White Teeth: A Novel

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It's a hit!

Content wise the best read I have ever had! Its the only book that address my personal time and geographical context and hence I completely relate... (show more)

Content wise the best read I have ever had! Its the only book that address my personal time and geographical context and hence I completely related to the characters. It was a stuggle to begin, but if you hang on in there it is worth the wait. (show less)

 

 

by Facebook User

No, it's a flop!

Marginal wit, verbose, and absolutely cluttered with "literary conceits" (aka gimmicks). Predictable with a thoroughly anti-climatic climax. It too... (show more)

Marginal wit, verbose, and absolutely cluttered with "literary conceits" (aka gimmicks). Predictable with a thoroughly anti-climatic climax. It took me a full three weeks to finish this, which is a bad sign, though in fairness I was drunk for most it. Thanks to Smith I now hate Muslims, Jehovah's posse, twins, eggs with mushrooms, skin conditions, white women, middle-class white women, slutty white women (I'm particularly upset at Z-dog for this one), the English, Bengalis, Pakis, red-headed step children, printed accents, folded paper, Nazis, pot, fags (as the brits call em), intelligence, genetically altered mice, Bulgaria, etc etc ad fucking nauseam (show less)

 

 

by John Lucadamo

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  There was a point about halfway through the book where I almost hurled it against the wall in frustration but I didn't.

  She almost had me. Zadie Smith is smart and I'd daresay there are few that can compete with her sense of humor. She has a way with a phrase and it's probably to your own benefit not to drink a beverage while reading her prose. In all likelihood it will soon be coming out of your nostrils.

  But some of her characters (particularly Samad Iqbal) were completely unsympatheti... (show more)

  There was a point about halfway through the book where I almost hurled it against the wall in frustration but I didn't.

  She almost had me. Zadie Smith is smart and I'd daresay there are few that can compete with her sense of humor. She has a way with a phrase and it's probably to your own benefit not to drink a beverage while reading her prose. In all likelihood it will soon be coming out of your nostrils.

  But some of her characters (particularly Samad Iqbal) were completely unsympathetic and this hurt considering the significant amount of words that were devoted to him. I really felt like I was speed reading through some parts just to get to where it "got good again".

  I liked this book though. Wasn't great but good. Masterful plot, great characterizations and funny. For a debut novel I think it sets the bar pretty high and I look forward to reading more of her work.

  In a couple of years I will definitely revisit this one. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Apr 06, 2009 at 05:31AM

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  Really, really long. Not that prolixity, in itself, should be a deterrent, but I felt like Smith got really carried away. At page 200, I found myself thinking, 'wow, this book is long.' At page 250 I couldn't believe that I was only a little more than halfway through. By the time I hit 325 I was ready for her to wrap it up. And what did i get for slugging through 440+ pages that should have been, at most, 300? One of the worst endings in recent memory. When you read the final few lines,... (show more)

  Really, really long. Not that prolixity, in itself, should be a deterrent, but I felt like Smith got really carried away. At page 200, I found myself thinking, 'wow, this book is long.' At page 250 I couldn't believe that I was only a little more than halfway through. By the time I hit 325 I was ready for her to wrap it up. And what did i get for slugging through 440+ pages that should have been, at most, 300? One of the worst endings in recent memory. When you read the final few lines, you can almost hear her publisher saying, "Listen, we need the manuscript now. Just cut it off. Don't worry - there's already plenty of hype. No one will even notice."

  As for the story itself, I'd say about 65 percent is brilliant - astute observations about race, class and, most surprisingly, aging. This book really demonstrates Smith's ability to hone in on the emotional and cognitive changes that occur as young men become middle-aged men, as children become teens, as families grow and expand into more intricate experience-laden versions of themselves. If 65 percent is brilliance, an additional 10 or 15 percent is pure comedy - hilarious descriptions and ingenuous scenarios. However, the remaining 20 to 25 percent is absolute fluff - like I said earlier, Smith getting carried away. I understand all of the hype around this book - it's incredibly well-written and mostly entertaining, but it could have benefitted from some serious editing. I also didn't really like the direction she took towards then end with Millat and Joshua Chalfen (you'll see what I mean.) Overall, probably worth the read if you have the patience to deal with a somewhat self-indulgent author. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Mar 02, 2009 at 04:13PM

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