Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Zähne zeigen: Roman by Zadie Smith

27 reviews

sponberry's review against another edition

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Didn’t enjoy the style of writing that is inexhaustibly tongue in cheek. The themes raised were interesting but I didn’t find the characters compelling enough (apart from Clara) to continue reading. I know that the depth of this book would likely increase over the various parts but unfortunately the narration etc just isn’t to my taste.
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isal's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring tense 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

4.5

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lizziaha's review against another edition

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  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The way that Zadie Smith writes people is uniquely complex and compelling. I was surprised at the depth of my hatred for these characters and then by the equal depth of my sympathy and appreciation for the same characters. (Neena was the only character who escaped without hatred from me. And niece of shame is a kickass nickname.) Their convoluted natures and equally, if not more, convicted relationships with each other were the thread that tied the whole novel together and made the ending of it feel like something more than it was—though I would’ve liked to know even more. Some of the scenes of prejudice in this book wrenched a visceral reaction from me, especially in the casualness of their presentation. 
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nelliecdownie's review against another edition

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challenging medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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riverofpages's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The writing is excellent. This book is for you if you appreciate wordsmithing. It’s not for you if you’re looking for a light read. The author has a way with words and so she sometimes spends entire pages on an idea that could’ve reduced to one paragraph. Worth the read!
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ramreadsagain's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 Listen... I wanted to love this, and when I started it I really did. But oh my god it DRAGGED. It provides excellent commentary and insightful ideas, but the narration (a bit holier-than-thou at times) really started to get on my nerves and I was begging for it to be over by the end of it. At over 500 pages of tiny font and huge paragraphs it's much longer than it needed to be. But I'm still giving it three stars because I'm glad I've read it and I would consider it to be a good book. 
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donkeykong's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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linesiunderline's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book is SO MUCH. It has so much life, so many themes, characters, layers… it’s a book you need to devote yourself to, not a casual kind of reading experience. I’m glad to have finally picked it up, but I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t effortful at times.

A few words to describe Smith’s debut:

Crowded
Meandering 
Rich
Funny
Chaotic 
Epic
Intimate

Because of the sometimes chaotic feel, I didn’t feel consistently connected to the narrative and there were moments when I had to knuckle down and push on to get to the next section. Still, I was ultimately rewarded by it all.

I’ve been mixed reviews on the ending, but I thought it was outstanding.
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bookishplantmom's review against another edition

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reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was one beautifully written piece of fiction. It’s no wonder this became an instant classic. The topics explored in the novel are expansive and the discussion is presented with commendable nuance and intricacy. Parts 2 and 3 (Samat and Irie) were my personal favourites. I loved how the author tied everything back to Archie in the end as well. Beautiful! 
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oraclebykittie's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

SHOWSTOPPING INCREDIBLE NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. but seriously i think zadie smith writes in a way that brings so much life and interiority to ever single character introduced in this book, it is mesmerizing. the prose is a rlly engaging mix of meaningful and funny, and neither half conflicts the other. 
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