|
|
White Teeth
Average Customer Rating:   
List Price:
$24.95
Asia Trips Trips Price:
$10.68
Your Savings: $ 14.27 ( 57% )
Subject To Change Without Notice
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: Random House
|
|
|
Binding: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Random House
Manufacturer: Random House
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 448
Publication Date: 2000-04
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: 2000-04-25
Studio: Random House
|
|
|
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
One of the most talked about fictional debuts of recent years, "White Teeth" is a funny, generous, big-hearted novel, adored by critics and readers alike. Dealing - among many other things - with friendship, love, war, three cultures and three families over three generations, one brown mouse, and the tricky way the past has of coming back and biting you on the ankle, it is a life-affirming, riotous must-read of a book.
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: Terrific and More Terrific on Second Reading
Comment: I struggled with "White Teeth" when I first opened the book shortly after its publication several years back. I liked parts, didn't like others. The book seemed too loose for me, it roamed around, bouncing from scene to scene, character to character. I laughed at some of the scenes, but struggled to keep turning the pages. Now when I go back to the book, I'm simply amazed to find that it's incredibly coherent, the story woven artfully together, cohesive, tasty in its comic flare, just plain delightful. It's not the England I really know, yet I'm sure it's the England that really is. As a writer, Smith is great to read, and "White Teeth" must stand as the very best of her work. In looking at her subsequent novels, I don't find the same kind of exhilaration, the same energy as in "White Teeth," but that's OK. She's done it so well here that all is forgiven. "White Teeth" is one for the ages.
-Tom Maremaa, Author of the Forthcoming Metal Heads: A Novel from Kunati Books in Spring 2009
Customer Rating:
Summary: Much better once you're done reading it.
Comment: White Teeth can hardly be called anything but epic - not only in length, but in the sheer volume of events that occur as the story unfolds. This a double-edged sword - while there are long sections of brilliant characterization and interesting plot-lines, there are extended sections of excruciatingly boring text which feel unnecessary as you're reading them. However, the greatest thing this novel accomplishes is to tie together all its strands, which continually wind tighter as the story leads to its conclusion. Most of the characters are at least entertaining, and two or three are outstanding. There are also a few annoying, boring characters which seem to add nothing to the novel at all - Clara's father comes to mind here.
This novel is certainly worth reading, even if some of the longer, less interesting sections of the narrative need to be skimmed through or skipped altogether. Truth be told, the reader would only be cheating himself to pass these sections by, as they do seem to pay off in the end. However, it reads like something of an endurance test at times, and a feeling arises that the author was being overindulgent in writing such a massive book. Despite its flaws, White Teeth showcases some excellent storytelling, and I would recommend seeing it out to the end, though I promise you, at times, it will be difficult.
8/10
Customer Rating:
Summary: Over-hyped
Comment: I agree with other reviewers who mention Smith's lack of focus in writing the story and lack of compassion for the characters. It reads like the work of a twenty-something with limited life experience who is overly proud of herself and just can't be bothered to get anything right. Flip judgments of characters don't make for an entertaining or compelling read. This is one to avoid, despite the opinions of reviewers obsessed with the writer's youth and good looks. It's a look, not a book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A tough slog
Comment: Smith's book starts out alright but quickly deteriorates. I was not impressed with Smith's ability to tell a story or develop characters. There are so many good writers to read-- old classics as well as new young ones. I would not waste my time with another one of her books.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A slog which would benefit from drastic editing
Comment: Some members of our book club found the novel amusing and interesting, but the majority felt the work was a slog which would benefit from drastic editing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
