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lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I'm going to begin with Real Talk for this review. Because of her Facebook essay, I have stopped going on it so much. I mean, I still have it--with the same excuse that she cites, that is the "but I need it to stay in touch with people!" excuse--but I use it at such a lower rate and it's just...made my life so much better. I've stopped checking on it, which gives me a little more time for other things, I worry less about how I should present myself on social media and more about how I should present myself in real life, and has just ultimately made me emotionally feel better and less angry.
But really, this anthology covered such a wide expanse of topics ranging from art and film to comedy to just about everything. All of it was timely, well-written, and ultimately intriguing and captivating. Zadie Smith has something to say, and she says it well.
Review cross-listed here!
But really, this anthology covered such a wide expanse of topics ranging from art and film to comedy to just about everything. All of it was timely, well-written, and ultimately intriguing and captivating. Zadie Smith has something to say, and she says it well.
Review cross-listed here!
margita's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
ericfheiman's review against another edition
5.0
The sign of a great writer is the ability to take on any subject—in fiction and nonfiction alike—and infuse it with a high level of both poetry and intelligence. Zadie Smith is one of those writers. While I’m hot and cold on her fiction (though it’s still better than most novels these days) her essay writing is unimpeachable. Painting, technology, film, books, politics—Smith consistently delivers wonderfully written commentary that is as accessible as it is smart. It’s the kind of book one finishes and says, “I’m never going to write something this good. Why even bother?” Damn you, Zadie...
scookiecat's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
*No ratings for memoirs
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You can't recreate a library online. Freaking absolutely.
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You can't recreate a library online. Freaking absolutely.
mikelchartier's review against another edition
4.0
Less a star because she made me google lyrics to a song instead of reprinting. I didn't buy the hard cover to have them go cheap on me. Props on lower-casing the google verb, tho.
sujuv's review
4.0
Zadie Smith employs her brilliant mind and humanistic heart to write about a whole load of different things and kept me interested the whole time. Some of it made me search out artists I'd never heard of (Lynette Yiadom-Boakye), some of it made me want to re-read old favorites (The Buddha of Suburbia), some of it made me want to go see places I haven't been (Villa Borghese in Rome), and all of it made me feel a little better about the world. Maybe just because Smith is in it!
becca_g_powell's review against another edition
5.0
Zadie Smith is a true genius and it is electric just to be in her writerly presence, literally regardless of the subject matter. She can write about art I’ve never heard of, or don’t like, or a beer advertisement, in thrilling ways. You sort of feel like you’re in the presence of a particularly brilliant friend (who in real life would find you dull). I disagree with plenty she says (among other things, she’s a bit of a technophobe and I think she draws a little too much existential angst out of the existence of iPhones, for example). But it’s still a joy to read.
obsessivelybookishjojo's review
3.0
My favorite essays in this book are the ones on library, Brexit, Jordan Peele’s Get Out, and Justin Bieber (philosophical). Zadie Smith is so prolific and I am so artistically illiterate that some of her essays go above my head, as I’m ignorant of the references. Hence, the stars here are more of a reflection of the reader rather than the book or the author.