Comments (17)

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Mar 25, 2024TheSnail rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
An unpleasant slog with flat, quarrelsome characters.
Mar 21, 2021maipenrai rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I really wanted to like this book because I had heard such praise for Ms. Smith. She is an excellent writer, but this book failed me because I did not care about or else actively despised the main characters. Howard Belsey is an Englishman…
Dec 14, 2016HPL06105 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I'm disappointed, and this took me much too long to get through. I will give her another try with a different work.
manoush
Dec 10, 2014
A great novel, both very traditional with an omniscient narrator and very modern in its subject matter: mixed-race marriages, parent-child dynamics, academic politics, infidelity, and of course: class. The novel is sprawling and takes in…
Sep 02, 2014
On Beauty is a thoroughly satisfying novel. A comedy set primarily in academia, author Smith explores issues of marriage and infidelity, politics (academic and otherwise), race, class and art. Part satirical, part serious and usually…
Jan 24, 2014
A great novel, with great characters.
Sep 18, 2013
holla
Sep 04, 2013
** stars I really wanted to like this book because I had heard such praise for Ms. Smith. She is an excellent writer, but this book failed me because I did not care about or else actively despised the main characters. Howard Belsey is…
Apr 17, 2013joliebergman rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I guess I just didn't get it.
Nov 09, 2012jennywile rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Really amazing great book
Jun 08, 2012natasha007 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Another great novel set at a university. If you liked White Teeth, you will definitely like this.
Mar 16, 2012danielestes rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This novel is a slice of several cultures I have little experience with: East Coast black urbanites, Ivy League university life, mixed-race families, London, art history and beat poetry. Many have criticized the story for its inauthentic…
Mar 05, 2012
I selected On Beauty for my book club and no one finished it. It is worth noting that few people tried, but those that did had a hard time enjoying it. Please do not pick it up if you expect to be engrossed right away -- I had to get…
Jun 21, 2011imnlove rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Engrossing! This book has become my one of my top 10 favorites. Zadie Smith is a memorizing storyteller. She astutely expatiates on self-identity/self-discovery struggles, particularly faced by mixed-race and minority persons. This book…
hermlou
Jan 12, 2011hermlou rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Hard to get into, and I didn't finish it. The rave reviews made me feel that I should continue, for it was supposed to be hilarious. However, the tense relationship of family members and language of the teens sounded too much like home to…
May 05, 2010Spillie rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
A hard book to "get into", but worth the effort.
Apr 25, 2010Wej rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Very, very good book to listen to.. I think I like "White Teeth", Smith's first novel, even more. I would love to discuss it with someone who has read it.