The Fraud | 
pickI really enjoyed the premise of this story, and there were parts I whizzed through, but overall I found it long and at times difficult to follow, and very nearly gave up. Similar to how I felt about Wolf Hall in fact. I think this was a little too literary for me and I‘m disappointed as it‘s a story I wanted to hear. I deliberated but am giving it a light pick as I appreciated the quality of writing. Moving on…
pick28 Jun-16 Jul 24
Although it looks a bit of a chunkster at 450 pages, the short chapters are deceptive.
Smith fictionalises the life of marginal novelist William Ainsworth and his lover/cousin, Mrs Touchet, against the background of the Tichborne affair.
It was not perfect and the characters unsympathetic but I really enjoyed it. Interesting topic for Smith and quite different from White Teeth, the only other book of hers that I have read.
so-soSweeping historical fiction set among the literary set in England. I enjoy the authors writing, but I found this tale and her message a bit muddled in the novel. 3 🌟 #walterscottprize
My current read and I‘m really enjoying it!
I had read quite a few “meh” reviews about this one but I received it as a Christmas gift from a dear friend (so I had to give it a try, of course!).
bailedSomebody help me read this. Love ZS, Tichborne great subject, but just can‘t stick. 2023
P3 “The filthy boy stood on the doorstep. He might be scrubbed of all that dirt, eventually—but not of so many orange freckles. No more than fourteen, with skinny, unstable legs like a marionette, he kept pitching forward, shifting soot into the hall. Still, the woman who‘d opened the door—easily amused, susceptible to beauty—found she couldn‘t despise him.”
pickThis is one of the best audiobooks I‘ve ever experienced - Smith‘s narration is such an incredible performance. The book itself started out strong then meandered a bit too much, but I could happily listen to Smith read another several hundred pages with her impeccable accents. Truly wonderful.
so-soThere were parts of this book that I really liked, but it didn't seem like Zadie Smith could quite decide which (or whose) story she wanted to tell. Halfway through we get a digression (or is it the main event?) that spans 1/3 of the book. The characters and plot seem less important than the message:
We are all frauds in some sense, whether we are actual imposters or find that we are going against our principles.
This confuses me. I wonder if this was actually in the court documents from the Tichborne case or if Zadie Smith made it up. In Victorian literature wealthy people marry their first cousins ALL THE TIME in order to keep the property in the family, and also because it afforded some safety and familiarity (literally) for the woman. And literature aside, it wasn't uncommon in real life either. It didn't become taboo until after WW1.
#12Booksof2023 September
Zadie Smith‘s newest about a woman working for a man and his literary friends, but it‘s also about a court case going on at that time
pickI'm still mulling over whether I liked this. There is so much to think about with regards to what it says about racism, colonial feminism, the slave trade & British society, & about the impetus to make art & the limits of imagination in relation to solidarity. Yet somehow, the book kept me at an emotional distance. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it made for a somewhat frustrating reading experience as I kept waiting to feel something.
so-soIt took forever to finish this one. The writing was clever, but the story only interested me intermittently
so-so‘m going to disagree with the Times best books of the year in this one. It‘s good enough, and reminds me of the older style of writing. I scanned a good portion of this book, good premise but long.
pickReally enjoyed this one! Felt like a modernized Dickens. Lots to think about here but filled with humour.
Perhaps William had made it so. Over the years, despite everything, he had made a lot of things so that weren't.
Flitches of bacon and lime trees and Dick Turpin riding through Cricklewood. Eliza attributed this not to any special skill on her cousin's part but to the fact that the great majority of people turn out to be extraordinarily suggestible, with brains like sieves through which the truth falls.
Fact and fiction meld in their minds.
“Witty and acute feminine conversation, by contrast, could not be hung on any wall. No one builds a monument to it.”
(TBH this felt bigger within the context.)
This is my first Zadie Smith.
What else should I read from her oeuvre?
This is why I had to restack the books from my last post.
New library books> home TBR books
pickIt was interesting to read a historical fiction by Zadie Smith. It‘s not overly plot heavy and we spend most of the story in the head of housekeeper Eliza Touchett which was a fascinating mind to be in. The famous Titchbourne inheritance case the book centers around is a mere background story. The plot is very slow but Smith‘s writing is still excellent.
pickZadie Smith is one of my favorite authors and for me it‘s always a highlight when she‘s out with a new novel. This one didn‘t disappoint.
After becoming a widow at a young age Eliza Touchet moves in with her late husband‘s cousin, Ainsworth, becoming a servant. We get glimpses of the past as well her present which includes the famous The Tichborne Trial where a man claims to be the list heir of a fortune. His biggest defender is a Mr. Bogle.
pick
The illusion of history is on full display in this novel, as Smith seeks to pull back the curtain on what we think about that time. Using a female main character's point of view added to this, allowing the reader to get a much different perspective of people like Ainsworth and even the great Charles Dickens. A sharp look at class and privilege that actually reads quite quickly and will make you want to explore more about the people and the times.
bailedI gave this a good go, but I just can‘t get into it at all, so moving right along!
When you finished the book referenced last month, so that you actually get the reference you 😀
so-soThis was interesting and engrossing for 80% of it but then it kind of fell apart for me. A brilliant idea for a book and honestly I don‘t know if I‘m obtuse or if it needed another round of editing.
Well , I did my part this evening for Buy a Book Day! Like I need any encouragement!😄🙄
#authoroncampus
I don‘t always get on with her books, but she was absolutely fascinating to listen to. Fiercely intelligent and full of knowledge and love both for the craft of writing and reading. She said she constantly re-reads, loves new and young authors as she likes to know what is making young people angry and concerned.
Really interesting, I didn‘t ask any questions because I just didn‘t feel clever enough!
pickWell, that was….fine. 😬 Yes, it‘s clearly well researched and there is some wit in there, particularly from one of the MCs but, bearing in mind that there are 3 different storylines, nothing much actually happens.
I don‘t think that the 3 storylines mesh well together, even though they are clearly linked, and I never felt involved with any of the characters.
Still a (light) pick, but felt a bit of a chore in places.
#netgalley
Hooray! I didn‘t think I‘d get this one from #netgalley, but if you don‘t ask, you don‘t get!
Looking forward to seeing the author‘s take on historical fiction.
2023 books to look forward to! https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jan/01/fiction-to-look-out-for-in-2023?CM...
