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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
funny
reflective
tense
medium-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
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While at first a bit hard to get into, in the end I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Of the Zadie Smith books I've read, I think this is my favourite.
I loved how it was kind of unconventionally structured. Leah's part, almost written like a stream of consciousness, was immersive. Natalie's part, with the short sections, reminded me a bit of Douglas Couoland's writing, particularly Microserfs with the short, concise snapshots that really dig into ideas in succinct ways.
At multiple points I also felt that Smith did a fantastic job of conveying the thought processes of a young woman in her 20s/30s - I found Leah and Natalie to be very relatable.
I loved how it was kind of unconventionally structured. Leah's part, almost written like a stream of consciousness, was immersive. Natalie's part, with the short sections, reminded me a bit of Douglas Couoland's writing, particularly Microserfs with the short, concise snapshots that really dig into ideas in succinct ways.
At multiple points I also felt that Smith did a fantastic job of conveying the thought processes of a young woman in her 20s/30s - I found Leah and Natalie to be very relatable.
Too experimental for me, not a fan of stream of consciousnesses
challenging
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:
Yes
This highly experimental, metamodernist novel follows a number of characters across both time and space. It covers themes of identity, race and class whilst navigating the landscape of London. I highly enjoyed the various forms of experimental writing, and how it influenced the pace and structure of the narrative. The number of intertextual references, a recurring theme in Smith's oeuvre, was especially interesting. However, the ending unfortunately fell flat for me in comparison to the rest of the story.
This book got better and better as it went on, and then it was over. The first section was difficult for me because of the formatting/fonts being odd and distracting. After I got through that part, I was less distracted by the book itself and able to get more involved/care more about its characters, which now, having finished the book, I want to know more about.