Reviews

On Beauty, by Zadie Smith

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norah_'s review against another edition

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dark funny 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

3.25

⭐️=3.25 | 😘=5 | 🤬=5 | 🍺/🚬=4 | 18+

Content Warnings

alh0f3's review against another edition

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3.0

I didn't love this book. Smith focuses on character development rather than plot, and does so very well. For the most part, even the tangential characters were multi-dimensional. But I found her characters, almost without exception, to be deplorable people who did not seem to grow or change as the book went on. Smith uses them to comment on her underlying themes of race, class and academia, but I just never felt invested.

megan_martha_reads's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad 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

3.75

carrix2's review against another edition

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1.0

Ugh this book is so boring. Literally nothing happens. It's just a family of self centered people existing around another family of self centered people they don't like.

And the character descriptions? The mom is an overweight black woman. Any time she is mentioned, it is also referenced that she is either black or fat. Or both. Every time. Apparently she has zero other traits.
And her husband is a f-ing pig who sexualizes and objectifies every woman he comes into contact with. And then it repeated says "he doesn't usually do this". He meets the daughter of the other family, whom his son was briefly engaged to, and talks about her nipples. Multiple times on multiple meetings. Eww.