juliaa_19's review against another edition
4.0
this was amazing but i'm subtracting a point because i wanted it to be longer!!!
writenisha's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
lulesemc's review against another edition
3.0
it is not a bad book, but i couldn't really get into it.
crystal_reading's review against another edition
5.0
Review copy: ARC from publisher, final copy via library
What a powerful book. Another Brooklyn feels real. August lets us see her journey from childhood to adult through her memories. These are memories of pain, laughter, friendship, family, music, death, fear, love, and so much more. Memory is a word used many times from the very first page. "I know now that what is tragic isn't the moment. It is the memory."
Woodson created an story that transports readers to 1970s Brooklyn with the sights, sounds, and people. I could hear the children playing in the street and feel the heat of the summer days. It felt like I was reading a memoir or someone's diary. August kept reminding readers about memory as she told about growing up girl in Brooklyn.
August is a transplant to Brooklyn. She sees the children outside, particularly three girls, and wants to be part of their group. She looks at them and thinks they are standing strong. I loved the conversation they have about how they saw each other in the beginning. August explains, "we saw the lost and beautiful and hungry in each of us. We saw home." Together they could be strong. They held onto each other and their childhood as long as they could while also trying to grow up. Woodson explores that tension of clinging to memories and youth while reaching out for adulthood and dreaming of who they will become all the while navigating the challenges for black girls growing up in Brooklyn.
August's mother had warned her not to trust women though. There were many times when she had let August know that women would betray women. August experiences this and the pain is long-lasting.
Woodson crafted a brilliant story here with close attention to the words. Even the layout creates a unique feeling to the reading experience. There's a lot of white space and italics are used to indicate dialogue rather than quotation marks. This was something to adjust to, but it somehow made the story feel more relaxed and personal.
Recommendation: Fans of Woodson will definitely want to get this one soon as well as people who enjoy memoir. While this is fiction, it feels like memoir and lead me to look at my own memories like many memoirs do. This book is filled with lyrical writing that speaks through heartache as a woman looks back at her coming-of-age. It's not to be missed.
What a powerful book. Another Brooklyn feels real. August lets us see her journey from childhood to adult through her memories. These are memories of pain, laughter, friendship, family, music, death, fear, love, and so much more. Memory is a word used many times from the very first page. "I know now that what is tragic isn't the moment. It is the memory."
Woodson created an story that transports readers to 1970s Brooklyn with the sights, sounds, and people. I could hear the children playing in the street and feel the heat of the summer days. It felt like I was reading a memoir or someone's diary. August kept reminding readers about memory as she told about growing up girl in Brooklyn.
August is a transplant to Brooklyn. She sees the children outside, particularly three girls, and wants to be part of their group. She looks at them and thinks they are standing strong. I loved the conversation they have about how they saw each other in the beginning. August explains, "we saw the lost and beautiful and hungry in each of us. We saw home." Together they could be strong. They held onto each other and their childhood as long as they could while also trying to grow up. Woodson explores that tension of clinging to memories and youth while reaching out for adulthood and dreaming of who they will become all the while navigating the challenges for black girls growing up in Brooklyn.
August's mother had warned her not to trust women though. There were many times when she had let August know that women would betray women. August experiences this and the pain is long-lasting.
Woodson crafted a brilliant story here with close attention to the words. Even the layout creates a unique feeling to the reading experience. There's a lot of white space and italics are used to indicate dialogue rather than quotation marks. This was something to adjust to, but it somehow made the story feel more relaxed and personal.
Recommendation: Fans of Woodson will definitely want to get this one soon as well as people who enjoy memoir. While this is fiction, it feels like memoir and lead me to look at my own memories like many memoirs do. This book is filled with lyrical writing that speaks through heartache as a woman looks back at her coming-of-age. It's not to be missed.
domspinon_'s review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Written beautifully but not necessarily for me
martholomew's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
sjfrancis's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
moirwyn's review against another edition
5.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2016/08/12/blog-tour-another-brooklyn-by-jacqueline-woodson/
Another Brooklyn by writer and poet Jacqueline Woodson is a new novel about a girl and her friends in 1970s Brooklyn. The story begins when August returns to Brooklyn for her father’s funeral. Seeing an old friend on the subway sparks her memories of childhood, told through Woodson’s ethereal and poetic language. It feels as if you’re reading a dream.
August initially moves to Brooklyn with her father and brother after a family tragedy, and at first leads a sheltered life looking out the window of her apartment. But gradually she gains her freedom and makes friends with three girls, who become inseparable despite their differing family circumstances. There’s Sylvia, whose family pressures her toward law as a promise of a better life, and Gigi, who dreams of being an dancer. Angela has a largely absent mother, and yet still manages to look forward. Each of the girls faces her own challenges while also having fun playing double dutch or sneaking off to smoke in the park.
And yet beneath the hopeful veneer of childhood exuberance, there’s a darker side to the city. There are men who are willing to take advantage of little girls. There’s the challenge of navigating young relationships and not being pressured to trade one’s future for short-term gain. There’s August’s budding realization of the poverty around them, and there’s the loss of innocence as August and her friends realize that they are growing up in the ghetto and that the rest of the world may think less of them because of it, even though they have so many rich experiences of their own. But the fact that there are both painful moments and joyful ones is what makes Another Brooklyn shine. Brooklyn is multifaceted and can be both beautiful and sinister. It’s not the kind of place that can be easily pigeonholed.
Another Brooklyn is an exquisite novel. It captures both the innocence of childhood and the dawning realization of tough realities like race, class, and sexuality. I highly recommend it.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2016/08/12/blog-tour-another-brooklyn-by-jacqueline-woodson/
Another Brooklyn by writer and poet Jacqueline Woodson is a new novel about a girl and her friends in 1970s Brooklyn. The story begins when August returns to Brooklyn for her father’s funeral. Seeing an old friend on the subway sparks her memories of childhood, told through Woodson’s ethereal and poetic language. It feels as if you’re reading a dream.
August initially moves to Brooklyn with her father and brother after a family tragedy, and at first leads a sheltered life looking out the window of her apartment. But gradually she gains her freedom and makes friends with three girls, who become inseparable despite their differing family circumstances. There’s Sylvia, whose family pressures her toward law as a promise of a better life, and Gigi, who dreams of being an dancer. Angela has a largely absent mother, and yet still manages to look forward. Each of the girls faces her own challenges while also having fun playing double dutch or sneaking off to smoke in the park.
And yet beneath the hopeful veneer of childhood exuberance, there’s a darker side to the city. There are men who are willing to take advantage of little girls. There’s the challenge of navigating young relationships and not being pressured to trade one’s future for short-term gain. There’s August’s budding realization of the poverty around them, and there’s the loss of innocence as August and her friends realize that they are growing up in the ghetto and that the rest of the world may think less of them because of it, even though they have so many rich experiences of their own. But the fact that there are both painful moments and joyful ones is what makes Another Brooklyn shine. Brooklyn is multifaceted and can be both beautiful and sinister. It’s not the kind of place that can be easily pigeonholed.
Another Brooklyn is an exquisite novel. It captures both the innocence of childhood and the dawning realization of tough realities like race, class, and sexuality. I highly recommend it.
lolyreads's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0