Jesmyn Ward selected this book for her January 2022 Gathering of Voices book club hosted through Literati book store.
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
2.0
Listened to the audiobook via BorrowBox.
The Details:
Narrated by the author
I didn't realise it was a series of short stories and I was really looking forward to that once I found out, but sadly I just couldn't mesh with it.
I can't deny that the writing is beautiful and Washington clearly has ample talent for storytelling, however I couldn't keep up with all the characters. I felt like I was being rushed through everyone's lives and I didn't like that - especially as there were quite deep conversations, particularly about identity, that I would have enjoyed slowing down and taking my time with.
I'm still going to give the authors' full length novel (Memorial) a go, and just hope that with a longer format I can really click with the story and the characters.
Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
The Details:
Narrated by the author
I didn't realise it was a series of short stories and I was really looking forward to that once I found out, but sadly I just couldn't mesh with it.
I can't deny that the writing is beautiful and Washington clearly has ample talent for storytelling, however I couldn't keep up with all the characters. I felt like I was being rushed through everyone's lives and I didn't like that - especially as there were quite deep conversations, particularly about identity, that I would have enjoyed slowing down and taking my time with.
I'm still going to give the authors' full length novel (Memorial) a go, and just hope that with a longer format I can really click with the story and the characters.
Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén