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abrooklynbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
3.5? 3.75? Hard to say with this one...I love Zadie Smith but I didn't actually love Swing Time as much as her others. I liked it, but not loved.
Zadie Smith is wildly intelligent and is a magnificent writer, so besides not being able to keep up sometimes, no complaints there. It's a fantastically written book.
My biggest thing was that I felt like moments I wanted to stay in were over so quickly; much of the story that had the most detail was the bigger picture, not the smaller moments that happened within that. And that bigger picture was a little bit repetitive, not 100% in a bad way, but it made it so that when a smaller storyline was brewing, that's what I wanted to focus on, and they were always over so fast, sometimes just in one sentence. It left me with this feeling that I was missing scenes, that there were these things happening in the lives of the characters that were happening and happened, yes, somewhere right in front of my face, but I missed them.
But, it is a great story and I'm glad I finally got the chance to read it.
Zadie Smith is wildly intelligent and is a magnificent writer, so besides not being able to keep up sometimes, no complaints there. It's a fantastically written book.
My biggest thing was that I felt like moments I wanted to stay in were over so quickly; much of the story that had the most detail was the bigger picture, not the smaller moments that happened within that. And that bigger picture was a little bit repetitive, not 100% in a bad way, but it made it so that when a smaller storyline was brewing, that's what I wanted to focus on, and they were always over so fast, sometimes just in one sentence. It left me with this feeling that I was missing scenes, that there were these things happening in the lives of the characters that were happening and happened, yes, somewhere right in front of my face, but I missed them.
But, it is a great story and I'm glad I finally got the chance to read it.
alinawnm's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lotteee11's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Again, I already kind of zoned out at the start when the main character said she remembered something from when she was 2 years old, which is practically impossible (the writer came back to it later, but unconvincingly). The writing style didn’t suit me, and made me wonder why all books nowadays have to be written with time jumps. I feel like the storyline would actually have been much stronger if told chronologically. On top of that, the main character’s passive attitude annoyed me. The ending was also mediocre. In short: wouldn’t recommend.
merry_bryson's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
ali_bali_bee's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
4.25
madhuras's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
roxy_boettcher's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
lifesarosch's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Difficult but good. Aimee is the worst in the best way possible.
reikista's review against another edition
4.0
This book is many things, a study of a complex friendship, of race relations in Britain, of the life od the entourage of a high profile artist, of cultural appropriation and western "heroic" intervention in Africa, village life, and Black dancers in the broader dancing world. It questions ambition and the lack of it, the ethics of wealth amidst poverty, loyalty and revenge. I read with interest and curiosity, wanting to find the conclusion I had glimpsed but didn't understand until the end.
tessyoung's review against another edition
4.0
I loved spending time with the characters in this book and the narrative was compelling. It wove its way across time and place seemingly effortlessly. The narrative was able to both capture the feel of the times and places but also the arc of the characters; they both changed but stayed the same, moved and yet were trapped by their upbringing. As a result, regardless of whether they stay in the same place or moved, change happens but it is through the relationships rather than the place.