Swing Time

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.