A review by jacquelynjoan
The Book of Other People, by Zadie Smith
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I can't say whether the stories were "good" because I didn't study that kind of thing. I can only say that I did not enjoy the first five, enjoyed one or two.
I kept thinking I would give up, but deciding to try one more. I thought I'd like Zadie Smith's because I liked White Teeth (but did I really even like White Teeth?) but I gave up halfway through and decided to see if there were one or two others I'd like to read.
I read and liked Edwidge Danticat's Lele.
I started Hari Kunzru's Magda Mandela, but immediately gave up as it reminded me of the first story, David Mitchell's Judith Castle which stuck me as a man writing about an annoying woman. The character didn't seem real or believable at all. And not fun either.
Johnathan Safran Foer's Rhoda was better.
I didn't read any others.
I was hoping for this to be an NPR/WNYC-ish vibe of The People in Your Neighborhood. Maybe I'm spoiled by too much Sesame Street and Neighborhood Slice on NYCTV.
I kept thinking I would give up, but deciding to try one more. I thought I'd like Zadie Smith's because I liked White Teeth (but did I really even like White Teeth?) but I gave up halfway through and decided to see if there were one or two others I'd like to read.
I read and liked Edwidge Danticat's Lele.
I started Hari Kunzru's Magda Mandela, but immediately gave up as it reminded me of the first story, David Mitchell's Judith Castle which stuck me as a man writing about an annoying woman. The character didn't seem real or believable at all. And not fun either.
Johnathan Safran Foer's Rhoda was better.
I didn't read any others.
I was hoping for this to be an NPR/WNYC-ish vibe of The People in Your Neighborhood. Maybe I'm spoiled by too much Sesame Street and Neighborhood Slice on NYCTV.