Swing Time
Ratings66
Average rating3.5
Zadie Smith will always be a great writer, and the complex take on race here is something I really appreciate, but I didn't find this one as compelling as other novels of hers. And the ending felt rushed and unsatisfying (not in a good way).
Swing Time is an instant literary classic. Zadie Smith writes at her finest & is in top form, bringing back the full power of her witty & nuanced storytelling evident in White Teeth. I would say that the commentary is not as fresh & revelatory as the latter (this mostly comes through in the inequality/development part of the plot), but that may just be a factor of perspective change in me in the intervening years between reading both, & my education in inequality & development. the juxtapositions of characters & their messy contadictions against layers of inequalities of race, class, gender are satisfying & relatable. What stands out is the sisterly relationship between two best friends, and I can see how the comparisons to Ferrante are relevant & accurate here.
I wouldn't re-read this, but I did enjoy it while I was reading it. I found myself savoring. It wasn't a book that you could speed read. Not because it was dense, but more because of Smith's writing style. I wanted to be present for every moment and detail. I wanted to be mindful of the flow and not rush the process.
The first thing I want to say about this book is that the narrator of the audio version is fantastic. Pippa Bennett-Warner was perfect for this. And on the whole, I liked the book very much. (I also had the hard copy and read parts of it even though I was mostly focused on the audiobook.) I do think the book comes down too hard on the “White Savior Syndrome,” although it does–begrudgingly, I thought–acknowledge the good intentions of some who want to do good in Africa and elsewhere. But my real concern here, and the reason I've given the book just 4 stars instead of 5, is structural. There's nothing wrong with telling two stories at once, but they seem to be only loosely connected–the story of the narrator's obsession with her childhood friend Tracey and the story of the narrator's work for an international pop star who is creating a school for girls in Africa. One sheds only a small amount of light on the other. Still, I'm glad I read it, and Smith is an excellent stylist.
3.5 stars. This was a long slog especially in the first half. There are many themes explored: race, identity, independence, inequality, but it's all told as from a distance. The protagonist works for a celebrity who decides to build a school in West Africa. We never even know the name of the protagonist even though the tale is told from her POV.
But the writing is brilliant, and she describes perfectly emotional reactions. Love her insights into elitism as well. Some parts are humorous, though because the distance from the story is such (imagine you're viewing the tale via an old TV set), it never gets to funny the way On Beauty did.
I was completely captivated by the story while also completely disliking the protagonist/narrator. Her cluelessness about anything happening around her, her passivity, her inability to ever say the right thing at the right time, all of these qualities were utterly infuriating to me. (This is one of those times where what I hate most in others is what I hate most in myself.) Every time I put the book down it was with some level of exasperation with the narrator; yet I couldn't stop picking the book up. The story loops and circles, which I always love. And the other characters have something going on, something worth diving into feet first. Highly recommend.
This was my first Zadie Smith novel, and while I found the writing extraordinarily beautiful, I was underwhelmed by the plotting. Books about the push and pull of female friendships can sometimes turn out this way. I was most impressed by Smith's observations and ability to bring a character to life.
After avoiding “Swing Time” despite what seems like waves and waves of critical praise, I finally broke down and picked up the book after hearing an interview with Zadie Smith on Fresh Air.
“ST” captures the author's views motherhood, friendship, being biracial, etc., at least according to the interview I heard. Yet, when I read the first 100 pages, I found a rambling mishmash of short chapters that were supposed to be from the viewpoint of girls growing up in the 80s, which sounded like an adult trying to write about childhood. Then, we jump forward to the narrator working for a celebrity and that's also just soooo boring.
Thusly, I put the book down and am quite glad I picked this up from the library and didn't buy it.
Our unnamed protagonist is a bit of a cypher surrounded by three strong willed women each with a singular focus, not to mention distinct blind spots. There is a willful blindness to inconvenient truths that stand in the way of what they perceive as success.
Tracey is wonderfully brash and filled with the boastful lies we tell others to shape our own heroic narrative. The narrator's mother is fuelled by a singular self-righteous ambition that brooks no time for others. And the Aussie pop-star is surrounded by a reality distortion bubble, shored up by handlers and yes-men.
Zadie Smith is a wonderful writer but I just wasn't sure of the story she was trying to tell. Maybe I needed something more to hang onto to here. It's got a good beat, I just can't dance to it.