Winner of the 2006 Orange Prize for fiction, another bestselling masterwork from the celebrated author of Swing Time and White Teeth“In this sharp, engaging satire, beauty’s only skin-deep, but funny cuts to the bone.” —Kirkus Reviews Having hit bestseller lists from the New York Times to the San Francisco Chronicle, this wise, hilarious novel reminds us why Zadie Smith has rocketed to literary … hilarious novel reminds us why Zadie Smith has rocketed to literary stardom. On Beauty is the story of an interracial family living in the university town of Wellington, Massachusetts, whose misadventures in the culture wars—on both sides of the Atlantic—serve to skewer everything from family life to political correctness to the combustive collision between the personal and the political. Full of dead-on wit and relentlessly funny, this tour de force confirms Zadie Smith’s reputation as a major literary talent.
more
This is a great book for people who enjoy insiders’ stories of academia. Probably the audience that will get the most perverse pleasure out of this book is academics themselves (disclosure: am academic). A dysfunctional academic family, headed by a dysfunctional academic, fights intellectual, academic, and personal battles. Howard Belsey finds himself teaching at the same institution as his arch-rival. More disastrously, he finds himself infatuated with his rival’s college-age daughter. Victoria Kipps is a bit of a temptress, and Howard has no ability to control himself. Add to this equation Howard’s long-suffering wife, Kiki, his academic superstar daughter Zora, one son competing with his father for Victoria, another fighting political battles he doesn’t understand, and it becomes clear that this family is on the fast-track to disaster.
I enjoyed the academic setting of this book, and absurdities of that world, which Smith details well. There were many times during the book when I simply wanted to hit Howard. I learned that I have very little tolerance for the weak-male mid-life crisis. I also occasionally wanted to smack Zora, who has a tendency towards the obnoxious. So, the characters are not exactly likable, hardly so. It says something that despite that I enjoyed this book very much.
This is a very good story exquisitely written. Ms Smith joins words in ways you never thought could be clear and beautiful. A real treat to read, literature for our time.
After reading WHITE TEETH several years ago, I was a card-carrying fan of Zadie Smith’s but ON BEAUTY is even more delicious! IMHO, this book, in the right hands, would make for a terrific feature film!
This is probably the most pretentious author I have ever read. Seems as though she is more concerned with impressing her audience than she is about writing an interesting story. Save the big words and ridiculously long sentences for your college papers. Stopped reading after 100 pages.
Thought-provoking, and compelling characters
Only read about a third of it. Too disjointed.
Just couldn’t get into this book
Characters that live and breath and screw up. Social commentary at a personal level. Smith writes beautifully with wry commentary and sympathy for the foibles and triumphs of youth and more middle age.?
This a the story of understanding and forgiveness, whether achievable or not.
I especially like the book On Beauty because it was so realistic and believable. It dealt with a particular family with very specific characteristics, but with universal commonalities. It was smart, clever, well-crafted. Don’t bother with it if you don’t appreciate complexity over simplicity.
thought provoking
An excellent book – each book Zadie Smith has written is different and well-crafted.
just ok
My first Zadie Smith. Her sentences…wow. She is truly a master. The novel is like a slow-motion car crash, with swerves that give you hope that the impact isn’t coming after all, and a beautiful (pun intended) ending.
Imperfect love. It keeps us humble and sweet.
This book was great to read. Looked forward to the time each day that I would continue reading this book. The plot was well worked out and flowed well. Characters were fully developed.
This was a quick, light read with quirky humor.