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claypatch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This might be the best thing I will read this year. Amazing. A supreme work of historical imagination on a par with Hilary Mantel; dense without being stuffy, it moves very gracefully thru differing time periods of mid-19th century England, of drawing rooms, bustles and dresses, teas, manners high and low, the raising and lowering of one's honor and how a single word at just the right time can wreck, or redeem a life. Ostensibly about the "Tichborne Affair", which tied up the British court system for years, hence the fraud of the book title, but for terribly all-too human reasons the word comes into a much different usage. The best historical fiction I have read since "Lincoln In The Bardo". Fantastic.
sarahastley's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
laurareads5's review against another edition
1.0
So close but DNF. I just kept waiting for it to get better…
pjraff's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
ruby4sure's review against another edition
3.0
I am... Disappointed
I love love love Zadie Smith particularly for the way she builds such amazing three dimensional characters without explicitly telling you what to think of them. Similarly love the way she describes London as a living breathing thing and how it interacts with the people who live here. This book lacked all of the above.
I honestly couldn't tell you the plot (well I can, and I thought I missed something but after googling a summary I did in fact get everything it's just not a very complex plot). This would be fine (same with her novel NW) IF the characters or the city had enough depth to them to keep things going but honestly it just felt more like a creative writing task for a History class. Historic fiction imo should not just be a laundry list of historical facts pasted over the bones of the story - probs not the most high brow piece of literature in the world, but the Internal Devices shows really well how to weave the historical elements throughout so it structures the story characters and setting.
It is a three not lower because although it was a SLOG to get through, there are some fantastic moments where Smith's voice comes through and did make me laugh or want to bookmark the page (only page 317 actually got the bookmark though).
I love love love Zadie Smith particularly for the way she builds such amazing three dimensional characters without explicitly telling you what to think of them. Similarly love the way she describes London as a living breathing thing and how it interacts with the people who live here. This book lacked all of the above.
I honestly couldn't tell you the plot (well I can, and I thought I missed something but after googling a summary I did in fact get everything it's just not a very complex plot). This would be fine (same with her novel NW) IF the characters or the city had enough depth to them to keep things going but honestly it just felt more like a creative writing task for a History class. Historic fiction imo should not just be a laundry list of historical facts pasted over the bones of the story - probs not the most high brow piece of literature in the world, but the Internal Devices shows really well how to weave the historical elements throughout so it structures the story characters and setting.
It is a three not lower because although it was a SLOG to get through, there are some fantastic moments where Smith's voice comes through and did make me laugh or want to bookmark the page (only page 317 actually got the bookmark though).
gwennalena's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sford's review against another edition
Not for me - not the style of writing that I enjoy
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
What a delight this was. Not an audiobook person, but it was my only option and honestly, I'm glad I went for it. Zadie Smith knows her book inside out so hearing her read it was like being invited to a private reading.
The characters were very alive and real and it was a joyful thing to be around their triumphs and failures and musings. Granted there were some moments that did sag towards the middle; I didn't find the literary rivalries terribly compelling and the time skips back and forth didn't lose me ever, but sometimes they were a bit jarring.
Eliza is a character that is going to stay with me for a long time, she's wonderful. I appreciated that she was allowed to be complex and wrong. I liked how she failed to meet her own moral standards in critical moments, despite all her self awareness. Another contender for the fraud of the title maybe, but then aren't we all to some degree? Each in our own way.
The characters were very alive and real and it was a joyful thing to be around their triumphs and failures and musings. Granted there were some moments that did sag towards the middle; I didn't find the literary rivalries terribly compelling and the time skips back and forth didn't lose me ever, but sometimes they were a bit jarring.
Eliza is a character that is going to stay with me for a long time, she's wonderful. I appreciated that she was allowed to be complex and wrong. I liked how she failed to meet her own moral standards in critical moments, despite all her self awareness. Another contender for the fraud of the title maybe, but then aren't we all to some degree? Each in our own way.
andepinto's review against another edition
As a lover of historical fiction, this book was quite a painful read. I struggled to make it and even though I reached 87%. I just could not finish it no matter how hard I tried
vintagekisstodaye's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5