“Remarkable for its courage, its color and its natural control.”—The New Yorker “Unforgettable...written with pride and ang...
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Jan 16, 2011
Bridgit
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I read this book many, many years ago - back in Junior High School as a matter of fact. I believe it was the first book that I had ever read by a black woman writer; and Selina's story sounded very familiar to me - despite the fact that my parents had come up to the north from the south. It's definitely the classic coming of age story and quite the one that I needed to hear about back then. I think that after I read this book, I had a completely different approach to writing and story-telling: o
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Mar 02, 2008
Elizabeth
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This novel blew me away. Marshall’s remarkable 1959 debut tells the story of Selina Boyce and her family, Barbadian immigrants in World War II-era Brooklyn. Drawing on her own experiences, Marshall creates a brilliant combination of bildungsroman, immigrant chronicle, and racial polemic. Selina is caught between past and future as her parents, Silla and Deighton, clash over heritage and property. Her father owns land in Barbados and dreams of building a house there, while her mother wants him to
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Nov 22, 2008
Leslie
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I probably wouldn't have ever heard of Brown Girl, Brownstones if it hadn't been assigned for the African American Literature by Women course I'm taking this semester. However, it has a deserved place among novels about the immigrant experience and coming of age.
Brown Girl, Brownstones follows Selina Boyce from girlhood into college. In this time, Selina struggles over her allegiance to her father, Deighton, who romantically tries on careers in which he has no realistic future, and More...
Brown Girl, Brownstones follows Selina Boyce from girlhood into college. In this time, Selina struggles over her allegiance to her father, Deighton, who romantically tries on careers in which he has no realistic future, and More...
Dec 02, 2011
Tori [Book Faery]
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Read this for my African Lit class. Hated the beginning, due to the barrage of names and POV swaps. I found it to be extremely jarring and was pissed that I had to read a book like this. I think I actually fell asleep on the train ride home at one point, while trying to read the start, heh.
Then something happened, and all of a sudden the story, its characters, and everything else just... clicked. I was glued to the pages, albeit, there were moments where the story dragged. At least i More...
Then something happened, and all of a sudden the story, its characters, and everything else just... clicked. I was glued to the pages, albeit, there were moments where the story dragged. At least i More...
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Apr 11, 2011
Mawgojzeta
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I think I loved this book in another reality. I mean that. I think I really loved it. The time period and culture presented were great. The characters were interesting. The writing style was wonderful; certainly poetic. There were a dozen times or better I read a paragraph and thought, "I should write this down". Despite this, I struggled. As I forced my way through each page - yes, eventually it felt like an assignment - I kept questioning myself on WHY this was not satisfying
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Aug 26, 2011
Jeane
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This book contains an incredibly in depth an incredible protagonist. Selina's story from her childhood with a lazy yet dreamer of a father and a strong yet bitter mother molded her into a strong independent willful woman. At a time in American history where women were just barely getting the recognition they deserved, and to be black and come from a poor family Selina was able to master all of her barriers. With different characters influencing her life, such as the pseudo prostitute who lived
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Nov 25, 2009
Ilana
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Selina is a young girl living in the slums of Brooklyn. She lives with a harsh sister, a good for nothing mother, and a hard working but not accomplishing father. Selina tries to find who she really is by making the best of her life. She is negative and dismisses anything that is not truly her way. But Selina always manages to find a way to make the best of what she needs to fulfill in life.
I can connect this book to anyone who wants to find out who they are. If you are a lonely pers More...
I can connect this book to anyone who wants to find out who they are. If you are a lonely pers More...
Oct 17, 2011
Carla
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I just finished reading this book for my high school English Literature class. Being a Barbadian, I thoroughly enjoyed the local dialect that the characters used. I think it was the first time ever that I have seen Barbadian slang and dialect in an internationally published novel!
Overall, I have enjoyed this book. The descriptions of everything and everyone were vivid and the story on a whole was enjoyable. I recognized a few elements of home life in the Boyce family that are strong in More...
Overall, I have enjoyed this book. The descriptions of everything and everyone were vivid and the story on a whole was enjoyable. I recognized a few elements of home life in the Boyce family that are strong in More...
Mar 08, 2010
Megan
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I just couldn't relate to the main character. I thought she was whiny, ungrateful, and quite full of herself. The mother was the character I empathized with, and she was demonized for much of the book. Meh. I wasn't impressed.
Feb 21, 2009
Abby
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A fantastic female coming-of-age story. All the tension between mothers and daughters and girls with their girl friends is there, along with rich portrayals of Barbados American immigrant life.
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May 13, 2010
Loved the wide variety of women's voices in this girl's coming of age story. Believable and thought provoking history of immigrants from the West Indies in the early 20th centurey, working hard to make a life for themselves in Brooklyn.
Feb 08, 2012
S. Williams
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book broke my heart a million ways. One of the best pieces of fiction I've had the pleasure of reading.
Jan 10, 2012
Andie Lou
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A poignant story, and beautiful writing at times, but also a bit slow and repetitive.
Jun 13, 2010
Sidik
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Six Word Review: Unsung hero of the black canon.
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Oct 20, 2008
Amy
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I had a little difficulty getting into this book, which is a coming-of-age story of a Caribbean-American girl growing up in Brooklyn (Bed-Stuy) in the 1950s, but when I did I loved it. There are a number of completely riveting scenes, including one when the father, a frustrating dreamer, blows $900 on a 5th Avenue shopping spree. And that he does pains his wife, who the action was directed like an arrow at, as well as himself. The character work in this section, and others, is really remarkab
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May 03, 2008
As a person of Jamerican parentage (Father-Jamaican; Mother American), I see the cultural differences between African Americans and West Indians. The West Indians have a strong work ethic in order to gain the American Dream. Deighton, who is the father was a wastrel who believed in Father Divine. Father Divine exploited the poor by promising them pie-in-the sky. Finally, Selina was rebellious against her West Indian Heritage.
CPT
CPT
Mar 30, 2011
Vaman
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I'm a sucker for female coming of age novels. This is probably because I was not a female when I came of age. This is Virginia Woolf with slightly less stylistic prowess and a plot worth fighting for and a lead who, if asked, you would contemplate drowning yourself for. There's something about the wavering would-be artist realizing that she needs to be a person first and foremost that, to my mind, is something to root for.
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Feb 02, 2010
Annabelle
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a fantastic read. beautifully written. i am proud that she is an alumni of my university.
Jun 20, 2011
Maryam
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This is a stunning coming of age story of a young girl in Brooklyn. I loved reading about Fulton street in the 1940's while I was actually ON Fulton street and seeing how the landscape has changed in the last 70 years. There are also striking details about the inner lives of immigrants that really struck a chord with me.
Oct 18, 2010
Agnes
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What a wonderful book. I could not put it down. All the characters were so relatable and interesting, it was not just about Selina and her coming of age. It was far deeper!
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Dec 16, 2009
Colleen
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This book was a like a long, beautiful poem. Lots of description, definitely character-driven, but with a really interesting story and some social commentary, too. I loved the main character, Selina - I think she would have made a great Smithie :)
Jan 03, 2008
Mike
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I read this book for an English course entitled: "The World is a Ghetto." This is compelling book about a family from Barbados living in NYC. It displays the struggles of foreign blacks from the Carribeian living in the Big Apple.
Oct 13, 2011
Peter
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Paule Marshall...a marvellous writer with tremendous insight and humanity.."Brown Girl, Brownstones" was her debut novel in 1959 and based on this work she has my full attention for future readings....
Dec 27, 2007
Kimberley
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This book is sad . A young girl deals with her own sexuality and have to face the death of her father that she blames her mother for doing. She must find who she turly is... I suggest you read this book !
Oct 08, 2007
Erica
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I remember the year exactly, because Professor Elaine Hansen gave one of my dearest friends, ever, Lisa and me an A for our writing and presentation on this one.
Aug 06, 2008
Joyce
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Another take A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, set during the Second World War not the first, Bedford-Stuyvesant, not Williamsburg. Haunting.
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Mar 02, 2008
Jessica
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I've taught this novel a couple of times. It's rich in its characters, setting & themes & deserves a wider audience.
