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emilybilodeau's review against another edition
Freezing take: Zadie Smith is a brilliant writer
adelevarley's review against another edition
4.0
"a tap runs fast the first time you switch it on"
gc ~ read august 8th
gc ~ read august 8th
liliflynn's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
flacko's review against another edition
3.0
Gestern in der Schule wurde das Buch komplett vorgelesen und entweder habe ich geschlafen oder mich absolut gelangweilt währenddessen. Heute erst ist aber das Buch angekommen, für die Stunde gestern, und dachte ich les es mal, weil wieso nicht. Ich hab mich für 30min hingesetzt und gelesen und es war auf ernst nicht schlecht, wie ich zuvor davon ausgegangen bin. Hat ausgesagt, was es aussagen soll und dadurch solide. Kann mich über nichts beschweren eigentlich.
6/10
6/10
lars1993's review against another edition
3.0
Initially I was of the opinion that the Embassy of Cambodia, and all of the badminton references in the story, were a Chekhov's gun. And it annoyed me.
Zadie Smith is an author that is well spoken of, and this was the first story I read by her, so surely it must be me that is missing something, I thought.
So I read some reviews online, to try and better understand.
One review set me on the path to think of the badminton references (pock, smash) as the never ending power struggle between those in power and those who are not.
I liked that.
It fits the narrative of the powerless Fatou, who is mistreated by her employers on the daily but does not recognize it as abuse because the world she grew up in was an even harsher one.
The story gives an inside into the world of immigrant London, and illustrates how fragile that existence in the margins is. When Fatou is fired (for no apparent reason), I found myself relieved that she had one friend she could turn to. Even if that one friend was only a friend because he was romantically interested in her, and thus a new precarious situation waiting to happen, still.
This story ultimately poses the question: how large, or small, should our circle of attention be?
"No doubt there are those who will be critical of the narrow, essentially local scope of Fatou's interest in the Cambodian woman from the Embassy of Cambodia, but we, the people of Willesden, have some sympathy with her attitude. The fact is if we followed the history of every little country in this world - in its dramatic as well as its quiet times - we would have no space left in which to live our own lives or to apply ourselves to our necessary tasks, never mind indulge in occasional pleasures, like swimming. Surely there is something to be said for drawing a circle around our attention and remaining within that circle. But how large should this circle be?" (p. 23-24)
A question that is ever relevant in the world we live in.
How much should we care about the lives of the anonymous immigrant workers in London or hotel staff in African countries that are being sexually exploited?
The old lady in the nursing home, that watches Fatou from her balcony, gives us the heartbreaking answer: not too much, or we would not have time to indulge ourselves in our own little hobbies, taking care to stay within the confines of our own little bubbles, trying as hard as we can to not see the misery of those less fortunate ones living among us.
And Fatou, herself, also answers the question, from the perspective of the immigrant worker operating in survival mode:
"She had an idea that Oriental people had their own, secret establishments and shopped there. (She believed the Jews did, too.) She both admired and slightly resented this self-reliance, but had no doubt that it was the secret to holding great power, as a people. For example, when the Chinese had come to Fatou's village to take over the mine, an abiding local mystery had been: what did they eat and where did they eat it? They certainly did not buy food in the market, or from the Lebanese traders along the main road. They made their own arrangements. (Whether back home or here, the key to surviving as a people, in Fatou's opinion, was to make your own arrangements.)" (p. 20-21)
Zadie Smith is an author that is well spoken of, and this was the first story I read by her, so surely it must be me that is missing something, I thought.
So I read some reviews online, to try and better understand.
One review set me on the path to think of the badminton references (pock, smash) as the never ending power struggle between those in power and those who are not.
I liked that.
It fits the narrative of the powerless Fatou, who is mistreated by her employers on the daily but does not recognize it as abuse because the world she grew up in was an even harsher one.
The story gives an inside into the world of immigrant London, and illustrates how fragile that existence in the margins is. When Fatou is fired (for no apparent reason), I found myself relieved that she had one friend she could turn to. Even if that one friend was only a friend because he was romantically interested in her, and thus a new precarious situation waiting to happen, still.
This story ultimately poses the question: how large, or small, should our circle of attention be?
"No doubt there are those who will be critical of the narrow, essentially local scope of Fatou's interest in the Cambodian woman from the Embassy of Cambodia, but we, the people of Willesden, have some sympathy with her attitude. The fact is if we followed the history of every little country in this world - in its dramatic as well as its quiet times - we would have no space left in which to live our own lives or to apply ourselves to our necessary tasks, never mind indulge in occasional pleasures, like swimming. Surely there is something to be said for drawing a circle around our attention and remaining within that circle. But how large should this circle be?" (p. 23-24)
A question that is ever relevant in the world we live in.
How much should we care about the lives of the anonymous immigrant workers in London or hotel staff in African countries that are being sexually exploited?
The old lady in the nursing home, that watches Fatou from her balcony, gives us the heartbreaking answer: not too much, or we would not have time to indulge ourselves in our own little hobbies, taking care to stay within the confines of our own little bubbles, trying as hard as we can to not see the misery of those less fortunate ones living among us.
And Fatou, herself, also answers the question, from the perspective of the immigrant worker operating in survival mode:
"She had an idea that Oriental people had their own, secret establishments and shopped there. (She believed the Jews did, too.) She both admired and slightly resented this self-reliance, but had no doubt that it was the secret to holding great power, as a people. For example, when the Chinese had come to Fatou's village to take over the mine, an abiding local mystery had been: what did they eat and where did they eat it? They certainly did not buy food in the market, or from the Lebanese traders along the main road. They made their own arrangements. (Whether back home or here, the key to surviving as a people, in Fatou's opinion, was to make your own arrangements.)" (p. 20-21)
josy_'s review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
sophia_sunflower's review against another edition
4.0
I love Zadie Smith's style of writing! In this book, she manages to touch upon many substantial themes within few pages. I'm amazed.