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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
This is one of my top five favorite books now! I fell in love the minute I started reading. Zadie Smith’s writing style is beautiful and the way she develops her characters is perfect!!
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Seeping with dark humor, WT explores the “butterfly effects” of one night during WWII on two London families through the end of the century. It reminds me a lot of Fifth Business by Robertson Davies… the family history, the hand of Fate, operating in a world/community/family as the “other”.
Highly recommend!!
Highly recommend!!
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A well crafted book by a really great author, but christ I am sick of reading pages and pages detailing the inner thoughts and lives of scuzzy men and all those unfortunate enough to be pulled into their orbit. Any chapters within the perspective of the women characters, or indeed that vaguely touched on their emotions and experiences was a welcome blessing, too often marred by the unavoidable presence of the men. Once you have passed the half way mark however, and are immune to the foul masculine habits by sheer exposure therapy, you can settle into the cast of characters now fully introduced and begin to inhabit their lives, played out so intimately within the pages. The final quarter of the book was my favourite as it felt like a high prestige soap opera, with everyone running around in the woods in a (horror) film or the cul-de-sac in the nightly telly offering; you know these people, you know the stakes, lets see what horrifically interesting chaos it will brew.
I wasn't in love with this book, but I didn't hate it either. This was a book club read and definitely provided plenty of topics for conversation.
How Zadie wrote this is in her early 20's is beyond my comprehension. It's far from perfect, as perhaps she tries too hard at times to create something real and weird, which causes the narrative to get a bit muddled. But for a first novel at that age, it screams prodigy through the ability to write a story that holds so much emotional depth and keen insights into the world and its inhabitants.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I sat with this novel for a bit before writing this review because I wanted to see what kind of impression it made beyond the closing of the last page. I enjoyed the story telling — I think Smith did an excellent job of bringing these layered and multiple character storylines to life. The way she wove the plot across generations and time periods kept the narrative fresh. The characters were flawed and at times completely unlikeable, which I think made for a more realistic portrayal. I wish there had been more of a narrative focus on the female characters rather than the male characters, as I found Clara and Alsana’s stories to be the most interesting and it would have been nice to have their perspectives fleshed out more. I am definitely interested in reading more from Smith!
Literary chaos with too many characters that I had no connection to. I had to force myself to finish this one.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes