Status
Checked out
Genres
Publication
Vintage (2001), 464 pages
Description
On New Year's morning, 1975, Archie Jones sits in his car on a London road and waits for the exhaust fumes to fill his Cavalier Musketeer station wagon. Archie--working-class, ordinary, a failed marriage under his belt--is calling it quits, the deciding factor being the flip of a 20-pence coin. When the owner of a nearby halal butcher shop (annoyed that Archie's car is blocking his delivery area) comes out and bangs on the window, he gives Archie another chance at life and sets in motion this richly imagined, uproariously funny novel. Set in post-war London, this novel of the racial, political, and social upheaval of the last half-century follows two families--the Joneses and the Iqbals, both outsiders from within the former British empire--as they make their way in modern England.… (more)
Media reviews
It follows, for a while, the lives of three poor North London families over several decades of the late 20th Century- the Chalfens, Joneses, and the Iqbals, except that it does not really follow them. There is no coherent thread, just a lot of scenes designed to show us how weird, funny, grotesque,
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or dull these people of Indian, Jamaican, and Turkish backgrounds are. A few negative reviews have pointed out that Smith, despite her background, has no real grasp of slang- especially that of the Jamaican immigrants the Joneses represent, as she supposedly mixes Jamaican and Rastafarian terms with ease. I have no idea whether this is true or not, but the characters are all stereotypes, and speak in atrocious dialogues, whether or not the patois is correct. To nitpick over the patois when the writing is atrocious is like complaining the rabid dog that bit you also looked flea-bitten.
Conversation is best when it gives the illusion of colloquialism while focusing on the most poetic moments of speech to arrive at illuminating points that a reader can relate to. Conversation, when well used, can be a shortcut o establishing a character's traits and habits, far more easily and quickly than omniscient narration can. Smith has no idea that this is what it can be used for. Instead, she sees it as a way to show hipsterism is alive and well, and she's an initiate of it. The two ostensible leads are Archie Jones- an inveterate liar and Samad Iqbal, a career waiter. They are buddies from World War Two, and the patriarchs of their clans. Archie marries beautiful, but buck-toothed Clara, who hates her Jehovah's Witness mother, thus slipping into an unsavory lifestyle in rebellion. They have a daughter, named Irie. Samad marries a girl named Alsana and has twin boys, Magid and Millat- the former a Fundy Islamist, and the latter a wannabe street thug. Both men are disappointed in life, and an inordinate portion of the book takes place in a dentist's office- hence the title, which also is slang to mean the ideal of a handsome English boy or girl the social climbing foreigners see as ideal mates.
Of course, the children cannot assimilate, and Irie fixates on Millat. Then, nothing much more happens, as the older generations' struggles give way to the younger, including Moslem cultists, genetic experiments on mice, the protests against Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses (a cheap way to wrangle a blurb from him- which worked!, as his is the first on the book's blurb page) the Chalfen family, and then the book just ends- as if Smith grew bored with the whole damnable enterprise, and thought she'd just pull the plug. Of course, this end comes only after a hundred and fifty or so pages of a book that seems to want to veer into science fiction before dropping back to failed social satire, and after many other narratives and themes are dropped without reason- admittedly, none were that interesting to begin with, but why start a bad thread if you will not even end it? The book is full of such technical failings, and cannot even qualify as a slice of life tale, in the mold of a lesser A Tree Grows In Brooklyn or the Bridge novels of Evan S. Connell, for it seemingly wants to go somewhere, only to pull back, and just wither. Show Less
Was macht nun diesen Roman aus dem multiethnischen Milieu Londons so bedeutend, dass kaum mehr jemand wagt, auch auf die Schwächen hinzuweisen und sein Übermaß an Figuren und vor allem das versöhnliche Ende zu kritisieren? Der Roman ist vielleicht tatsächlich, wie Zadie Smith selbst sagt, das
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"literarische Äquivalent eines hyperaktiven, zehn Jahre alten, steptanzenden rothaarigen Kindes" und damit in erster Linie außergewöhnlich. Seine Dialoge sind von einer Vitalität, dass man glaubt, man säße auf dem Oberdeck eines dieser roten Busse. Man genießt die scharfsichtige Analyse auch der unbedeutenden Nebensächlichkeiten und folgt den sich oft verlierenden mäandernden Gedanken, weil Zadie Smith mit Worten umzugehen weiß. Selbst dann, wenn sie philosophische Ideen des Daseins auf "Analogien für den Duracell-Hasen" reduziert, sind Witz, Sentimentalität und eine Form des magischen Realismus eben gerade so wohldosiert, dass es keine Haken gibt, die den Lesefluss behindern. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member brenzi
Zadie Smith’s White Teeth is a wild, raucous, rollicking, joyful, sad, funny tale about life in immigrant families in North London in the years leading up to the start of the 21st century. That it is as important and timely today as when it was published twelve years ago only solidifies her
The book opens in 1975 as Archie Jones is sitting in his car, trying to asphyxiate himself with a vacuum cleaner hose that’s attached to the car’s exhaust system. His wife has divorced him and life doesn’t seem worth living. He’s saved because he parked his car (inconveniently) next to the Halal butcher who was waiting for a load of bovine and this just will not do. Archie is thankful to be saved and goes on to marry Clara Bowden, whose black roots go back to Jamaica and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Archie, friends with Samad Iqbal sine the war, whose roots, along with those of his wife Alsana go back to Bangladesh. For the most part, the book is about these two families and the problems faced by immigrants across the world and through the generations. Later in the story, another purely British family, liberal intellectuals, is introduced and, paradoxically, the pot really begins to boil. Their interference in the lives of the Jones and Iqbal children, at the expense of their own children, provides another interesting look at the diversity of modern society.
”This has been the century of strangers, brown, yellow and white. This has been the century of the great immigrant experience. It is only this late in the day that you can walk into a playground and find Isaac Leung by the fish pond, Danny Rahman in the football cage, Quang O’Rourke bouncing a basketball and Irie Jones humming a tune. Children with first and last names on a direct collision course. Names that secrete within them mass exodus, cramped boats and planes, cold arrivals, medical checkups. It is only this late in the day, and only in Willesden, that you can find best friends Sita and Sharon, constantly mistaken for each other because Sita is white (her mother liked the name) and Sharon is Pakistani (her mother thought it best---less trouble). Yet despite all the mixing up, despite the fact that we have finally slipped into each other’s lives with reasonable comfort (like a man returning to his lover’s bed after a midnight walk), despite all this, it is still hard to admit that there is no one more English than the Indian, no one more Indian than the English. There are still young white men who are angry about that; who will roll out at closing time into the poorly lit streets with a kitchen knife wrapped in a tight fist.” (Page 272)
Smith’s forte is characterization and, I must say, she is wizard-like as she develops these characters and, through them, explores the issues of race, sex and class facing, not only the UK, but countries all over the world. Delving into multiculturalism through multiple points of view allows the reader a unique perspective. The white teeth of the title expound on this theme.
I found White Teeth to be wildly funny and yet terribly thought provoking and prescient (this was, after all published before 9/11). Highly recommended.
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reputation as a gifted and talented writer.The book opens in 1975 as Archie Jones is sitting in his car, trying to asphyxiate himself with a vacuum cleaner hose that’s attached to the car’s exhaust system. His wife has divorced him and life doesn’t seem worth living. He’s saved because he parked his car (inconveniently) next to the Halal butcher who was waiting for a load of bovine and this just will not do. Archie is thankful to be saved and goes on to marry Clara Bowden, whose black roots go back to Jamaica and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Archie, friends with Samad Iqbal sine the war, whose roots, along with those of his wife Alsana go back to Bangladesh. For the most part, the book is about these two families and the problems faced by immigrants across the world and through the generations. Later in the story, another purely British family, liberal intellectuals, is introduced and, paradoxically, the pot really begins to boil. Their interference in the lives of the Jones and Iqbal children, at the expense of their own children, provides another interesting look at the diversity of modern society.
”This has been the century of strangers, brown, yellow and white. This has been the century of the great immigrant experience. It is only this late in the day that you can walk into a playground and find Isaac Leung by the fish pond, Danny Rahman in the football cage, Quang O’Rourke bouncing a basketball and Irie Jones humming a tune. Children with first and last names on a direct collision course. Names that secrete within them mass exodus, cramped boats and planes, cold arrivals, medical checkups. It is only this late in the day, and only in Willesden, that you can find best friends Sita and Sharon, constantly mistaken for each other because Sita is white (her mother liked the name) and Sharon is Pakistani (her mother thought it best---less trouble). Yet despite all the mixing up, despite the fact that we have finally slipped into each other’s lives with reasonable comfort (like a man returning to his lover’s bed after a midnight walk), despite all this, it is still hard to admit that there is no one more English than the Indian, no one more Indian than the English. There are still young white men who are angry about that; who will roll out at closing time into the poorly lit streets with a kitchen knife wrapped in a tight fist.” (Page 272)
Smith’s forte is characterization and, I must say, she is wizard-like as she develops these characters and, through them, explores the issues of race, sex and class facing, not only the UK, but countries all over the world. Delving into multiculturalism through multiple points of view allows the reader a unique perspective. The white teeth of the title expound on this theme.
I found White Teeth to be wildly funny and yet terribly thought provoking and prescient (this was, after all published before 9/11). Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member eleanor_eader
White Teeth is a novel about immigration, racism, and family history. Set in a schizophrenic London – largely xenophobic, yet a multicultural melting pot – in the 80s, the story explores self-identity and each generation’s hope for the next. Smith conveys these themes through the intimate
I loved this book, as much for Smith’s underlying premise that as humans we are all monumentally fucked up in some way, as for the depths of character without which the book simply would not work and which she manages so adroitly.
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characterisation of two families, the Iqbals and the Jonses, and with an inherent humour that keeps the reader engaged.I loved this book, as much for Smith’s underlying premise that as humans we are all monumentally fucked up in some way, as for the depths of character without which the book simply would not work and which she manages so adroitly.
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LibraryThing member Lisa2013
I doubt I’d have read if not for my real world book club, and even though I barely liked it, I don’t regret reading it.
It is hilarious at parts but I can’t give it more than 3 stars because this is one case where the whole adds up to less than the sum of the parts; many pages were
I do like how it’s funny in sad parts, including the suicide attempt at the beginning! loved that. However, when the narrator wasn’t amusing me, they were annoying me.
The story is very busy, sprawling, lots characters, lots going on, too weird structure for me and writing I found distancing, and it seemed very ambitious but for me it didn’t succeed and it ultimately felt like kind of a mess. I often do like big epic novels, but this one didn’t come together for me.
I think it tried to be profound (immigration, race, cultural, identity, etc. ) but I don’t think it succeeded. I was interested in Irie for a time, but then not, and I don’t think any of the characters will stick with me. I didn’t get that invested in any of them.
I didn’t like most of the deviations from the regular font text, but the family tree (on page 281 of my edition) was a hoot. I have some interest in genealogy and I’d love to see more detailed, honest family trees such as this one.
There are also lots of quotable quotes. I liked many including, “Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.” This quote does get repeated.
I’m not sure how to sum up my feelings/thoughts about the book except to reiterate how read certain pages was a pleasure but reading the book in its entirety was not. And, the whole wasn’t as good as some of its parts; the whole didn’t come together for me.
It is hilarious at parts but I can’t give it more than 3 stars because this is one case where the whole adds up to less than the sum of the parts; many pages were
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entertaining, but the whole story didn’t wow me.I do like how it’s funny in sad parts, including the suicide attempt at the beginning! loved that. However, when the narrator wasn’t amusing me, they were annoying me.
The story is very busy, sprawling, lots characters, lots going on, too weird structure for me and writing I found distancing, and it seemed very ambitious but for me it didn’t succeed and it ultimately felt like kind of a mess. I often do like big epic novels, but this one didn’t come together for me.
I think it tried to be profound (immigration, race, cultural, identity, etc. ) but I don’t think it succeeded. I was interested in Irie for a time, but then not, and I don’t think any of the characters will stick with me. I didn’t get that invested in any of them.
I didn’t like most of the deviations from the regular font text, but the family tree (on page 281 of my edition) was a hoot. I have some interest in genealogy and I’d love to see more detailed, honest family trees such as this one.
There are also lots of quotable quotes. I liked many including, “Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.” This quote does get repeated.
I’m not sure how to sum up my feelings/thoughts about the book except to reiterate how read certain pages was a pleasure but reading the book in its entirety was not. And, the whole wasn’t as good as some of its parts; the whole didn’t come together for me.
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LibraryThing member CK25_00
I probably would’ve never found out about Zadie Smith were it not for the David Foster Wallace listserv I joined recently. The group (which apparently has been active for at least the last 12 years) propose topics from time to time and through an email chain let’s members chime in with their
What follows in its 450 pages covers events in multiple familial time lines dating back to 1857 (well, the religious stuff goes a bit further but isn’t the most prominently featured) and touches heavily upon a debate that very clearly dominated the television show Lost: Religion (faith) vs. Science. The debate doesn’t particularly get going until the third act when multiple plot threads meet up in 1992 but by the time you get there you have a firm grasp on the factors motivating the Jones’, Bowden’s, Iqbal’s, and Chalfen’s on their respective paths.
The sticking point of the novel revolves around Archibald Jones and Samad Iqbal, two men who were stationed in the same squad of misfits during WWII, a friendship that develops for decades to come, adding wives and children to the mix who don’t necessarily share similar world views, despite their native customs. The book begins in 1974 where Archibald, having recently been divorced by his wife, decides not to kill himself, leading to a chance meeting with Clara Bowden, mixed from Jamaican descent, at a new year’s party. Despite a thirty year age gap the two marry several weeks later and soon have a girl, Irie Jones.
Through that emerging marriage we’re introduced to the Iqbal’s, Samad and Alsana. Of Bangladesh descent, the Iqbal’s traditional arranged marriage (with also several decades separating ages of man and wife) is rife with domestic fights and disagreements about how to raise their kids, twins Magid and Millat. Their most consistent debate is how to instill traditional religious values without becoming corrupt to the Western ways living in London that directly conflict with the teachings of Islam and devotion to Allah. Wanting to thwart the influence of Western culture and fortify his sons’ faith in religion Samad singlehandedly (and after much oscillation) decides to drain his resources to send a ten-year old Magid back to Bangladesh in hopes of sparing him from what he sees as a ‘Kaffir existence’.
The crucial turning point occurs at Glenard Oak Academy when a school-wide sweep of the campus, in a vain attempt to thwart the perceived smoking threat of cannabis and tobacco, ensnares Irie, Millat, and walking doormat Joshua Chalfen. His parents, the Chalfens’, who are intellectual and scientific powerhouses (and perhaps the most naivest bubble family on the planet), take on the task of educating the trio as punishment and invariably drive the Iqbal’s and Jones’ on a collision course nine years later when a genetic engineering experiment known as FutureMouse! threatens the foundations of several religious outfits.
Smith’s book is entirely about the agonizing over cultural customs that have long defined a particular group and how best to deal with them while living in a place that doesn’t necessarily recognize your full human rights. How to deal when your children choose a path separate from the one you originally envisioned. How best to hang on to your heritage when your lineage isn’t terribly well-defined or respected. How it sometimes feel like every pair of eyes are on you because you look different, and all of the accompanying self-doubt and despair (Irie’s mixed race heritage figures prominently into this in the earlier chapters). Samad, and to a certain extent Irie, feel this conflict as often as they breathe. It’s in their face everyday. Samad, continually at odds with his own familiar legacy, makes great pains to protect that legacy and inadvertently does the exact opposite, much to the dismay of Alsana.
At the forefront seems to be a lot of mental repression (especially in the case of Samad/Alsana).
Through the narrative characters glorify their own past so their own might not be such a let down and remain steadfast in their principles and I guess this is what happens when it finally comes to a head. I can’t remember another story that’s brought together Atheists, Islamic fundamentalists, and Jehovah Witnesses in such a direct way before.
So does it show similarity to something resembling DFW? To me, not all. And that’s not an insult, because I think Smith has written something worthy of her own brand. Smith, unlike other authors, doesn’t pepper the language with fanciful tricks to try and enhance what is already there. She’s good and letting the subtle differences of her characters (i.e. Clara and Irie’s ever-present Jamaican vernacular) transform our understanding of their respective conflicts.
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thoughts that essentially cover the entirety of the late authors life and any tangent thereof. A few weeks ago someone suggested a few novels that sort of rang true to the way DFW’s own prose presented itself, one of them being Smith’s 2000 novel (the other two that I can recall were The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides and Parallel Stories by Peter Nadal). So I decided to take it up and see.What follows in its 450 pages covers events in multiple familial time lines dating back to 1857 (well, the religious stuff goes a bit further but isn’t the most prominently featured) and touches heavily upon a debate that very clearly dominated the television show Lost: Religion (faith) vs. Science. The debate doesn’t particularly get going until the third act when multiple plot threads meet up in 1992 but by the time you get there you have a firm grasp on the factors motivating the Jones’, Bowden’s, Iqbal’s, and Chalfen’s on their respective paths.
The sticking point of the novel revolves around Archibald Jones and Samad Iqbal, two men who were stationed in the same squad of misfits during WWII, a friendship that develops for decades to come, adding wives and children to the mix who don’t necessarily share similar world views, despite their native customs. The book begins in 1974 where Archibald, having recently been divorced by his wife, decides not to kill himself, leading to a chance meeting with Clara Bowden, mixed from Jamaican descent, at a new year’s party. Despite a thirty year age gap the two marry several weeks later and soon have a girl, Irie Jones.
Through that emerging marriage we’re introduced to the Iqbal’s, Samad and Alsana. Of Bangladesh descent, the Iqbal’s traditional arranged marriage (with also several decades separating ages of man and wife) is rife with domestic fights and disagreements about how to raise their kids, twins Magid and Millat. Their most consistent debate is how to instill traditional religious values without becoming corrupt to the Western ways living in London that directly conflict with the teachings of Islam and devotion to Allah. Wanting to thwart the influence of Western culture and fortify his sons’ faith in religion Samad singlehandedly (and after much oscillation) decides to drain his resources to send a ten-year old Magid back to Bangladesh in hopes of sparing him from what he sees as a ‘Kaffir existence’.
The crucial turning point occurs at Glenard Oak Academy when a school-wide sweep of the campus, in a vain attempt to thwart the perceived smoking threat of cannabis and tobacco, ensnares Irie, Millat, and walking doormat Joshua Chalfen. His parents, the Chalfens’, who are intellectual and scientific powerhouses (and perhaps the most naivest bubble family on the planet), take on the task of educating the trio as punishment and invariably drive the Iqbal’s and Jones’ on a collision course nine years later when a genetic engineering experiment known as FutureMouse! threatens the foundations of several religious outfits.
Smith’s book is entirely about the agonizing over cultural customs that have long defined a particular group and how best to deal with them while living in a place that doesn’t necessarily recognize your full human rights. How to deal when your children choose a path separate from the one you originally envisioned. How best to hang on to your heritage when your lineage isn’t terribly well-defined or respected. How it sometimes feel like every pair of eyes are on you because you look different, and all of the accompanying self-doubt and despair (Irie’s mixed race heritage figures prominently into this in the earlier chapters). Samad, and to a certain extent Irie, feel this conflict as often as they breathe. It’s in their face everyday. Samad, continually at odds with his own familiar legacy, makes great pains to protect that legacy and inadvertently does the exact opposite, much to the dismay of Alsana.
At the forefront seems to be a lot of mental repression (especially in the case of Samad/Alsana).
Through the narrative characters glorify their own past so their own might not be such a let down and remain steadfast in their principles and I guess this is what happens when it finally comes to a head. I can’t remember another story that’s brought together Atheists, Islamic fundamentalists, and Jehovah Witnesses in such a direct way before.
So does it show similarity to something resembling DFW? To me, not all. And that’s not an insult, because I think Smith has written something worthy of her own brand. Smith, unlike other authors, doesn’t pepper the language with fanciful tricks to try and enhance what is already there. She’s good and letting the subtle differences of her characters (i.e. Clara and Irie’s ever-present Jamaican vernacular) transform our understanding of their respective conflicts.
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LibraryThing member triminieshelton
multigenerational immigrant saga in which Bangladeshi, Caribbean and English genes and mores mix producing conflict, humor, and lessons in social change. Captures the many voices of contemporary London. A view from inside the melting pot.
LibraryThing member pedalinfaith
So many have raved over this debut novel. One thing that I agree with: Zadie Smith can write. Her style is humorous and visual, lending the feeling that she has direct access to the Western reader's generous storehouse of personal, quirky images and random cultural symbols. Despite her crackerjack
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facility with imagery, I couldn't get past page 70. Rather than bringing out the endearing idiosyncracies that would make her otherwise simply pathetic characters multi-dimensional, her humor takes a disdainful aim at them, turning each chapter into an exercise in bearing the pointlessness of their lives. Spending time in the world of Archie, Clara, Samad, Alsana, and the other few characters that I had a chance to meet early on was like finding myself, out-of-town, at a friend's neighbor's cousin's cocktail party: I had nothing to say to these people, and they had nothing to say to me. According to other reviewers, this cocktail party gets more lively and dangerous. But I couldn't find in it the inspiration for the perseverance to hang out long enough to see the characters loosen up and start betraying their shallow personas. Show Less
LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
Hang onto your hats! White Teeth is a roller coaster ride, sure to rid you of your spare change with all of its twists and turns. Within the pages of White Teeth Zadie Smith takes you deep inside the concept of cultural identity through her characters and their dialogue. As an aside, I want to know
White Teeth is like a four-room banquet with endless amounts of food choices. At times I felt overstuffed dealing with all the characters and their various dramas, but I don't discredit Smith's storytelling. She was culturally spot on with little details like the tag for Levi's jeans. What exactly does "shrink to fit" mean anyway? I could see how someone would be confused, especially if English isn't their first language.
All in all, White Teeth was a fun ride, worthy of all the accolades.
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how Smith conjured up these characters with such perfection. Where did they come from? People like Magid Mahfooz Murshed Mubtasim practically jump off the page, they are so real. I can't give it away, but that final scene with the gun! White Teeth is like a four-room banquet with endless amounts of food choices. At times I felt overstuffed dealing with all the characters and their various dramas, but I don't discredit Smith's storytelling. She was culturally spot on with little details like the tag for Levi's jeans. What exactly does "shrink to fit" mean anyway? I could see how someone would be confused, especially if English isn't their first language.
All in all, White Teeth was a fun ride, worthy of all the accolades.
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LibraryThing member sushitori
Good story but could have used some editing. Nice anthropolgical look into 1970s-era London, with culture clashes going on between families and neighborhoods. The contrast between the 2 main families, one white and Barbadian and the other Bangladeshi, was fun to read.
LibraryThing member Lukerik
This is a superb novel. Read that 1st scene and you'll be hooked. "If you're going to die around here, my friend, I'm afraid you've got to be thoroughly bled first". Great stuff.
Smith reminds me a bit of Henry Fielding. She's not afraid of her authorial voice. She's opinionated & forceful and sets
Smith reminds me a bit of Henry Fielding. She's not afraid of her authorial voice. She's opinionated & forceful and sets
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out of imaginative flights that you don't often find in straight fiction. Full of energy & comedy & wisdom. Show Less
LibraryThing member chrisblocker
Tastes. Despite what some may lead you to believe, tastes are subjective. Take, for example, various magazines' declarations of “Sexiest” so-and-so. You know what—none of my biggest celebrity crushes have ever grazed those covers. Why? Because I'm an individual with a unique idea of
I've learned books are no different. We have our distinct tastes and just because we don't like a particular flavor of book doesn't mean it's not a great book. The problem again lies in the fact that everyone else (well, just about everyone) will tell you that you're wrong. Case in point: White Teeth. White Teeth is the “greatest work of fiction,” “the perfect novel,” “a tour de force by such a young author.” And here's the thing: if you think Dickens, Rushdie, and Franzen are great, yes, Zadie Smith has perhaps written the best book ever; she even did it at the age of 21. I acknowledge that White Teeth is a wonderfully written Dickensian novel. Here is a huge cast of characters, unique but largely unrealistic, focusing on ludicrous moments in life. Like Dickens, Smith's work contains autobiographical elements and critiques society in a satirical fashion. Yes, Smith has possibly out Dickensed Dickens.
Regardless of all indicators otherwise, not everyone likes this style. What's that you say? Sacrilege? Sure novels such as David Copperfield and Midnight's Children are often on lists of greatest works ever. Sure, there are many compliments you can give Rushdie, Irving, and company. I mean, even I like their stories—when they're adapted to film. And putting my finger on what I don't like about the style is difficult. I can say it's the sprawling narrative, but I enjoy Mitchell. I can blame the omniscient and distant narrator, but I love Tolstoy. I can say it's the overly convenient plot points, but I'm a fan of Eugenides. In the end, I think it's largely about tone. There's a smugness in these novels, an air of deprecating superiority. The narrators of these novels do not hide their disapproval of the hypocritical buffoons that people their story. Hey, let's stick this character in a situation that makes him look like a total ass. And this one too. And this one. Personally, I don't see the point. I guess it is one way for some to release their frustrations at the hypocrisy of people, to make fun of the overly symbolic characters, the ones who embody all of a particular religion or politic or or philosophy or whatever. And sure, maybe there are a few such caricatures in the real world. But there are so many more real people; when an author cannot, or simply refuses to, see that—well, that's when the author comes off as kind of an egotistical ass (in my humble opinion).
For years now, I've read these novels knowing I was supposed to love them. In all honesty, I've rated some of these novels higher than I otherwise would have because I don't want to be that idiot who clearly doesn't “get it.” And, I do recognize the talent involved and really don't want my personal tastes to get in the way. That's what blows about ratings. It's all so freaking subjective. Personally, I thought White Teeth was so much better written than Midnight's Children and more entertaining than David Copperfield. So if that's your idea of a sexy read, then hell yeah, White Teeth is mind blowing. But if you're in the minority, one of those readers who thinks some authors are just too clever for their own good, then White Teeth is just another manufactured model with a glossy cover.
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“sexy.” Yet, some people take it as gospel. Clearly, everyone who leans toward women thinks Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts, and Beyoncé Knowles are hot stuff. And with men, it's all about Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, and Channing Tatum, right? Maybe not. But tell someone that you're of the Kelly Clarkson or Haley Joel Osment or Whoopi Goldberg or Steve “Blue's Clues” Burns variety and people will often look at you like you're crazy. We absolutely must share our manufactured attractions.I've learned books are no different. We have our distinct tastes and just because we don't like a particular flavor of book doesn't mean it's not a great book. The problem again lies in the fact that everyone else (well, just about everyone) will tell you that you're wrong. Case in point: White Teeth. White Teeth is the “greatest work of fiction,” “the perfect novel,” “a tour de force by such a young author.” And here's the thing: if you think Dickens, Rushdie, and Franzen are great, yes, Zadie Smith has perhaps written the best book ever; she even did it at the age of 21. I acknowledge that White Teeth is a wonderfully written Dickensian novel. Here is a huge cast of characters, unique but largely unrealistic, focusing on ludicrous moments in life. Like Dickens, Smith's work contains autobiographical elements and critiques society in a satirical fashion. Yes, Smith has possibly out Dickensed Dickens.
Regardless of all indicators otherwise, not everyone likes this style. What's that you say? Sacrilege? Sure novels such as David Copperfield and Midnight's Children are often on lists of greatest works ever. Sure, there are many compliments you can give Rushdie, Irving, and company. I mean, even I like their stories—when they're adapted to film. And putting my finger on what I don't like about the style is difficult. I can say it's the sprawling narrative, but I enjoy Mitchell. I can blame the omniscient and distant narrator, but I love Tolstoy. I can say it's the overly convenient plot points, but I'm a fan of Eugenides. In the end, I think it's largely about tone. There's a smugness in these novels, an air of deprecating superiority. The narrators of these novels do not hide their disapproval of the hypocritical buffoons that people their story. Hey, let's stick this character in a situation that makes him look like a total ass. And this one too. And this one. Personally, I don't see the point. I guess it is one way for some to release their frustrations at the hypocrisy of people, to make fun of the overly symbolic characters, the ones who embody all of a particular religion or politic or or philosophy or whatever. And sure, maybe there are a few such caricatures in the real world. But there are so many more real people; when an author cannot, or simply refuses to, see that—well, that's when the author comes off as kind of an egotistical ass (in my humble opinion).
For years now, I've read these novels knowing I was supposed to love them. In all honesty, I've rated some of these novels higher than I otherwise would have because I don't want to be that idiot who clearly doesn't “get it.” And, I do recognize the talent involved and really don't want my personal tastes to get in the way. That's what blows about ratings. It's all so freaking subjective. Personally, I thought White Teeth was so much better written than Midnight's Children and more entertaining than David Copperfield. So if that's your idea of a sexy read, then hell yeah, White Teeth is mind blowing. But if you're in the minority, one of those readers who thinks some authors are just too clever for their own good, then White Teeth is just another manufactured model with a glossy cover.
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LibraryThing member jmoncton
White Teeth is an epic story of 2 families living in London - Archie Jones and his Jamaican born wife, Clara, and Samad and Alsana Iqbal, two Bengali Muslims. It's hard to describe this book since it covers such an amazing amount of topics - from the conflict in a traditional family whose kids just
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want to fit in with their British friends to women's rights and marital fidelity to moral decisions made during war. Smith covers these difficult topics with an easy writing style and a great sense of humor. I listened to the audio version, expertly narrated by Jenny Sterlin. My only dissatisfaction with the book is that it seemed to cover too much in time and scope that I couldn't see where the book was going, although the ending didn't seem to leave any loose ends. Show Less
LibraryThing member novelcommentary
I have been meaning to read this novel ever since first reading Zadie Smith’s book On Beauty. I was impressed then at the language and humor wrapped into a story with wonderfully created characters. Certainly I was not disappointed by White Teeth. Among other awards it was listed on Time's
At the center of this invigorating novel are two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal. Hapless veterans of World War II, Archie and Samad and their families become agents of England’s irrevocable transformation. A second marriage to Clara Bowden, a beautiful, albeit tooth-challenged, Jamaican half his age, quite literally gives Archie a second lease on life, and produces Irie, a knowing child whose personality doesn’t quite match her name (Jamaican for “no problem”). Samad’s late-in-life arranged marriage (he had to wait for his bride to be born), produces twin sons whose separate paths confound Iqbal’s every effort to direct them, and a renewed, if selective, submission to his Islamic faith. Set against London’s racial and cultural tapestry, venturing across the former empire and into the past as it barrels toward the future, White Teeth revels in the ecstatic hodgepodge of modern life, flirting with disaster, confounding expectations, and embracing the comedy of daily existence.
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All-Time 100 Novels selection. It amazes me that this author wrote this at such a young age; my admiration is tinged with jealousy and an acknowledgement of my limitations. However I do have the ability to recognize what I like to read from an author. Zadie Smith uses what I like to call a 3rd person sarcastic narrative voice, pointing out the foibles of her characters even as you grow fond of them. This is a book about the fairly dysfunctional lives of multiple families and their multiple histories that all combine together to come to a well plotted climax having to do with the idea of a genetically enhanced mouse. It takes place in a certain section of London and details well the multicultural experiences of this community. Smith’s newest novel NW revisits this area. I will surely be picking up this book. A Google summary follows:At the center of this invigorating novel are two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal. Hapless veterans of World War II, Archie and Samad and their families become agents of England’s irrevocable transformation. A second marriage to Clara Bowden, a beautiful, albeit tooth-challenged, Jamaican half his age, quite literally gives Archie a second lease on life, and produces Irie, a knowing child whose personality doesn’t quite match her name (Jamaican for “no problem”). Samad’s late-in-life arranged marriage (he had to wait for his bride to be born), produces twin sons whose separate paths confound Iqbal’s every effort to direct them, and a renewed, if selective, submission to his Islamic faith. Set against London’s racial and cultural tapestry, venturing across the former empire and into the past as it barrels toward the future, White Teeth revels in the ecstatic hodgepodge of modern life, flirting with disaster, confounding expectations, and embracing the comedy of daily existence.
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LibraryThing member HarryMacDonald
OK, I don't mind being The Bad Kid In School. Indeed I spent a good portion of my early days in just that compromising position. But anyway, all the effusive reviews and five-star ratings aside, will somebody pleas make it clear and plausible to me just why there is all the fuss about this piece of
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prose-debris? As far as I'm concerned, its principal virtue is as yet another glowing example of the inadequacy of LT's five-star system. We really need a scale which incorporates condemnation as well as praise. Or have we created a 365-day a year holiday called HappyHappyJoyJoy Day, a huge celebration where everybody gets a noisemaker and a funny hat? Show Less
LibraryThing member nohablo
Begins by wonderfully peeling off rings of flesh from fresh, vivacious, New London, with a particular ear for verbal ticks and pangs. However, explodes sometime midway, mushrooming into a top-heavy, clumsily earnest paean. Waddles into a shallow stream of magical realism and drowns like a fat baby.
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But worth it for that beginning half. Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
The novel deals with two families connected by the friendship of their fathers which goes back to World War II. Archie Jones, who in the opening pages attempted suicide, soon after meets and marries a girl less than half his age, Clara Bowden. She's a girl of Jamaican extraction raised as a
No white knight, then, this Archibald Jones. No aims, no hopes, no ambitions. A man whose greatest pleasures were English breakfasts and DIY. A dull man.
Unfortunately, I think that's pretty accurate--about all the characters: Dull. Which isn't entirely true of Smith's voice. There is a sense of humor evident--but not a warm one, or even an angry, biting one. More that of someone who enjoys taking people down several pegs, undermining her own characters. I just couldn't connect to any of them--they seemed to range from "dull" to repellent.
A turning point for me was the chapter of flashback about Archie and his friend Samad Iqbal during World War II about 100 pages in. Both are involved in something heinous for trite reasons. I limped on dozens of pages beyond that point, but stopped when I realized I just couldn't care why they did it or anything else. I just wanted out. I didn't want to spend time with these people.
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Jehovah's Witness described, when she enters the story, as having no upper teeth. This is how she sees her husband three months after the wedding: No white knight, then, this Archibald Jones. No aims, no hopes, no ambitions. A man whose greatest pleasures were English breakfasts and DIY. A dull man.
Unfortunately, I think that's pretty accurate--about all the characters: Dull. Which isn't entirely true of Smith's voice. There is a sense of humor evident--but not a warm one, or even an angry, biting one. More that of someone who enjoys taking people down several pegs, undermining her own characters. I just couldn't connect to any of them--they seemed to range from "dull" to repellent.
A turning point for me was the chapter of flashback about Archie and his friend Samad Iqbal during World War II about 100 pages in. Both are involved in something heinous for trite reasons. I limped on dozens of pages beyond that point, but stopped when I realized I just couldn't care why they did it or anything else. I just wanted out. I didn't want to spend time with these people.
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LibraryThing member kellijean13
White Teeth. Where to start? This book was so wonderful and could be read in so many different ways. I don't even know where to begin. I should probably summarize for a start.
White Teeth is a story that brings together three very different families; the Jones', very English; the Jones' wartime
The two main protagonist of the story, wartime buddies Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal meet everyday to discuss the war and argue over the glory of lack thereof of Samad's great-great-grandfather. Their stories remain in the past, as does their lives. They rarely spend time with their families and when they do, often leave them in dispute.
Their wives lead very different lives, being the typical wives of the 1970s and 1980s they stay at home to raise the kids. That is until Samad decides the fate of one of their (Samad and his wife, Alsana's) twins without her permission. Alsana refuses to speak directly to him for the rest of their miserable marriage because of this fateful decision. Clara on the other hand tries to better herself through education, running away from her Jamaican highly-religious upbringing, towards a more academic English lifestyle. Ironically, so does her daughter, yet neither appear to relish this fact in the other.
You can read this novel from a starch feminist view by commenting on the many sexist comments made towards the main women of the novel, the roles they play in their husbands and boyfriends lives, as well as their futil attempts at bettering themselves through education. For Marcus Chalfen, a scientist, remarks upon Irie's intelligence and aspirations by stating that he "doesn't "hold out much hope for her aspriations in the field of "hard science"" (Smith 305). Even Irie's grandmother remarks upon her mother's education as having been a euphism for sexual advances by white men during the time when Jamaica was being colonized by Europeans and Americans. The futility of women's education is made abundantly clear throughout the novel, and is ironically both appropriate for the time it was written, for the time the story was written, and for today. It is as if the issue over women's rights is timeless.
You can also read this story through a commentory over time itself. The two old men of the story, Archie and Samad are stuck in the past. Samad pushes so hard to raise good Muslim men out of his two twins who, thanks in part to his great pushing, shoot out in opposite but similar directions. Magid becomes a lawyer working for men's rights; Millat becomes a terrorist working for what he believes to be as Islamic rights in England. Neither upholding the Muslim beliefs as Samad had pictured it. Archie simply lives in the past because his present and future hold nothing of value. For whatever reason, he refuses to really acknowledge his wife or child. It is as if he feels that he has completed his life's work as far as making a family nad working goes, and has settled with the knowledge that this is so. The contrast between the children's present and future forward-thinking lifestyle with their fathers' living in the past makes for a wonderful commentary throughout the novel.
Finally, but definitely not lastly since there are plenty of different ways one could read through this novel, there is the reading of this novel as a love story. As love's labor's lost, if you will. You see relationships come together, and relationships come apart. Mostly failed marriages with the one happy marriage between Marcus and Joyce Chalfen even having it's faults. This last reading of the novel could be a fatalistic view of marriage as there being no happy marriage; there being no real glorifying of monogamy. Or, you could read this is as settling in marriage being the proverbial kryptonite of true love and happiness. I also find it quite interesting that the one truly happy, playful couple in the story besides the Chalfen's is the homosexual Maxine and Niece-of-Shame.
Overall, I think reading the story without a lens lends the reader a very clear picture of immigrant life from the 1970s and 80s, which interestingly enough, hasn't changed all that much. I think much of the commentary of the story can be reflective of the lifestyles of immigrants in England today. Immigrants then and now still take on the dead end jobs that no one else wants so that they can raise their families in hopes of giving them better lives and a better education. With everyone in the world being descendant's of immigrants at some point in time or another, this begs the question, what does it mean to truly be English? To truly have a homeland?
Bottom line here, there is a lot going on in this novel in mutltiple layers. So many stories, interceding, intermingling, interplaying throughout the whole of the novel. Many themes including but not limited to finding one's identity as an adolescent; finding one's identity as an adult; finding one's identity as a twin; retaining one's culture as an immigrant; assimiliating to a new culture as an immigrant; finding a balance between retaining one's culture and assimilating to a new culture as an immigrant; finding a women's role in a feminist/post-feminist world; finding religious sensibility in the 20th century; what it means to be living in a global-thinking multicultural society; how to relate in a global-thinking multicultural society; what is beautiful in women; what it means to be a man in the 20th century; do our careers make us, or is it our personalities that predestine our careers; how much of our destiny is pre-ordained; should the past be prologue; and the list goes on, ad finitum. These are discussions I would love to have on the book, and possible teachable topics in college, or high school even! I would love to lead a class through this novel and it would certainly be a challenge to do so with high schoolers, but it would definitely be a worthwhile climb!
White Teeth is a story that brings together three very different families; the Jones', very English; the Jones' wartime
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family friends the Iqbal's; and finally, the archetypal middle-class academic family meant to bring the Iqbal and Jones children into academic fruition, the Chalfen's.The two main protagonist of the story, wartime buddies Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal meet everyday to discuss the war and argue over the glory of lack thereof of Samad's great-great-grandfather. Their stories remain in the past, as does their lives. They rarely spend time with their families and when they do, often leave them in dispute.
Their wives lead very different lives, being the typical wives of the 1970s and 1980s they stay at home to raise the kids. That is until Samad decides the fate of one of their (Samad and his wife, Alsana's) twins without her permission. Alsana refuses to speak directly to him for the rest of their miserable marriage because of this fateful decision. Clara on the other hand tries to better herself through education, running away from her Jamaican highly-religious upbringing, towards a more academic English lifestyle. Ironically, so does her daughter, yet neither appear to relish this fact in the other.
You can read this novel from a starch feminist view by commenting on the many sexist comments made towards the main women of the novel, the roles they play in their husbands and boyfriends lives, as well as their futil attempts at bettering themselves through education. For Marcus Chalfen, a scientist, remarks upon Irie's intelligence and aspirations by stating that he "doesn't "hold out much hope for her aspriations in the field of "hard science"" (Smith 305). Even Irie's grandmother remarks upon her mother's education as having been a euphism for sexual advances by white men during the time when Jamaica was being colonized by Europeans and Americans. The futility of women's education is made abundantly clear throughout the novel, and is ironically both appropriate for the time it was written, for the time the story was written, and for today. It is as if the issue over women's rights is timeless.
You can also read this story through a commentory over time itself. The two old men of the story, Archie and Samad are stuck in the past. Samad pushes so hard to raise good Muslim men out of his two twins who, thanks in part to his great pushing, shoot out in opposite but similar directions. Magid becomes a lawyer working for men's rights; Millat becomes a terrorist working for what he believes to be as Islamic rights in England. Neither upholding the Muslim beliefs as Samad had pictured it. Archie simply lives in the past because his present and future hold nothing of value. For whatever reason, he refuses to really acknowledge his wife or child. It is as if he feels that he has completed his life's work as far as making a family nad working goes, and has settled with the knowledge that this is so. The contrast between the children's present and future forward-thinking lifestyle with their fathers' living in the past makes for a wonderful commentary throughout the novel.
Finally, but definitely not lastly since there are plenty of different ways one could read through this novel, there is the reading of this novel as a love story. As love's labor's lost, if you will. You see relationships come together, and relationships come apart. Mostly failed marriages with the one happy marriage between Marcus and Joyce Chalfen even having it's faults. This last reading of the novel could be a fatalistic view of marriage as there being no happy marriage; there being no real glorifying of monogamy. Or, you could read this is as settling in marriage being the proverbial kryptonite of true love and happiness. I also find it quite interesting that the one truly happy, playful couple in the story besides the Chalfen's is the homosexual Maxine and Niece-of-Shame.
Overall, I think reading the story without a lens lends the reader a very clear picture of immigrant life from the 1970s and 80s, which interestingly enough, hasn't changed all that much. I think much of the commentary of the story can be reflective of the lifestyles of immigrants in England today. Immigrants then and now still take on the dead end jobs that no one else wants so that they can raise their families in hopes of giving them better lives and a better education. With everyone in the world being descendant's of immigrants at some point in time or another, this begs the question, what does it mean to truly be English? To truly have a homeland?
Bottom line here, there is a lot going on in this novel in mutltiple layers. So many stories, interceding, intermingling, interplaying throughout the whole of the novel. Many themes including but not limited to finding one's identity as an adolescent; finding one's identity as an adult; finding one's identity as a twin; retaining one's culture as an immigrant; assimiliating to a new culture as an immigrant; finding a balance between retaining one's culture and assimilating to a new culture as an immigrant; finding a women's role in a feminist/post-feminist world; finding religious sensibility in the 20th century; what it means to be living in a global-thinking multicultural society; how to relate in a global-thinking multicultural society; what is beautiful in women; what it means to be a man in the 20th century; do our careers make us, or is it our personalities that predestine our careers; how much of our destiny is pre-ordained; should the past be prologue; and the list goes on, ad finitum. These are discussions I would love to have on the book, and possible teachable topics in college, or high school even! I would love to lead a class through this novel and it would certainly be a challenge to do so with high schoolers, but it would definitely be a worthwhile climb!
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LibraryThing member sitaraa
opens up a can of characters..
who each fascinates in its scrambling attempts to survive - base instinctive clawing, white teeth gritting, desperate race to flee of its own shadow. and while you are chasing these lurid characters trying to keep up with their individual streaks, from one to the
not white spaces that leave all to the imagination, but dark spaces in unidentified dimensions. here, all the shadows so despised come together as if in vengeance in one tangled dense mass of curly wormy spirals inter-wrapped over under within, choking out every last dot of space.
and only when the shadows have revealed themselves out of the shadows, you grasp it and you wonder then.. you blink.. stupefied you marvel at the slippery mousy art of the author.
who each fascinates in its scrambling attempts to survive - base instinctive clawing, white teeth gritting, desperate race to flee of its own shadow. and while you are chasing these lurid characters trying to keep up with their individual streaks, from one to the
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other to the other, unable to look away, there is something else going on in the spaces between the lines..not white spaces that leave all to the imagination, but dark spaces in unidentified dimensions. here, all the shadows so despised come together as if in vengeance in one tangled dense mass of curly wormy spirals inter-wrapped over under within, choking out every last dot of space.
and only when the shadows have revealed themselves out of the shadows, you grasp it and you wonder then.. you blink.. stupefied you marvel at the slippery mousy art of the author.
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LibraryThing member siew
...What I found, was a cacophony of a novel, riddled with the idiosyncrasies of these outrageous characters of English, Jamaican, Jewish and Bangladeshi descent. You have a teenage Jamaican beauty with a noticeable lack of all her upper teeth, desperate to flee her Jehovah’s Witness mother, and
When meshed together, these colourful characters and their friends, give rise to a celebration of life - laughing and loving. Smith’s characterisation was superb, and her satirical prose had me in stitches in parts (Ahmed-Mickey et. al, for example), often prompting my husband (usually sitting on his laptop in the same room) to wonder what the heck was so funny. It was just so thoroughly engaging, and the beginning was, to me, a ‘You had me at “Hello”‘ moment.
Despite being so sickeningly gushable, White Teeth does of course have its drawbacks. I found some characters at times irksome, and the passage of growth for one of the twins, while amiss for an understandable reason, did not help me to appreciate his emotional and mental makeup, and hence when he was thrown into the mix later in his life, I could not relate to him, could not figure out why he was so darn annoying.
At times, Smith is also borderline preachy. The passionate and eloquent oratory that is spewed forth onto the ranks of seats and passengers in a bus on New Year’s Eve 1992 was, to me, awkward and uncharacteristic of a normally reliable character. Furthermore the ending was too neat, tied up at ends that needed to be seen to be resolved, not just resolved and related to us after the fact. Ideally, it should either have cut off sooner than it did, or Smith should have expended more pages to get to 1999. If the latter, I would beg Smith to explain why the twins went to the same punishment in what ostensibly was mute meakness and unity. For that matter, could anyone please explain this to me?
Faults aside, from the onset the novel is of the ‘unputdownable’ calibre, and one of those contemporary works that you should read. If, after all this time you haven’t read it (and considering lazy moi has), I assure you, it is a deprivation, and one that you should quench sooner rather than later.
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her newly converted first love, with the only route being a marriage to a middle aged, atheist (yet indecisive) Englishman. An arranged marriage between an equally middle aged Bangladeshi ‘war hero’ who fiercely prides himself on his Mangal Pande and Islamic lineage, with an equally young Bangladeshi bride who is more than his match in the wrestling ring. Finally, the weirdest, most scientific Jewish family that is referred to its members through noun, verbs and adjectives. Underscore all of this with a pair of extremely and fundamentally opposed twins, an overweight half-caste and buck-teethed girl hopelessly in love with one of them, an overweight and unpopular boy hopelessly in love with her, the end of the world and a smug brown mouse, and you’ve got the makings of a thoroughly enjoyable read.When meshed together, these colourful characters and their friends, give rise to a celebration of life - laughing and loving. Smith’s characterisation was superb, and her satirical prose had me in stitches in parts (Ahmed-Mickey et. al, for example), often prompting my husband (usually sitting on his laptop in the same room) to wonder what the heck was so funny. It was just so thoroughly engaging, and the beginning was, to me, a ‘You had me at “Hello”‘ moment.
Despite being so sickeningly gushable, White Teeth does of course have its drawbacks. I found some characters at times irksome, and the passage of growth for one of the twins, while amiss for an understandable reason, did not help me to appreciate his emotional and mental makeup, and hence when he was thrown into the mix later in his life, I could not relate to him, could not figure out why he was so darn annoying.
At times, Smith is also borderline preachy. The passionate and eloquent oratory that is spewed forth onto the ranks of seats and passengers in a bus on New Year’s Eve 1992 was, to me, awkward and uncharacteristic of a normally reliable character. Furthermore the ending was too neat, tied up at ends that needed to be seen to be resolved, not just resolved and related to us after the fact. Ideally, it should either have cut off sooner than it did, or Smith should have expended more pages to get to 1999. If the latter, I would beg Smith to explain why the twins went to the same punishment in what ostensibly was mute meakness and unity. For that matter, could anyone please explain this to me?
Faults aside, from the onset the novel is of the ‘unputdownable’ calibre, and one of those contemporary works that you should read. If, after all this time you haven’t read it (and considering lazy moi has), I assure you, it is a deprivation, and one that you should quench sooner rather than later.
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LibraryThing member birdy47
I enjoyed the first half and then think it went crashing downhill fast. Awful cliched views and a complete anti climax at the end.
After a good start, I was really disappointed.
After a good start, I was really disappointed.
LibraryThing member timj
Brilliant OTT dialogue across distinctive cultural divides. Biting satire, yet ultimatley a warm portrayal of human beings and all their hilarious weaknesses.
LibraryThing member francescadefreitas
This book has been on my unread guilt list for ages, but once I was a few pages along, I was sucked right in to the story. I read it in tiny bits while entertaining heaps of visitors, but I was still able to get right back into the world and mood each time I picked it up. I was delighted to find
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that this was one prize winner that exceeded my expectations. Show Less
LibraryThing member miketroll
An imaginative and entertaining yarn set in the rich ethnic and social mix of inner London. Successfully serialised on TV.
LibraryThing member cathinpa
Absolutely loved the humor of this book. Picked the book up at a used book store and am so glad I did. Looking to recommend this novel as a selection for my book club.
LibraryThing member piefuchs
I read this book when it came out and was heralded as brillant. For the first half or so of the book I agreed - finding it well written with engaging characters. As the book progressed however. the plot failed to truly materialize and then took strange turns which left one wondering what all the
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fuss was about. Show Less
LibraryThing member abirdman
Zadie Smith is a force of nature, and this is her first novel. If the first chapter doesn't completely overwhelm you, you may need a remedial reading class. Funny, poignant, and deeply insightful exploration of the interactions among diverse cultures in contemporary London. Excellent.
Subjects
Awards
Women's Prize for Fiction (Longlist — 2000)
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2002)
Costa Book Awards (Shortlist — First Novel — 2000)
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — 2000)
Betty Trask Prize and Awards (Prize Winner — Winner — 2001)
James Tait Black Memorial Prize (Winner — Fiction — 2000)
Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Winner — 2001)
The Economist Best Books (2000.34)
Salon Book Award (Fiction — 2000)
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize (Shortlist — 2000)
Guardian First Book Award (Winner — 2000)
Notable Books List (2001)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (Social Sciences — 2004)
The Big Jubilee Read (2000 — 1992-2001)
Original language
English
Original publication date
2000 (1e édition orignale anglaise)
2001-08-29 (1e tradution et édition française, Du monde entier, Gallimard)
2003-04-17 (Réédition française, Folio, 3844, Gallimard)
Physical description
464 p.; 5.19 inches
ISBN
0375703861 / 9780375703867
Local notes
fiction