Comments on: On Beauty by Zadie Smith

By: Kari

Kari — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:56:10 +0000

You know, I knew she was British, but I am so used to the term “African-American” that I didn’t think twice about using it. You are right, of course.

By: Jill

Jill — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 04:24:46 +0000

F.Y.I. Zadie Smith is not an African-American. She is British-born. Her mother is from the Caribbean and her dad was English (I believe her parents are divorced).

Her first and best book, “White Teeth” is about the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural stew in London.

By: Chrissy

Chrissy — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 21:00:05 +0000

This reminds me that I never finished “The Autograph Man”, which was also written by Zadie Smith. I think that was during a period in my life where I was reading 7 or 8 books at one time and didn’t finish ANY of them.

I’ll add “On Beauty” to the list because I finish “Howard’s End” in the fall of last year and adored it. However, I’ve still never seen the film.

Thanks for your reviews, Kari! They are very helpful to me.

By: Kari

Kari — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 18:45:25 +0000

I meant to add to what I said here (not that it wasn’t long enough) that I do see the comparisons between the two, and, of the two, I think I preferred The Emperor’s Children. This one was very good, though.

By: Chris Hubbs

Chris Hubbs — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 17:43:14 +0000

This is where I admit that I’ve never read Howard’s End – only watched the movie, and loved Emma Thompson. I guess I’ll have to add it to my list.

Good to hear your thoughts, Kari, glad you enjoyed this one. I’m about a third of the way through The Emperor’s Children at the moment, I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve finished it.