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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
What was this even about? I get that the narrative style is cool and all but felt like I was reading cardboard or something
I’m not sure if NW was the right place to start, but either way, even if NW didn’t completely sweep me off my feet, it still feels like a gateway to enjoying more Zadie Smith. Beautifully rendered characters and scene. A pervasive sense of melancholy and missed connections (my faves). This is a book about class, race, love and lifestyle.
I liked the fragmented and transient nature of this book but did find myself getting lost in the story from time to time. The audiobook narration was magnificent.
I liked the fragmented and transient nature of this book but did find myself getting lost in the story from time to time. The audiobook narration was magnificent.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Smith writes about globalization, class wars, and suburban identity in this novel, bringing her characters alive in a way I haven't seen since White Teeth. How everyone intersects is an intriguing puzzle.
challenging
reflective
fast-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
this is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea but i think it was mine? a very dense, literary, postmodern read that was really engaging and thought-provoking, but i’m not sure that i loved/enjoyed it as much as i respected and admired zadie smith’s incredible talent. i’ve seen a lot of my favorite authors cite her as their favorite authors and i can absolutely see why
Natalie is quite an anti-hero. I wonder if she is more digestible for woman readers?
In NW, Natalie grows up to escape her public housing childhood, only to arrive at a hatred of poor people:
"If there's one thing you learn in a courtroom it's this: people get what they deserve."
That sentence shows the lack of effort here by Zadie Smith in making her main character: Natalie's simplicity demands I give NW three stars. The other characters were better made: Felix and his car buyer were great. So was Felix's father, Leah, Felix's crazy heiress friend, Michel, all were compelling.
Admittedly, reading NW is a great way to spend some time deep in London life, in a way I cannot ever do as a visitor. But the main character is pathetic and banal, like a Seinfeld character. If you like Seinfeld, maybe add a star and a half.
In NW, Natalie grows up to escape her public housing childhood, only to arrive at a hatred of poor people:
"If there's one thing you learn in a courtroom it's this: people get what they deserve."
That sentence shows the lack of effort here by Zadie Smith in making her main character: Natalie's simplicity demands I give NW three stars. The other characters were better made: Felix and his car buyer were great. So was Felix's father, Leah, Felix's crazy heiress friend, Michel, all were compelling.
Admittedly, reading NW is a great way to spend some time deep in London life, in a way I cannot ever do as a visitor. But the main character is pathetic and banal, like a Seinfeld character. If you like Seinfeld, maybe add a star and a half.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Fabulous writing & characters & world. So many unexpected twists & turns. I loved how the neighborhood was a character in this book. The end confused me though! I didn't understand how the main characters knew anything about a murder & another character. I think I was maybe too immersed in it to follow the plot that closely. Oops!
challenging
emotional
tense
Really struggled w the writing style, felt lost and confused, maybe easier at the end?? But by the time I got to the end, had forgotten the beginning…
emotional
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:
Yes
some of the best prose i have ever read. zadie smith can bend the english language to her whims with unbelievable precision and agility, no other writer knows how to capture a feeling quite like she does. lost me in the last 10 pages though.