Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

NW by Zadie Smith

13 reviews

kairhone's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Addiction

Moderate: Racism, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Abortion, Animal death, Infidelity, and Murder

readingmarta's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal death and Pregnancy

Minor: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Racism

jillaay_h's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Abortion, Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Murder, and Addiction

serendipitysbooks's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-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

4.25

 Zadie Smith is an author I’ve struggled with in the past. I don’t dislike her books but I have found them hard going. Finding that to be the case again with NW I resorted to my reliable strategy of listening to the audio and reading a print copy simultaneously. It definitely helped although I still struggled at times. Partly that’s because of the novel’s modernist, slightly experimental, sometimes stream of consciousness style. The book was composed of lots of fragments, vignettes as well as larger sections. They all worked well individually but I sometimes struggled putting them together as a cohesive whole.

I really enjoyed Smith’s writing style. It stood out from the norm and grabbed my attention with its energy and vitality. I think she created some really rich, nuanced character studies especially of friends Leah and Natalie/Keisha, but also of Nathan and to a lesser extent Felix. Willesden and Kilburn were so well depicted. As I read they sprang to life before my eyes, vibrant and full of life - both the good and the bad. The place was very much a character in its own right. I also appreciated the smart and perceptive things this book had to say about race, class and gender, about addiction, gentrification, social mobility, identity, globalisation and multiculturalism, friendship, and about women’s complicated relationship with motherhood among other things. I won’t pretend I gleaned all this novel had to offer. I may still struggle with Smith but I’ll continue to persevere since I’m convinced she’s worth the effort. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Classism, Racism, and Sexual content

lifewithjoce's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Death

georgiasummer98's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Drug use, Hate crime, Addiction, Abortion, Animal cruelty, and Alcohol

jojo_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Classism, Drug use, Racism, Infidelity, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Misogyny, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Abortion, Animal death, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Blood, Pregnancy, Islamophobia, Rape, Antisemitism, Lesbophobia, and Murder

mattyyreadsbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Abortion, Cursing, Death, Drug use, and Alcohol

becksusername's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I feel like I need to re-read this book immediately.

why was Nathan Bogel a person of interest re: Felix's death? I don't understand the connection Keisha drew there. Did she just want to reinforce her own classist bs? Did I miss something? tf

Unfortunately it's due back at the library so I might have to stew in it for a while

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Murder, Sexual assault, Addiction, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Classism

savvy999's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense fast-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, and Animal death