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jkun's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
3.75
A well written book engaging enough for me to finished but it was not a book that I was busting to find out what happened to the main character.
helenreak1's review against another edition
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
2.75
sb27's review against another edition
Didn't like the characters. Also didn't find it funny.
Zadie Smith is a brilliant author. This just wasn't the book for me.
Zadie Smith is a brilliant author. This just wasn't the book for me.
shann25's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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
3.0
lilaklara's review against another edition
3.0
An intriguing novel by Zadie Smith which for me ultimately didn’t reach its full potential. She is funny and nuanced as ever but the plot felt confused and I wanted more emotional catharsis. Despite this I have to applaud Smith’s ability to write characters that are never wholly likeable, yet we somehow remain attached to them. Also this leaves me with one book to go and I will have read all of her novels!!
naoki's review against another edition
2.0
We meet Alex Li-Tandem at a pro-wrestling match at the age of thirteen. This event is monumental in two ways. His dad dies, and his soon-to-be longtime friend Joseph introduces him to the world of autograph collecting.
Fifteen years later, Alex is an autograph man – he trades autographs for a living. Alex’s worship of celebrity is mostly directed towards one movie star, Kitty Alexander, and this obsession distracts from grief over his father’s death and prevents him from having any real emotional connection.
I didn’t like this book for three reasons (Please note all of this is said with the proviso that Zadie Smith is undeniably amazing and her writing in this book is still incredible). I didn’t find the characters in The Autograph Man particularly compelling. Alex is an irresponsible, selfish daydreamer but not in an interesting way. The plot is a bit loosey-goosey, and there are a few bells and whistles that don’t quite land (themed chapters, lists of Jewishness and goyishness).
I was excited for my second Zadie Smith booth (The last book I read was Swing Time) but The Autograph Man didn’t hit the mark for me. Looking forward to reading her again though.
Fifteen years later, Alex is an autograph man – he trades autographs for a living. Alex’s worship of celebrity is mostly directed towards one movie star, Kitty Alexander, and this obsession distracts from grief over his father’s death and prevents him from having any real emotional connection.
I didn’t like this book for three reasons (Please note all of this is said with the proviso that Zadie Smith is undeniably amazing and her writing in this book is still incredible). I didn’t find the characters in The Autograph Man particularly compelling. Alex is an irresponsible, selfish daydreamer but not in an interesting way. The plot is a bit loosey-goosey, and there are a few bells and whistles that don’t quite land (themed chapters, lists of Jewishness and goyishness).
I was excited for my second Zadie Smith booth (The last book I read was Swing Time) but The Autograph Man didn’t hit the mark for me. Looking forward to reading her again though.
diana_skelton's review against another edition
3.0
"You're either for me or against me, thought Alex-Li Tandem, referring to the daylight and, more generally, to the day. [...] A moment later, he was surprised to feel a flush of warm light dappled over him, filtered through a blind. Non-violent light. This was encouraging. Compare and contrast with yesterday morning's light, pettily fascist, cruel as the strip-lighting in a hospital corridor."
"He was 27 years old. He was emotionally underdeveloped, he supposed, like most Western kids. He was probably in denial of death. He was certainly suspicious of enlightenment. Above all, he liked to be entertained. He was in the habit of mouthing his own personality traits to himself like this while putting his coat on -- he suspected that farm boys and people from the Third World never did this, that they were less self-conscious."
"Sarah Hoffman's family. Trinkets and photographs and facts. [...] The same people who keep boxes like these are the types who follow ominous noises into the dark cellar, who build their very homes on top of Indian burial grounds."
"The last of the suburbs was still passing by, hunkered down for the winter and still as Sunday. Alex felt a particular yearning for the suburbs between an airport and a city. He wanted to stop the car and knock on one of those pine doors, and squeeze in between the fireman and his wife until someone rose to make breakfast and the kids started to yell. But you need a specific address for the suburbs. Only in the city can you be dropped off in front of statues and behind opera houses. The suburbs are by invitation only."
"He was 27 years old. He was emotionally underdeveloped, he supposed, like most Western kids. He was probably in denial of death. He was certainly suspicious of enlightenment. Above all, he liked to be entertained. He was in the habit of mouthing his own personality traits to himself like this while putting his coat on -- he suspected that farm boys and people from the Third World never did this, that they were less self-conscious."
"Sarah Hoffman's family. Trinkets and photographs and facts. [...] The same people who keep boxes like these are the types who follow ominous noises into the dark cellar, who build their very homes on top of Indian burial grounds."
"The last of the suburbs was still passing by, hunkered down for the winter and still as Sunday. Alex felt a particular yearning for the suburbs between an airport and a city. He wanted to stop the car and knock on one of those pine doors, and squeeze in between the fireman and his wife until someone rose to make breakfast and the kids started to yell. But you need a specific address for the suburbs. Only in the city can you be dropped off in front of statues and behind opera houses. The suburbs are by invitation only."
jimbonothing64's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0