Stephanie Jane reviewed Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall
I loved this novel!
5 stars
I loved this novel of a Bajan family struggling to make good for themselves in 1950s Brooklyn, New York. The immigrant experience is a frequent theme in literature, but I think novels seldom evoke their culture and the clash of inter-generational ideas as well as Paule Marshall does in Brown Girl, Brownstones. Her characters are so vibrantly alive and vividly described that I could easily envisage the city through their eyes. Selina's mother, Silla, is now one of my favourite literary heroines - seemingly so strong in the face of everything life throws at her, yet worn down and fragile when alone. Her scenes sparkle with wit and a poignant irony given that we know neither of her American-born daughters will follow the life path she has so painstakingly laid out for them. Selina's wilful rejection of Silla's choices is brilliantly portrayed, especially as the daughter is basically repeating the …
I loved this novel of a Bajan family struggling to make good for themselves in 1950s Brooklyn, New York. The immigrant experience is a frequent theme in literature, but I think novels seldom evoke their culture and the clash of inter-generational ideas as well as Paule Marshall does in Brown Girl, Brownstones. Her characters are so vibrantly alive and vividly described that I could easily envisage the city through their eyes. Selina's mother, Silla, is now one of my favourite literary heroines - seemingly so strong in the face of everything life throws at her, yet worn down and fragile when alone. Her scenes sparkle with wit and a poignant irony given that we know neither of her American-born daughters will follow the life path she has so painstakingly laid out for them. Selina's wilful rejection of Silla's choices is brilliantly portrayed, especially as the daughter is basically repeating the actions of the mother at that age, yet neither can see the repeating pattern.
Brown Girl, Brownstones takes place over a number of years and I appreciated how we see characters develop and mature. Their outlooks and priorities change and there are even subtle shifts in language from the evocative Bajan dialect of early years to a more conventionally Americanised English. Marshall's portrayal of the tight-knit Bajan community allowed me to understand their cultural cohesion and why these particular people chose to reach only to each other for support. The Bajan Association is a prime example of this. Throughout the novel though we are reminded of the waves of people who relocate themselves to cities such as New York. This particular family's Brownstone house has been witness to many lives before theirs and, as we learn towards the end of the book, many Bajans are already choosing to resettle elsewhere, moving up the affluence ladder if they have been able. Marshall has written a distinctly West Indian novel, but one which also reflects human experience across the globe. It is an excellent, emotional book which I think should be far more famous and widely read than it is.
