"Howard Belsey is a middle-class white liberal Englishman teaching abroad at Wellington, a thinly disguised version of one of the Ivies. He is a Rembrandt scholar who can't finish his book and a recent adulterer whose marriage is now on the slippery slope to disaster. His wife, Kiki, a black Floridian, is a warm, generous, competent wife, mother, and medical worker. Their children are Jerome, disgusted by his father's behavior, Zora, Wellington sophomore firebrand feminist and Levi, eager to be taken for a "homey," complete with baggy pants, hoodies and the ever-present iPod. This family has no secrets--at least not for long. They talk about everything, appropriate to the occasion or not. And, there is plenty to talk about.

The other half of the story is that of the Kipps family: Monty, stiff, wealthy ultra-conservative vocal Christian and Rembrandt scholar, whose book has been published. His wife Carlene is always slightly out of focus, and that's the way she wants it. She wafts over all proceedings, never really connecting with anyone. That seems to be endemic in the Kipps household. Son Michael is a bit of a Monty clone and daughter Victoria is not at all what Daddy thinks she is. Indeed, Forster's advice, "Only connect," is lost on this group.

The two academics have long been rivals, detesting each other's politics and disagreeing about Rembrandt. They are thrown into further conflict when Jerome leaves Wellington to get away from the discovery of his father's affair, lands on the Kipps' doorstep, falls for Victoria and mistakes what he has going with her for love. Howard makes it worse by trying to fix it. Then, Kipps is granted a visiting professorship at Wellington and the whole family arrives in Massachusetts."

Starting an Australian bookring for this, I have not yet read it but won't have time for a while so it can travel first. PM me to join, it is a big book and not necessarily a quick read so it's understandable if it moves slower than some other rings.

Participants:

Arrietty
Purple-lilly
tantan
aleonblue
luckaye
jubby (asked to be skipped)
djbebe
crimson-tide
sleepydumpling

Ring now closed and sleepydumpling will set the book free.

The is a pleasant surprise to get this book so quickly, thanks Bookworm. I'm going to start this one straightaway and then read Autograph Man. I do have one other bookring book on the go too but I'll be as quick as I can.

I finished On Beauty this morning and here is my response – *Warning Long*

What can I say about this third book of Zadie Smith’s? It is quite brilliant writing and a funny irreverent look at American academia life. Most of the characters in this story live, love, err, fantasise and dream up elaborate schemes all within their own self-centred world. The exception is Kiki who inhabits her husband's, children's or friends' world in an unselfish but messy way. There is a lot to digest in the 442 pages of this epic novel of two families with diametrically apposed views whose lives converge in a serendipity series of events.

As good as it is, I don’t think it is destined to become a classic for the reasons I will outline below. White Teeth was a more rounded novel about generations of families adapting, reacting and interacting with their neighbours and friends in a changing world. On Beauty doesn’t seem to know what it is about. Is it about dysfunctional families and where their opportunities lead them? Is it about politics and race on campus as a reflection of the Western World’s ideology? Is it about aesthetics and beauty being exploited or misunderstood in modern American culture? Or is it about destiny and how fate makes puppets out of us all – whatever our colour, race or background? The story is set in modern times but has too many references to the 2 year period it was written in and this will date it in the same way that David Lodge’s novels have now dated.

I think Smith has overstretched herself with On Beauty not only in the use of multiple themes but also in ‘name dropping’. It is patently obvious that here is a brilliant and academic mind at work but the results can sometimes be pretentious. Every second page contains a fleeting reference to a piece of literature, poetry, music (from Mozart to Jeff Buckley), art work (from Rembrandt to Hopper), African-American culture, History or Haitian politics, etc. I found this tiresome after a while.

However the writing can’t be easily be dismissed because of the creative way she has of describing scenes, events and people. She can really bring them to life with her skilful use of metaphors and similes. Smith has a way of getting the reader to stand beside the character describing the scene, so you experience it through their eyes. For example, the scene (a seemingly unimportant one) where Kiki is forced to abandon her musings and come inside to supervise her daughter’s egg-making is quite brilliant. It is a good example of Smith’s powerful use of imagery and language. One minute there are philosophical musings about rotting apples and resourceful squirrels, the next one is jolted back to earth with the ‘stench of burning pans’.

I know I’ve been very critical of this novel but I think Smith will mature as a writer and if she doesn’t start writing for film she may yet produce more great novels, after all she’s only 30. I certainly wouldn’t compare her with E.M. Forster but more with John Irving (The World According to Garp). Hopefully she will surpass Irving as a writer as she matures and is more discriminating in her writing. I’ve just started Autograph Man her second novel (I’m reading them in a funny order!) but I want to finish with a quote which shows the brilliance of her language.

"It was a movie-idol face Jack had, cut-glass architecture, angled like a Wyndham Lewis portrait. His sentimental eyebrows made the shape of two separated sides of a steeple, always gently perplexed. He had skin like the kind of dark, aged leather you find on those fellows they dig out, after 900 years from a peat bog."

I will be posting this off to Purple-Lilly or maybe handing it over personally as I just realised she lives in the next suburb to me and we actually saw each other at the meetup last Tuesday!

Received from Arrietty today dropped in my letter box, will read it very soon.

I just couldn't get into this book, the characters left me cold and I had great trouble getting into the book , to the point that I didn't finish it. I don't like not finishing books but decided a while ago that there are too many books I will like, to waste time on those I don't. I felt somewhat guilty about not finishing, given Arriety's review and that this is the first bookring that I have received. Never mind, hopefully the next reader will get more out of it than I did.

Passed back to Arrietty as the next person on the list is not ready for it

Posted to Tantan today - hope you enjoy it when you get around to it! I've just noticed that it is on the top '1001 books you must read before you die.' Rather glad that it made it as it does have some great qualities.

Received from Arrietty - thanks! Going on to the huge bookrings pile. I'll get to it as soon as I can.

***

Edit April 18th, 2006: Sorry for holding this book up for so long. I'm finally starting it today, and will read as quickly as possible for such a big book! :-)

I absolutely loved this book, but it has left me somewhat lost for words the same way Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell did. There is just so much to absorb and think about that I really can't say anything at all. :-)

Thanks for an absorbing read bookworm-BNE. This was my first read by Zadie Smith so I'll be moving White Teeth (which I already have here) a lot higher up the TBR pile.

I've requested an address from aleonblue, and will be forwarding this on as soon as I have received it.

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Edit May 2nd, 2006: Posted to aleonblue today.

Received this book from tan-tan today. Will use this book for the ARC challenge!

There's something about Zadie Smith's writing that really draws me in - even though the story sometimes seems to get off track. I really enjoyed the 1st half of this book, but from there it seemed to get a bit lost, and the ending didn't come together as well for me as her previous books have. Nevertheless, I'll probably read her future books - I just seem to be drawn to her writing.

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Passing this book on to Luckaye at the Brisbane BC meet-up at Stones Corner this weekend.

I picked this one up from the Meet today. Will put it next to my bed to read after I have finished my current book.

I got 2/3 through this book before I gave up. I just couldn't get into figure out what the book was about and I know there are other people waiting. I have started 'The Autograph Man' and will send together ASAP.

Jubby asked to be skipped as she is receiving another copy, so I am waiting for the address of the next person.

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Onwards to the next person!

received in the mail from luckaye - thanks - will get to it asap!

I couldn't really relate to any of the characters - in almost every situation they were placed in I think I would have taken the opposite course of action. But at the same time I found the style of writing engaging so I managed to get through the epic quite quickly. I liked The Autograph Man a lot more - maybe she didn't try so hard - I agree with arietty about the name-dropping in On Beauty. Posted yesterday to crimson-tide.

Arrived safely today. There are three or four in front of it, and it is a big book, so it will probably take me a while longer than the usual 4 weeks to be done with it. As I'm currently the last on the list before it goes back home again, I hope that is OK.

Apologies again people for holding on to this one for so long. Once I started it, it seemed to drag on and take an age to get through.

Somehow this book just didn't do it for me. Kiki was the only character I could "feel" anything for; the others were just a big zero in that sense. Except Howard . . . now there is one selfish schmuck!!
And so pathetic . . . so give him a big minus. Haha

The writing is the book's best feature (and yes, it is at times brilliant) - but sorry, it needed more than that for me to rate it higher.

I see that sleepydumpling has now joined the list - so off to find an address, and then the book will be on its way.

Came to me via a bookring. Can't wait to read this lovely big book.

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Taking this one to book club to release to a fellow reader.

The lady who organises my Bookclub gave me this book. I'd heard of White Teeth and hadn't got around to reading it, so was keen to read another of Zadie Smith's books.

I really enjoyed it! It talked about things that probably everybody has some sort of experience in, but I've never seen written down before. University life, families all with different "specialties" and personalities, affairs, racism, reverse-racism, death, friendship. It was all very original, yet a very old idea, you know?

Kiki is a big black American woman married to an English professor. They have 3 children. Kiki is a nurse with a practical and realistic view on life, using her emotions and logic as a gague. Howard, her husband, in his eyes escaped a mundane narrow-viewed home in North-West London where his Dad enjoys watching game shows with a cup of tea, to the more "intelligent" and cerebral world of university life.

Their children are a mix of both, and extreme ends of either. The youngest son, Levi, is confused and trying to feel "black" even though he's from an upwardly-mobile college neighbourhood. The daughter Zora is like myself as a uni student - inward-looking, almost selfish, with not yet enough world experiences to be able to properly empathise with the plights of others, unless it directly affects her. The eldest son, Jerome, is craving, I think, some sort of stable, wholesome family life, so turns to christianity.

The father - Howard - is likeable and unlikeable in equal doses. His affair is a metaphor really for his true selfishness. But it becomes .. not justified. Just.. understandable. A quintisential hopeless case of mid-life crisis though.

I loved how technology was used through this book, and especially enjoyed reading how 57-year-old Howard coped with a student sending him pornographic photographs. In contrast, the reaction and ensuing actions are opposite to the way a younger recipient views the material. And the sender of the material too is classically young, beautiful, confident and utterly inexperienced with life, yet feels she has a maturity which clearly she doesn't. Very "Y-Generation"!

Zadie Smith isn't in-your-face with these observations. She doesn't write: "That girl is immature. This guy is confused. The husband is selfish". The actions and thoughts of the characters tumble out naturally, just like in life, which the reader has to figure out for themselves. Which is why it's so intelligent. On the other hand, it's definitely not cryptic.

Some may find the university-speak a bit high-brow and difficult, but I think maybe that's the point of some of the scenes.

A friend who had read it said that she didn't enjoy it or engage with it, so maybe I'm wrong that others may enjoy it. Perhaps I liked it because I personally have recognised myself as a selfish uni student, as the one who excitedly and stupidly sends a porno text/email thinking it contains more emotion than the recipient does, understands how men end up having affairs (and it's not because they don't love their partner), has a family with a variety of personalities who still love each other and grow and mature with age. I also analyse the nature of new friendships, how they're different to the ones you make at school and work, and therefore require more nurturing and work, but space in case the other person isn't interested. It's all so delicate!

This was a snapshot of life right at the time of teenagers/mid-life/post-teen, a really exciting and confusing blend if you think about it. I enjoyed it Zadie. I hope other people get it.

Mel

CAUGHT IN BRISBANE QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA

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