A review by jbogerhawkins
On Beauty, by Zadie Smith
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked this book a lot, but I can't say that I loved it. I think I would have found it much more dazzling if I hadn't just read White Teeth, but compared to her debut novel, this one is just slightly lackluster.
Pros:
Pros:
- Fucking hilarious
- Some of the best characterization I've ever read, even for the characters who weren't ultimately redeemable as human beings
- Surprisingly gripping given the slow pacing and overall lack of plot
- I love how much she hates academia
- The Belsey kids (who I think are the protagonists?) are extremely compelling
- Zadie is obviously a genius and I would trust her with my life
Cons:
- I have no idea what the point of the story is and I can't figure it out no matter how hard I think about it
- The hyper-realism thing is cool because she's so good at it but I actually don't love it as a writing style
- Rembrandt sucks and it's unclear to what extent that was supposed to be the takeaway
- What's going on w the ending??