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baileybooks007's review against another edition
I was reading it for college, but we did not have to finish the book. I was going to try and finish it on my own, but there was a scene that I thought was problematic. Since I had hundreds of more pages to read and I did not care about some of the characters, I decided to not finish it and read something else.
biolexicon's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not quite sure how to review this one. It was really emotionally exhausting to read because I identified with Kiki so strongly. And by emotionally exhausting I mean painful. No book has affected me in this way in quite some time, I think I'm too close to the narrative to be able to step back and rate it properly.
shannon_shields's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-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
3.0
nellyycurrie's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Ok, but didn’t love it. None of the characters are loveable, and some of the plot lines are just random and go nowhere, it seems as though she tries to bring them together, e.g., linking Levi’s arc with Zora’s, Zora’s with Howard’s, Howard’s with Jerome’s - but some of them miss.
rjphilander's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-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
5.0
melc's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-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
3.5
hannahdane's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
groovygirl's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book but unfortunately it did not hit the mark for me.
Zadie Smith writes beautifully and the book has some really great insights. However, I didn’t love how we saw everything from everyone’s perspective, even outside the Beasley family. I know that perspective is the point of the book but there were just too many characters, I would prefer a narrowing in, because the overflow of characters seemed to limit the plot.
PS: I hate Howard and his chapters, what a snooze fest
Zadie Smith writes beautifully and the book has some really great insights. However, I didn’t love how we saw everything from everyone’s perspective, even outside the Beasley family. I know that perspective is the point of the book but there were just too many characters, I would prefer a narrowing in, because the overflow of characters seemed to limit the plot.
PS: I hate Howard and his chapters, what a snooze fest
khaliah's review against another edition
2.0
I really like Zadie Smith. I especially loved White Teeth. But this book disappointed me. I was never able to get a hold on the characters and therefore I was never able to feel any sympathy for them.