Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

11 reviews

nenaveenstra's review against another edition

challenging funny informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was long, spanned half a century and followed three families - and it never got boring. The characters are all so vivid and unique, the prose is so witty, and the social commentary is *chef’s kiss *. It showcased the cyclical nature of human life & history in an amazingly accurate way, as well as the lives of people with different ethnic and religious backgrounds. It taught me a lot about the inner workings of people I rarely meet in my day-to-day life, as well as English culture, and it was a lot of fun. 

I did feel like it was maybe a tad too long, and that certain histories of people we meet could have been left out. I’m also not a big fan of the slurs that were used; sometimes they made sense for the characters, but at others it felt more like a sign of the times when this book was released. It is over twenty years old now, after all. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Suicide attempt, and War

Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, and Blood

Minor: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

lanid's review against another edition

emotional funny

• 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Lesbophobia, Colonisation, and War

noahsingh's review against another edition

2.0

reaaally don't get why people love this book, it's super Islamophobic and also why does Zadie Smith hate fat people so much.... Get a grip

Also frustrating ending with no real closure re: the marriages, the twins, etc 

soooo many things I disliked about this but saving a Nazi twice as a plot point really killed me what is this book

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Islamophobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and War

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Cultural appropriation

saskiahill's review against another edition

funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Pregnancy

Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, and Mental illness

caylacolclasure's review against another edition

tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Racism, Islamophobia, and War

lizziaha's review

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The way that Zadie Smith writes people is uniquely complex and compelling. I was surprised at the depth of my hatred for these characters and then by the equal depth of my sympathy and appreciation for the same characters. (Neena was the only character who escaped without hatred from me. And niece of shame is a kickass nickname.) Their convoluted natures and equally, if not more, convicted relationships with each other were the thread that tied the whole novel together and made the ending of it feel like something more than it was—though I would’ve liked to know even more. Some of the scenes of prejudice in this book wrenched a visceral reaction from me, especially in the casualness of their presentation. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual content, Islamophobia, and Lesbophobia

nelliecdownie's review against another edition

challenging medium-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide attempt, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, and Fatphobia

donkeykong's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective tense 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and War

Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

linesiunderline's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.0

This book is SO MUCH. It has so much life, so many themes, characters, layers… it’s a book you need to devote yourself to, not a casual kind of reading experience. I’m glad to have finally picked it up, but I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t effortful at times.

A few words to describe Smith’s debut:

Crowded

Meandering 

Rich

Funny

Chaotic 

Epic
Intimate

Because of the sometimes chaotic feel, I didn’t feel consistently connected to the narrative and there were moments when I had to knuckle down and push on to get to the next section. Still, I was ultimately rewarded by it all.

I’ve been mixed reviews on the ending, but I thought it was outstanding.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia

Moderate: Domestic abuse, War, and Injury/Injury detail

fionac326's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia