Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Could not get into the set up of the book. The friendship between the two didn’t make sense to me and the time jumps felt confusing. Maybe it’s because I read as audiobook instead of physically?
challenging
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
reflective
slow-paced
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:
Yes
Swing Time picks up Smith's favourite tropes: family, friendship, connections. But it also encompasses fame, philanthropy and privilege. It is full of contrasts: haves and have nots, black / white, Americans and British, the talented and untalented.
It is an oddly anonymous book the narrator and the African country are never named, the narrator is less visible than Tracey her childhood friend. However the popstar philanthropist feels very familiar though.
Smith raises interesting and difficult questions about privilege, philanthropy, friendship and it is a book without a big bang ending it is much more the sort of book that stays with you, whose questions you find yourself thinking about and discussing afterwards.
It is an oddly anonymous book the narrator and the African country are never named, the narrator is less visible than Tracey her childhood friend. However the popstar philanthropist feels very familiar though.
Smith raises interesting and difficult questions about privilege, philanthropy, friendship and it is a book without a big bang ending it is much more the sort of book that stays with you, whose questions you find yourself thinking about and discussing afterwards.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I believe this book was chosen based solely on its popularity at the time, which is not a good way to choose a book. However, I feel as though I was under the impression that Smith was a great writer. And, this book is fine, but I’m thinking it just wasn’t for me. I disliked almost all of the characters. Not for any particular reason, they just didn’t appeal to me. And the story is interesting, I guess, but not so much that I enjoyed it. I also disliked the constant time-skipping. A flashback here and there is fine, but it seemed like every other chapter had me in a different time and space, which was confusing. So, it’s a toss up. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t. It wasn’t my favorite.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Classism
Minor: Eating disorder, Misogyny, Sexual assault
reflective
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