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marireadstoomuch's review against another edition
5.0
Reading Zadie Smith is always a delight. I spent time with this one, and essays are always uneven to read (some strike a chord, some don’t), but the final essay, especially, stood out to me. On “Joy,” it was a grand final note to end on.
thematinee's review against another edition
5.0
There's a prominent Smith book that I've managed to DNF twice in my life (I picked it up a second time, forgetting that I'd already tried to read it previously). So when I came around to this volume I found myself hesitant.
I humbly announce that whatever my problems were with Ms Smith before, I have moved past them and am now deeply enamoured with her (like so much of the rest of the world is). This may seem like a silly declaration...but I'm just excited that several wonderful pieces of Smith writing await my eyes!
Sometimes, on just needs the right starting point!
I humbly announce that whatever my problems were with Ms Smith before, I have moved past them and am now deeply enamoured with her (like so much of the rest of the world is). This may seem like a silly declaration...but I'm just excited that several wonderful pieces of Smith writing await my eyes!
Sometimes, on just needs the right starting point!
carrieliza's review against another edition
3.0
I love Zadie Smith with my whole heart, but this was a bit of a slog. Much preferred the more personal essays to various reviews of art and books that I'm unfamiliar with.
not_a_bagel's review
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
cwalsh's review
5.0
Zadie Smith's Feel Free covers such a variety of topics (she covers everyone from Kierkegaard to Justin Beiber) that it's so hard to pick a favorite, however as a librarian and a lover of Joni Mitchell, I have to say that The North West London Blues and Some Notes on Attunement are huge stand outs for me. I've always found Zadie Smith's writing beautiful, but hearing her thoughts and criticisms on film, art, music, social interactions, and general cultural commentaries really just made me look at her in another dimension. It's amazing how she can sound extremely academic in tone but so accessible at the same time. In each and every work, regardless of the topic at hand, her intellect shines through.
PS: Zadie, you're never too old to discover More Songs About People and Food.
PS: Zadie, you're never too old to discover More Songs About People and Food.
zellm's review against another edition
3.0
I found some of these essays to be fascinating and thought provoking (the one on Facebook, the one about living in Italy, the one about public libraries) and some to be more tedious (the ones about art, the dance ones). These were hit or miss for me but I do like Smith's particular style of writing.
michtrnr's review against another edition
Felt sleepy with it and had to return it to the library anyway…