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If it weren't for our book discussion, I would never have even picked this title up. And even though it was slow going at the start, by the end it was very engaging. Smith is one young, amazing writer.
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(3.5 stars) It's rare these days that I want a book to be longer than it is, and in this case it's not because the book was so completely spectacular (though I enjoyed it), but because if you're going to use some elements of Victorian literature in your book, you need to write a "loose, baggy monster" of a novel to live up to them. Smith sets up a lot of conflicts, both interpersonal and societal, sprinkles in some Victorian elements like a father racing to prevent an unsuitable marriage and a f
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ON BEAUTY: NOTES
Part One: Kipps & Belsey
• Howard reacts to Jerome’s claim that he intends to marry Monty Kipps’ daughter, while Kiki tells him that the worst thing they can do is to take it seriously—their son just wants attention, etc. (10)
• “Kiki stayed in her strange moment, nervous of what this black woman thought of another black women paying her to clean.” (11)
• Levi, son with faux Brooklyn accent (11)
• Allusion to Howard’s infidelity at a conference: “When you are guilty, all you can ask ...more
Part One: Kipps & Belsey
• Howard reacts to Jerome’s claim that he intends to marry Monty Kipps’ daughter, while Kiki tells him that the worst thing they can do is to take it seriously—their son just wants attention, etc. (10)
• “Kiki stayed in her strange moment, nervous of what this black woman thought of another black women paying her to clean.” (11)
• Levi, son with faux Brooklyn accent (11)
• Allusion to Howard’s infidelity at a conference: “When you are guilty, all you can ask ...more
I like Zadie Smith in general and this novel specifically, despite the fact that the plot and structure are rooted in Forster. There's nothing wrong with tribute to or emulation of someone you admire, nor is there anything wrong with Foster. However Smith's skilled creation of prose, plot and theme combined with a brilliant prescience makes her a classic all her own. Why invoke or defer to capital C Classics?
Who doesn't love an academic drawing room comedy? Smith's ever astute racial analysis is ...more
Who doesn't love an academic drawing room comedy? Smith's ever astute racial analysis is ...more
Jul 15, 2008
Lauren
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
boston-or-close-by
I really enjoyed this and the way it riffed off of Howards End. Smith is such a generous novelist - the characters ,settings, plots, places, dialogues, ideas, everything just flows. It does peter out at the end though - I think all her endings do. Like she's not quite sure how to wrap up all that she started. Still, though, a splendid read that had me staying up late and waking up early to read an extra chapter.
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So I just don't like Zadie Smith. The parts of her books that I think are interesting are not the parts she follows up with. I read the New Yorker excerpt of "NW" and I will not be reading that either.
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I liked the tomato.
Sep 23, 2007
Meg
added it
Jan 31, 2008
Wiltshire Hermit
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
booker-books
Aug 02, 2009
Erin
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Jan 12, 2010
Maggie
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Jul 17, 2010
Allison
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Jun 06, 2011
Lisa
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Feb 02, 2016
Belle
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Apr 28, 2016
Cristella
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