Reviews

Von der Schönheit by Zadie Smith

fern17's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

museofmages's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

readingfourme's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny inspiring sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

I was raring to give this book five stars, but the end kind of let me down. Kind of a whimper. Maybe I just need to think about it. This book had me riveted and rolling—and it’s not a riveting topic. But the writing. And the. Tension. Holy God. I’m going to come back to this review when I can put together something more cogent. 

jp_riemersma's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.75

lydie95's review against another edition

funny hopeful relaxing sad 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

5.0

One of my favourite books of all time. Funny, smart and rich in character and story telling. You feel as though you know the Belsey family as if they were your own neighbours. I notice something new with each read and look forward to my next revisit in the future.

tarrowood's review against another edition

3.0

I’ll be honest and say I was disappointed in this book. Zadie Smith is one of my favorite contemporary authors, but On Beauty didn’t live up to my expectation. Smith leads you on with characters that you continue to think you will like, or that will have a breakthrough, but they remain ironically hedonistic and static throughout. Perhaps that is the point? How people, even when forced to change, are begrudged to the idea of actually changing?
The two good things from this book were the images of art (paintings, poems, rap, etc.) and Smith’s prose. On Beauty looks to use words and images of art to transcend the literal story (which is an amazing concept, but was a bit confounding at times). And Smith truly draws her readers into her words (although On Beauty didn’t quite do it as much as NW or White Teeth).

alicewhitmore's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

skepticcurmudgeon's review against another edition

4.0

Throw cultures together and mix, and you end up with a really tasty stew. The characters are interesting and portrayed very honestly with all their warts and short comings. Most of them are not easy characters to like, but they all have their moments. At times many of them are frustrating, but in a way I think is true of real people who often are trying to fit in even when their rough edges prevent it. Kiki was my favorite character followed by her daughter Zora. At times the book really made me laugh out loud, and at other moments I was close to tears. Looking forward to reading Zadie Smith's "White Teeth" soon.

h3rculepoirot's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

nicoleswiggard's review against another edition

4.0

(i h8 howard belsey and im sticking to that.)

zadie smith’s talent for character is genuinely astonishing. the voice, the psychology, mannerisms, reactions, they are all so well shaped across the numerous people we get to know throughout this book.

what makes people beautiful? what makes them ugly? why is it so often the same thing? passion, identity, love, knowledge, religion, belief. nothing is so simply binary for humanity. we’re complex and messy and glorious. hate us, love us.

it’s practically a handbook on writing morally grey characters. its unbearable and its incredible.

zadie is brilliant, i adore

——
“The greatest lie ever told about love is that it sets you free.”

“Stop worrying about your identity and concern yourself with the people you care about, ideas that matter to you, beliefs you can stand by, tickets you can run on. Intelligent humans make those choices with their brain and hearts and they make them alone. The world does not deliver meaning to you. You have to make it meaningful...and decide what you want and need and must do. It’s a tough, unimaginably lonely and complicated way to be in the world. But that’s the deal: you have to live; you can’t live by slogans, dead ideas, clichés, or national flags. Finding an identity is easy. It’s the easy way out.”

(on siblings) “He did not consider if or how or why he loved them. They were just love: they were the first evidence he had of love, and they would be the last confirmation of love when everything else fell away.”

“I am very selfish, really. I lived for love.”

“In a whisper he began begging for—and as the sun set, received—the concession people always beg for: a little more time.”