Dani's review
On Beauty
by Zadie Smith
Dani's review
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Dani's review
rating:
bookshelves:
dani-s-top-10,
dani-s-very-faves
One of my top 5 all time favorites. This book deals with racial issues in America better than any book I've ever read.
The story follows the lives of two rival families in a fictional Ivy League college town outside Boston. The fathers of both families teach at the college. As the book progresses, you follow the story of each member of the Belsey family's life. You can't help but just fall in love with each character, and flawed as they almost all are, you can totally see things from their perspective. Howard is the (white) patriarch, and has good intentions but is tragically flawed. Kiki is the matriarch and powerhouse of the family. Jerome is the eldest son, and despite always having been 'the good son' frustrates his atheist family when he becomes a born-again Christian. Zora is the take-on-the-world college aged daughter. Levi is the youngest (and in my opinion the most loveable!), and seems to struggle the most with his mixed-race identity and desperately wants to rel...more
The story follows the lives of two rival families in a fictional Ivy League college town outside Boston. The fathers of both families teach at the college. As the book progresses, you follow the story of each member of the Belsey family's life. You can't help but just fall in love with each character, and flawed as they almost all are, you can totally see things from their perspective. Howard is the (white) patriarch, and has good intentions but is tragically flawed. Kiki is the matriarch and powerhouse of the family. Jerome is the eldest son, and despite always having been 'the good son' frustrates his atheist family when he becomes a born-again Christian. Zora is the take-on-the-world college aged daughter. Levi is the youngest (and in my opinion the most loveable!), and seems to struggle the most with his mixed-race identity and desperately wants to rel...more
