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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
This is the sort of book I might have had to write a paper on in high school. It has so many elements: religion, race, identity, origin, etc., etc., that I could totally see highlighting and then picking apart in discussion. And Zadie Smith pretty much planned it that way, taking time to reemphasize the points over and over as her characters grew and their histories were revealed and interconnected and all that. Not to mention the references to teeth throughout almost every chapter. But it was also readable, and it wasn't as though the author was trying too hard to be smart and tie everything together (despite what some reviewers say, and I'll admit too it did kind of rush itself in the end) -- the writing really is great, and I love it when an author can put something in a way that I've never seen it described before. So, anyway, five stars. Maybe 4.5 but I'm feeling generous, but it was pretty darn good. Also, a book I never would have picked up on my own had a friend not recommended it to me (at least five years ago, so thanks for that). Read it, and enjoy it.
coming back later hopefully - so sorry zadie smith, i really am a fan but i cannot read this
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
don't hesitate to do this one by audiobook. the performances (especially by the first two readers) bring the characters to life in ways that would not be possible if i were to read.
slow-paced
This was a very interesting book to read. I liked the many cultural aspects in it. I also think the characters are original in their own way. On the other hand, sometimes it was a bit boring, I think it could be written shorter sometimes.
This was a genuinely funny book, which is hard to achieve in a novel without coming across as cheesy, especially while also proffering poignant and incisive insights about home, belonging, and the diaspora experience throughout. The text as a whole should have been better edited to tighten the prose overall, and the end veers chaotically towards something so dada-esque it begins to lose vibrancy and almost even loses the original threads of the narrative, but I'm nevertheless in awe of what Zadie Smith was able to accomplish here considering she wrote this while finishing her final year of university. I'm eager to read some of her later novels to witness her growth as a writer as I'm certain her skill, already impressive here, only improves with time and practice. This is certainly the work of a prodigious talent.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
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
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes