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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
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
Nearly halfway thru and i didnt care at all
Sorry!
Sorry!
In this book Zadie Smith tells the story of three young people living in North West London, using interconnected stories and varying of prose styles for each section.
First up is Leah, a thirty-something woman who's day is interrupted by a woman screaming at her door for help. She lets her in and assists by giving some money for a taxi, and in the course of their conversation it turns out that they went to the same school. As soon as the woman has gone Leah realises she has been scammed by a drug-addict with a fake sob-story. Since they are both living in the same neighbourhood they keep running in to each other, and Leah develops an infatuation with this young vulnerable woman. Her story stops here. This section is told in a somewhat difficult style of prose, where dialogue is recorded without quotation marks and without tagging who has said which line of dialogue. You often have to figure out who is saying what, and there is little descriptive text to accompany a conversation. Outside of dialogue it reads like prose poetry. I'm not sure what Smith was trying to achieve - it's clunky and difficult and you never forget that you are reading a book.
Next up we have Felix, a young guy who has recently gotten his life on track. He's got a new girlfriend who is encouraging him to take life seriously, though he has some issues hanging over from his past. He visits his aging misogynistic father, then goes to break things off with an old flame. Felix's story is written in a normal, readable prose and was enjoyable.
The remaining half of the book follows Keisha Blake (or Natalie has she goes by since leaving the estate). Her story is told from when she met Leah aged 4, until "present day" (when Leah's story begins). It is relayed in 185 short paragraphs, each with their own title and with no chapters. It's a breezy read and I felt like I understood Natalie's hollowness and sadness well. Although unconventional, her section paints a picture of a young black woman who has drifted from her roots into mindless middle-class oblivion. The next section is about her too, but told in normal chapter/paragraph form, albeit with dialogue once again laid out in an unclear and unnecessary confusing way. I have to read the start of one chapter several times because it was not made clear which of the two characters started the string of dialogue.
This was the definition of a mixed bag reading experience. Smith can write people, and we come to her for a slice-of-life North London second-generation-immigrant story. But here she constantly mucks with the form in a way that seems haphazard and unconnected to the stories she's telling. It's form over function, because it certainly detracts from the tale and only serves to distract and annoy. In the short section where she just tells it "normal style" I got lost in the story. Every other section (even Natalie's which I enjoyed) I got lost in the paragraphs trying to figure out who the fuck said what. I reckon this is one for Zadie Smith devotees only, and since I am between "devotee" and "fan" in my appreciation for her, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, not even myself. That being said, she sure can write people in a way no one else can. I almost feel forced to give it 4 stars just because she's so good, even though this is the definition of a mixed book and should right have 3 stars. 4 it is though.
I got this in a charity shop at the Totnes Christmas market 2024.
First up is Leah, a thirty-something woman who's day is interrupted by a woman screaming at her door for help. She lets her in and assists by giving some money for a taxi, and in the course of their conversation it turns out that they went to the same school. As soon as the woman has gone Leah realises she has been scammed by a drug-addict with a fake sob-story. Since they are both living in the same neighbourhood they keep running in to each other, and Leah develops an infatuation with this young vulnerable woman. Her story stops here. This section is told in a somewhat difficult style of prose, where dialogue is recorded without quotation marks and without tagging who has said which line of dialogue. You often have to figure out who is saying what, and there is little descriptive text to accompany a conversation. Outside of dialogue it reads like prose poetry. I'm not sure what Smith was trying to achieve - it's clunky and difficult and you never forget that you are reading a book.
Next up we have Felix, a young guy who has recently gotten his life on track. He's got a new girlfriend who is encouraging him to take life seriously, though he has some issues hanging over from his past. He visits his aging misogynistic father, then goes to break things off with an old flame.
Spoiler
His story abruptly ends when he is stabbed.The remaining half of the book follows Keisha Blake (or Natalie has she goes by since leaving the estate). Her story is told from when she met Leah aged 4, until "present day" (when Leah's story begins). It is relayed in 185 short paragraphs, each with their own title and with no chapters. It's a breezy read and I felt like I understood Natalie's hollowness and sadness well. Although unconventional, her section paints a picture of a young black woman who has drifted from her roots into mindless middle-class oblivion. The next section is about her too, but told in normal chapter/paragraph form, albeit with dialogue once again laid out in an unclear and unnecessary confusing way. I have to read the start of one chapter several times because it was not made clear which of the two characters started the string of dialogue.
Spoiler
Natalie's story appears to connect to Felix's, but also abruptly ends. And that's the book! A very unsatisfying ending. And Leah's story is not returned to, leaving the book feeling unfinished.This was the definition of a mixed bag reading experience. Smith can write people, and we come to her for a slice-of-life North London second-generation-immigrant story. But here she constantly mucks with the form in a way that seems haphazard and unconnected to the stories she's telling. It's form over function, because it certainly detracts from the tale and only serves to distract and annoy. In the short section where she just tells it "normal style" I got lost in the story. Every other section (even Natalie's which I enjoyed) I got lost in the paragraphs trying to figure out who the fuck said what. I reckon this is one for Zadie Smith devotees only, and since I am between "devotee" and "fan" in my appreciation for her, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, not even myself. That being said, she sure can write people in a way no one else can. I almost feel forced to give it 4 stars just because she's so good, even though this is the definition of a mixed book and should right have 3 stars. 4 it is though.
I got this in a charity shop at the Totnes Christmas market 2024.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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:
Complicated
The lifelong friendship of Leah Hanwell and Natalie (Keisha) Blake takes place against the backdrop of Willesden, a working class borough in the Northwest of London that is home to Irish, South Asian, and African immigrants. The two girls lived there with their families as children, did well enough in school to go to university, and have both made it "out" of the neighborhood as adults, but are still very much rooted there. Although the action of the novel centers around Leah, Natalie, and a young man named Felix, Willesden itself is arguably a character in its own right. Its shops and restaurants, alleys and bus stops, parks and churchyards are populated with people who are struggling, joyful, weary, gentle, violent, philosophical, etc. There are some truly delightful scenes that depict the character of the place.
Although I enjoyed the novel, I didn't understand the structure of it. The central section (and the longest), called Host, tells the story of Leah and Natalie's friendship from its beginning when they were girls to a point where Natalie comes to a crisis in her adult life, in 178 sections ranging from as short as one sentence to as long as several pages. The sections before and after Host are fairly traditional narratives, so this read to me at first like notes for the backstory of the novel. After a while I got used to the different pace and structure of that section and it didn't feel so disjointed anymore, but I still wonder about the reason for the style change.
Anyway, if you like novels about female friendship, give this one a try. The two main characters are excellent and their friendship is real.
Although I enjoyed the novel, I didn't understand the structure of it. The central section (and the longest), called Host, tells the story of Leah and Natalie's friendship from its beginning when they were girls to a point where Natalie comes to a crisis in her adult life, in 178 sections ranging from as short as one sentence to as long as several pages. The sections before and after Host are fairly traditional narratives, so this read to me at first like notes for the backstory of the novel. After a while I got used to the different pace and structure of that section and it didn't feel so disjointed anymore, but I still wonder about the reason for the style change.
Anyway, if you like novels about female friendship, give this one a try. The two main characters are excellent and their friendship is real.
Urgh big mistake buying and reading this book. Only giving it a 2 instead of a 1 because I respect the author's sense of adventure with her experimentalism.
But otherwise, this book was a super slow, confusing read. I still have no idea what it was about or what it meant or ... anything. I just didn't enjoy it. I was hoping by the time I flipped the last page that it will all make sense, but nope.
But otherwise, this book was a super slow, confusing read. I still have no idea what it was about or what it meant or ... anything. I just didn't enjoy it. I was hoping by the time I flipped the last page that it will all make sense, but nope.
challenging
reflective
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes