White Teeth: A Novel
by Zadie Smith
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Book Reviews of White Teeth: A Novel
Book Review: refreshing to see
Summary: 4 Stars
I was encouraged by this book. The writer is close to my age and it is refreshing to see a writer in her early 20's write produce this kind of quality. A welcome change from other books being produced by people my age, which all seem to have a sameness of perspective and tone, which I would describe very loosely as being sarcastic, introspective, too self-conscious, etc. This aesthetic is difficult to describe, but whatever it is I am glad I am not detecting it in Smith's writing. By contrast, her prose is hopeful, cosmopolitan, compassionate, truly witty, funny as hell. Perhaps what I most enjoyed was that it is mature, well-researched and intelligent. And not a hint of of angst or of conforming to a certain generational aesthetic. There really is no comparison that I can think of because she is writing a genuine, mature book the very first time around. It really did make me hopeful that we will start to see a kind of maturation and indeed a renaissance among literary and other creative people in their 20's. I want to see more of this kind of work from people my age. It made me want to start my own novel and see where it goes. This may all sound a but over-the-top but the book is that good. Impressive.
I had to give it four stars only because of certain moments, especially toward the end, where the dialogue started to break down a little, as if the characters were becoming flat and two-dimensional, while before they were living and breathing. I think this is simply because the ending is too long, overwrought, and baroque. It just seemed to go on and on like she just couldn't bear to give up whatever ending she had in her head. A little editorial detachment and cutting would have helped. Had she wrapped it up more neatly there wouldn't have been any problems.
Looking forward to her next one, which from what I've heard should be more of the same funny but affectionate satire.
Book Review: refreshing to see
Summary: 4 Stars
I was encouraged by this book. The writer is close to my age and it is refreshing to see a writer in her early 20's write produce this kind of quality. A welcome change from other books being produced by people my age, which all seem to have a sameness of perspective and tone, which I would describe very loosely as being sarcastic, introspective, too self-conscious, etc. This aesthetic is difficult to describe, but whatever it is I am glad I am not detecting it in Smith's writing. By contrast, her prose is hopeful, cosmopolitan, compassionate, truly witty, funny as hell. Perhaps what I most enjoyed was that it is mature, well-researched and intelligent. And not a hint of of angst or of conforming to a certain generational aesthetic. There really is no comparison that I can think of because she is writing a genuine, mature book the very first time around. It really did make me hopeful that we will start to see a kind of maturation and indeed a renaissance among literary and other creative people in their 20's. I want to see more of this kind of work from people my age. It made me want to start my own novel and see where it goes. This may all sound a but over-the-top but the book is that good. Impressive.
I had to give it four stars only because of certain moments, especially toward the end, where the dialogue started to break down a little, as if the characters were becoming flat and two-dimensional, while before they were living and breathing. I think this is simply because the ending is too long, overwrought, and baroque. It just seemed to go on and on like she just couldn't bear to give up whatever ending she had in her head. A little editorial detachment and cutting would have helped. Had she wrapped it up more neatly there wouldn't have been any problems.
Looking forward to her next one, which from what I've heard should be more of the same funny but affectionate satire.
Book Review: Embrace your Inner Outcast
Summary: 5 Stars
Ever feel like something about you just doesn't quite fit in to the bigger picture of life that surrounds you? If so, pick up Zadie Smith's wonderful novel "White Teeth". Every single main character in the book is a well developed study of an inward focused outcast. The way the author strings these warped pearls of dysfunction into a funny, absorbing tale of life is laudable.
The outrageous beginnings of each character's plot line makes funneling these larger than life takes into the humdrum of everyday existence compelling and humorous. For example, the four main families woven together by the plot lines begin with: 1) a miraculous birth in a church during an earthquake in Jamaica, 2) a Bangladeshi martyr who heroically accomplished nothing, 3) a family of middle-class mad scientists who relate all of life's problems to gardening or genetics, and 4) a simple Englishman whose greatest moment in life was a wartime decision whether or not to shoot a French Nazi doctor crying tears of blood.
How can you expect to mash together characters that large into a simple story of work, school, and family without some kind of fireworks? Everyone in the novel considers themselves an outcast in some way, and then nurses that feeling like a grudge until the conclusion. The end of the book comes a little abruptly, but after some reflection I think the ending was as good as could be hoped.
There is some very funny writing in this book, but that's basically a bonus. The characters are well developed, with their self-doubt and unfulfilled dreams stretching across the second half of the 20th century. This isn't a perfect book, the plot has a few dead ends and there are some inconsistencies in the early going, but don't let that distract you from the fact that this is a unique reading experience, and not to be missed.
Book Review: Seems to enjoy the sound of her own voice
Summary: 3 Stars
The word that kept coming to mind as I read this book was "ambitious." Smith ties together a legion of vividly and deeply drawn characters, all with different agendas; several different timelines; a rather byzantine central plot; and commentary on everything from genetic research to high school social hierarchy. It's a lot to swallow in one novel.She is most adept at drawing her characters--their physical characteristics, quirks and misgivings come alive on the page. Smith also provides sharp, witty insights on pop culture and life in the mixing bowl that is North London.
However, the elaborate character development takes away momentum from the plot, and has the effect of making the plot move in fits and starts. Just when I was starting to enjoy a scene or get into one character's actions, she'd go off on a tangent that seemed to link characters and actions only very remotely to each other. At times it felt a little self-indulgent, like she was admiring her own ability to turn a clever phrase or take the action momentarily off-course and then bring it back again.
By the time I was 400 pages into the book, I was asking, "How in the heck is she going to wrap this all up into an ending?" I think Smith was asking herself the same question at this point. The ending comes off as a bit of a stretch, but she does manage to pull things together reasonably well. Still, after I closed the cover, I said, "huh?" and had to go back and reread some earlier sections to figure out how they tied to the ending.
To me, this book needed a skilled editor who could tighten things up and keep things moving with out taking too much away from the rambling, bildungsroman-esque nature of the plot. It'll be interestesting to see what Smith has to say in her next novel--this one seemed to cover every base, at length.
Book Review: "White Teeth" Sparkles
Summary: 4 Stars
On the cover of the paperback version of "White Teeth", there is one of those critical blurbs that proclaims what you are about to read/buy "may be the first great novel of the new century." Zadie Smith's debut work was certainly the "it" novel of the publishing world last year, so one can only begin to read "White Teeth" with fairly high expectations. Does "White Teeth" live up to hype? Yes and no. It is certainly a creative, fresh, and often comic piece of fiction. Smith has brought together a wildly divergent cast of characters living in modern day London - from the twin sons of an arranged marriage between two Bangladeshi Muslims to an 80+ year old Jamaican Jehovah Witness who rides a sidecar of a motorcycle. The novel has an epic feel, covering a 25-year period (with some flashbacks deeper into the past) in the intertwining lives of the many characters. Smith also shifts the narrative and time period focus four times in the novel. So, as other reviewers have noted, some characters and plot lines disappear, new ones come to the forefront, and others return. And this is where some readers might get into trouble. I readily admit I was baffled by the reappearance of a character in the novel's later stages (it did eventually dawn on me who it was!). At times Smith seems to lose her focus or perhaps just fails to keep the readers' attention (I plead guilty). With this ambitious work, some aspects of "White Teeth" (storylines, characters) will appeal to some readers, while others will not. But, in my opinion, much more things work than do not.
All in all, this is a fine novel and an impressive debut from Zadie Smith. Unfortunately due to the heavy buzz that "White Teeth" has received, some readers will be undoubtedly be left disappointed.