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laurareads87's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Open Waters follows Stephen, a young Ghanian-British man, in the years after high school; it is especially focused on his relationship with his father and his changing connection to his long-time friend. Stephen is a musician, and I loved Nelson's inclusion of so many musical references; I would love a playlist of all the songs mentioned in this book. I found it more interesting as it went along, and didn't love the repetitive writing in places.
Content warnings: racism, discrimination, police brutality, grief, death of a parent, drug & alcohol use
Content warnings: racism, discrimination, police brutality, grief, death of a parent, drug & alcohol use
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol
sandwiiche's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
wow. nelson is a masterful writer. his prose is absolutely gorgeous and reads like poetry.
this story is about the struggles of immigrant families, and how they strive to build a new place they can call home. it's a story about loss, the grievance of loved ones, but also the loss of purpose and connection. the story truly heroes the idea that when all else fails, when words cannot express one's thoughts and feelings, it is through the language of song and dance that allows one to voice their heart's truest emotions. it is the space created by music, by letting yourself get lost in the rhythm that gives an individual the opportunity to feel, to open their heart up to the wounds of the past, the joys of the present, and the hopes for the future. ultimately, it is a narrative about the journey to discovering one's identity whilst navigating the rollercoaster of life.
this story is about the struggles of immigrant families, and how they strive to build a new place they can call home. it's a story about loss, the grievance of loved ones, but also the loss of purpose and connection. the story truly heroes the idea that when all else fails, when words cannot express one's thoughts and feelings, it is through the language of song and dance that allows one to voice their heart's truest emotions. it is the space created by music, by letting yourself get lost in the rhythm that gives an individual the opportunity to feel, to open their heart up to the wounds of the past, the joys of the present, and the hopes for the future. ultimately, it is a narrative about the journey to discovering one's identity whilst navigating the rollercoaster of life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Racism, Police brutality, and Alcohol
kirstym25's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment
clairew97's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Deportation
aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, and Grief
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
1.5
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
I am disappointed to say that Small Worlds was not for me, which is unfortunate as I really enjoyed Nelson's debut novella. This novel was a slog to get through - I wanted to DNF it several times - because of the uneven pacing and overly contemplative story, which at times chose to focus on the most boring minute details over the meat of the plot. Meanwhile the writing, which I had found so poetic and enjoyable in the author's previous work, did not stand out to me. The sum of the uninteresting parts thus created a book that I did not particularly enjoy, despite the very real themes and relevant issues it raised and explored.
I am disappointed to say that Small Worlds was not for me, which is unfortunate as I really enjoyed Nelson's debut novella. This novel was a slog to get through - I wanted to DNF it several times - because of the uneven pacing and overly contemplative story, which at times chose to focus on the most boring minute details over the meat of the plot. Meanwhile the writing, which I had found so poetic and enjoyable in the author's previous work, did not stand out to me. The sum of the uninteresting parts thus created a book that I did not particularly enjoy, despite the very real themes and relevant issues it raised and explored.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Police brutality, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
belreadsbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
I listened to the audiobook for this read and I can’t recommend it enough. The author narrates it and this alone made me feel so immersed in the story; this is truly a transportive book when listened to. It takes a little bit to get use to the prose and the pacing felt a little slow to me, but the audiobook feels so personal it was worth pushing through any doubts I had. This is a beautiful story that explores conversations of grief, immigration, love, race, and growth.
I truly don’t think anything could beat the audiobook experience. The last chapter especially, hearing the emotion in Caleb’s voice made me tear up. Truly a beautiful audio experience. If you plan to pick up this book and have the audiobook on hand, I 100% recommend listening to it to enhance your experience. This is definitely something I recommend for those that love literary fiction.
3.75⭐️, a captivating slice-of-life story and a stunning piece of literary fiction.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy of an audio-arc in exchange for a honest review - all opinions in this review are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Racism
booksjessreads's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I appreciate Caleb Azumah Nelson's work so much. The prose is so lyrical, smooth and conveys the deepest of feelings. I really liked how certain words and phrases were repeated in subsequent chapters so that the themes and emotion were carried throughout the novel in a smooth and effortless way. I loved the flow of the plot and it did not feel unnatural and did not feel like we were being forced down a particular route.
It was a lovely slow-burning plot and I have not been able to sit down with a novel as patiently as I had with this one for a while. Recently, I have felt really rushed with my books, and just want to get through something and couldn't wait to get onto my next read. I had no such feeling with this. I devoured every page and was excited to take my time, which is a rarity.
Perhaps one of my most favourite bits about this book, was not only the description and appreciation of food in this novel (honestly, I have never been so hungry reading a book in my life), but also how vividly I could picture everything. It is rare that I picture images from reading, but I felt the prose allowed me to picture what was happening, and elicited a lot of emotion. It was certainly brilliant for that.
Also, I think it is important not to compare this novel to Open Water. I went into this book at first with Open Water at the forefront of my mind but I quickly abandoned that because this book is different and deserves to be appreciated in its own right. There is something familiar in the tone of the writing (although the second-person isn't really used at all in Small Worlds), but this novel just feels different and is different. I don't quite know how to explain it.
Caleb has become an auto-buy author for me. I can't wait to see any other novels that he writes!
It was a lovely slow-burning plot and I have not been able to sit down with a novel as patiently as I had with this one for a while. Recently, I have felt really rushed with my books, and just want to get through something and couldn't wait to get onto my next read. I had no such feeling with this. I devoured every page and was excited to take my time, which is a rarity.
Perhaps one of my most favourite bits about this book, was not only the description and appreciation of food in this novel (honestly, I have never been so hungry reading a book in my life), but also how vividly I could picture everything. It is rare that I picture images from reading, but I felt the prose allowed me to picture what was happening, and elicited a lot of emotion. It was certainly brilliant for that.
Also, I think it is important not to compare this novel to Open Water. I went into this book at first with Open Water at the forefront of my mind but I quickly abandoned that because this book is different and deserves to be appreciated in its own right. There is something familiar in the tone of the writing (although the second-person isn't really used at all in Small Worlds), but this novel just feels different and is different. I don't quite know how to explain it.
Caleb has become an auto-buy author for me. I can't wait to see any other novels that he writes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Abandonment
jasminrain's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Open Water was one of the best books I've ever read in my life and it set the bar very high for Caleb Azumah Nelson's next novel. I cannot say that it lived up to Open Water regarding storyline and characters but the writing was phenomenal. It is so emotional and powerful - so much is said with so few words. I also loved the second-person narration and I think it adds a lot to the story. Listened to this as an audiobook and every sentence sounded like poetry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent
laurataylor's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail