Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

7 reviews

bootsmom3's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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honeybearsum's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The allure of Smith's writing style is irresistible. I was depressed for a week while reading it, but I couldn't stop. It's a hard read emotionally, for sure; nonetheless, it's a worthwhile reflection on the complexity of relationships, and thinking about who you should let go, who you should hold onto, and what you may be doing wrong yourself. As the title very bluntly indicates, it's about beauty, and how that word is not so easily defined. 
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crazytourists_books's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Not easy to write my thoughts about this book. It didn't excite me, as the hype around it suggested, but I also didn't dislike it. It's so.ewhere in the middle; something you read and forget as soon as you finish it. 
Nothing exciting happens, and even if it does the author moves away quite fast. It's supposed to be a character centered book, and I appreciate that, but the characters needed more building, they are not flat, but not convincing either. Lukewarm at best. 
At some point, towards the end, I was thinking that ii would make an OK dramatic comedy movie, to spend a slow Sunday afternoon with a book and a cuppa. 
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questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 ⭐️s. Lesbehonest, this was a Goodwill cover buy, because she is STUNNING, HONEY. However, I'd always heard about Zadie Smith being a staple of lit fic, so I thought I'd give her a try. I honestly really liked this. I loved how unlikable and nuanced all of the characters were allowed to be while still being clear that their opinions, such as fatphobia or racism, were not supported by the author. However, it was a little too intellectual for me, and I hate a butthole description 
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zombiezami's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I had a few false starts with the print version of this book, so I went ahead an listened to the audiobook. I did enjoy the twisty turns and how drama-ridden this book was. Overall, though, I don’t think it was for me. I am not really into books where characters wreck their own lives unnecessarily (ahem, Howard). I’m also unfamiliar with the source material, so that wasn’t a draw either. Oh well
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neverbeenanatural's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i can never get enough satire of academia, especially pretentious new england liberal arts schools, and this absolutely delivered. i felt very close to many of the characters, wanting them to make good decisions and feeling VERY pained when they did not. although it was written 15 years ago, it handled a lot of topics (race, class, etc) with enough nuance that they were still relevant. my biggest complaint is that i didn’t expect to spend so much of the book in the perspective of a philandering middle aged professor. overall, super well written and engrossing.
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