White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Well, I'm all healed from my surgery and it's time to report back on my books to recuperate by.  I finished Watermelon by Marian Keyes & Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer and gave a short report on them here.  I didn't even pick up either Bait and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich or The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby -- guess I don't like to recuperate with non-fiction -- so I'm still mid-way through those.  And I just finished White Teeth by Zadie Smith last night, so I better give you a report on that. . .

I really enjoyed White Teeth -- it was a leisurely read that was filled with lots of great characters and some hilarious writing.  I can see why she has been called a rising star and I'm now eager to read her latest -- On Beauty. 

White Teeth seems to fit in well with the overriding theme in a lot of the fiction I've been reading over the last year or two -- the struggles of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants.  Many of these novels seem to be set in London, as is White Teeth.  Maybe this is just the popular genre of the time, or maybe I've just fallen into the habit of picking up books of this type, I'm not sure.  But I find them extremely enjoyable and often insightful.

I would give you a plot summary, but this book is truly epic and I don't know where to begin!  It's a great read and if you are willing to devote the time to it, I think you will enjoy it and come away with some insights too.

Up next is A Million Little Pieces by James Frey which I started at midnight after finishing White Teeth.  Let's just say that I had to force myself to put it down at 1 am -- now that's a good sign! 

Comments

[jillian]

I've enjoyed a few of Marion Keye's books...perfect "light" reading without being to airheaded. LOL funny, too.

[Bliss]

"A Million Little Pieces" is a wild ride of a read. Will you ever again go to the dentist without thinking about his experience?

[Renee]

"White Teeth" really is pretty epic. It's hard to believe it was written by a first time novelist!