The Men of Brewster Place: A Novel (Paperback)

by Gloria Naylor (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Gloria Naylor revisits the dilapidated brick walls, sagging ceilings, and decrepit plumbing of Brewster Place, a feeble fortress that jealously guards the hell, heartache, and hope of its tenants. Ben, the kind, alcoholic janitor from The Women of Brewster Place returns as a mythical minstrel of sorts, wandering in and out of the lives of Brewster's male denizens, introducing their stories, each a quest for the meaning of manhood.

For autistic Brother Jerome, masculine identity comes in the form of a rickety upright piano whose missing keys and wobbly wires burst to life when he plays. Jerome plays so well (better than Count Basie, mind you) that his hedonistic mother decides not to institutionalize him so she can charge for his performances. Eugene, however, has a more difficult act to shore: he's married, he's a father, and he's gay. Ceil, his wife, doesn't know that's why he keeps leaving, so she takes family matters into her own hands and sends Eugene into a bottomless pit of guilt and self-loathing. Basil looks for his redemption in a contemptuous trash bag named Keisha and her two beautiful, neglected sons, Jason and Eddie. Will Basil find atonement for his sins against his mother if he gives those boys what he never received as a child? The men of Brewster Place continue to stream into the story in raw, biting vignettes until the stage is full and the future of their community is threatened. Can these men come together and reclaim what's theirs? The answer lies at the root of self-worth and sexual identity. Or, in the words of Ben, "Brewster Place is a small street but it seems there's an endless supply of I coulda, I shoulda, but didn't. Can you call it any man's blues? I don't know, but you can definitely call it the black man's blues." --Rebekah Warren --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
As narrated by Joe Morton, everyone has a story to tell on Brewster Place and Naylor eloquently gives voice to the people who live there. Fifteen years ago we heard the women of that byway (The Women of Brewster Place, Audio Reviews, LJ 5/1/94 and LJ 11/15/93); now we hear from the men. Brewster Place is not an address to which people aspire yet it is not quite an address for people of despair. Sure, they've seen better times in the past and just maybe they'll see better times in the future. Meanwhile, they're getting by from day to day. Morton brings each of the characters to life: Ben, the neighborhood janitor, who serves as the chorus; Brother Jerome, the musical genius with his child's mind; Basil, who wants a family so badly that he makes the wrong choices; Rev. Moreland T. Woods, who wants a new church to glorify himself; and the others who gather at the barber shop to comment on the general state of the world. This is great storytelling and a good choice for public library collections.ANann Blaine Hilyard, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (April 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786884053
• ISBN-13: 978-0786884056
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #469,772 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What !, June 14, 2000

By	S. Bishop "bookworm" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Men of Brewster Place (Hardcover)

Was Gloria just trying to get a book out to compete with the barrage of fiction being released by black writers or what? She could not have been seriously thinking that this book was of any value.

The characters were week. The storylines were not in line with the way they were portrayed in the Women of Brewster Place.

I got this book when it first came out. I read it quickly and nearly tossed it down in disgust. I went to the post office and mailed it to my best friend because I wanted to see if I was crazy for thinking it was so bad (but I didn't want her to waste the money herself).

I was truly disappointed. I expected so much more from one of my favorite writers of the 80's. I know she can do better because she has on all previous attempts.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Expected A Little Better From Naylor, December 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Men of Brewster Place (Hardcover)

Well, when this book first came out I was really excited about reading it...but it was either giving my money to her or Sheneska Jackson's book that just came out (Blessings). I'm so glad I bought Blessings! For one, I suppose I expected Naylor to give us background on these men and then move on to their relations to the women she discussed in brewster place. Unfortunately, what she did was tell us some scene from their life. Ben's story didn't need to be told AGAIN. We knew about him from Women of Brewster Place, although I did like the way she used him as a guide for the story (much like "Bailey" in Bailey's Cafe). The only people who I found to be really interesting were Basil and Eugene. I wish I could have just read their stories and closed the book up. I've read Bailey's Cafe and the Women of Brewster Place but I planned on reading Linden Hills sometime soon as well. This is definitely an academic read--not one that I would have chosen for pleasure. I'm glad I checked it out from the library and I suggest whoever is reading this review do the same. I understood Women Of Brewster Place was to demonstrate the strenghth of the female bond, but what was Men of Brewster Place about? The drama black men face? Who knows...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The worst book ever, January 25, 2007

By	Book worm (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This book is the worst book I have ever read. First I was confused why Basils mother died before he set things right, This was one of the main men I wanted to see set thing right with his mom. It gets worse, The book is very hard to read she jumps around alot from Ben, to other charcters. I had to force myself to read it and trust me my head still hurts. And the book is only 173 pages long. I wish I have never brought it this book goes off into space and I dont know what the she is talking about. Well trust me dont get this book,if you are looking for a good book to read.