White Teeth

What an epic book by Zadie Smith. The story line tries to do so much and cover a huge time span and I felt like the story really didn't go anywhere. It was difficult to read at times but I found myself enjoying the second half much more than the first, as the younger, second generation of characters were more well rounded and easier to understand. The story is very funny and doesn't take itself too seriously which is refreshing even as it covers issues like colonialism and the struggle to find identity in a foreign culture. Overall, a light but long read.

I had read Zadie Smith "Swing Time" before White Teeth and though it took a little time to get into I was unable to put it down halfway through and White Teeth was exactly the same. I love the way she creates her characters and doesn't shy away from the real world - warts and all. Loved it *****

I had heard great things about this book but my experience was that the book didn't seem to go anywhere, and I did feel during reading it that it was more about character development than a story. If I didn't finish the book I wouldn't have had a great desire to find out the ending as it wasn't that type of book. I read book discussion questions on it after and it's clear there's a lot of depth and it's well written but in all honesty, I didn't really enjoy it and I was never hooked at any point.

I don't know how anyone could dislike this book! Although perhaps the fact that I amOn my holidays and was able to read it in 3 days helped. Wonderful characters and a great story spanning generations and continents, and touching on race, religion, and what it's like to be a first or second generation immigrant in Britain, but in a way that's completely relevant to anybody. Delving into the history of each character and the history before them, bringing everything to a wonderful conclusion. I couldn't put this book down. A perfect read if you like Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, Rohinton Mistry, and Tash Aw.

Really enjoyed this - read it well after the hype had died down and really enjoyed it. Well drawn characters and a brilliant story line. Great all round. Recommended