Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

Zadie Smith's 'Swing Time' is a tour-de-force
The Los Angeles Times

Swing Time’: Zadie Smith’s sweeping novel about friendship, race and class
Washington Post

Swing Time is Zadie Smith’s fifth novel and for my money her finest
The Guardian

Discussion 1/1/17.....

Happy New Year, All!

We begin 2017 with Swing Time by Zadie Smith. This book has been on more "best of 2016" lists than any other with the exception of The Underground Railroad. See here > http://qz.com/869960/the-best-books-o...

This is my third go round with the author. On Beauty was my first and I loved it. I then read NW and wasn't that fond of the creative and/or experimental writing style she used in that one -- although the actual story was quite good. Her latest....well, we'll talk about that.

Has anyone else read her earlier books? What do you think of her? Has anyone read or reading the new one?

We'll start the discussion January 3rd...

Happy New Year!!
May 2017 be your best reading year ever! :)

I have read:
White Teeth
On Beauty
NW

Each of these books were bookclub reads.
Actually I am not sure I would have picked up any of the books if they were not bookclub pics.
I have much respect for Zadie Smith's storytelling and writing skills but she is not necessarily one of my fav authors though it seems I like listening to her speak on her works, literature and other topics.
All of the book discussions regarding her books were lively ones - so that is reason for me to keep reading her books.
My fav of the three is On Beauty.

I will be joining the discussion for Swing Time.
I really liked the blurb for this book so I would have been reading this one even if not chosen as a BOM.

I was fortunate to win this one recently in a goodreads give away. I intend to join the discussion this month. This will be my first Zadie Smith book. I don't have any preconceived notions about the book or author at the moment.

I just finished Swing Time on New Year's Day. It was my first time reading Zadie Smith and I really look forward to the discussion. There's a lot we can talk about here.

I've read White Teeth and currently reading The Authorgraph Man. I do own all her novels and essays, it is my hope to complete all.
I enjoyed White Teeth.

Still waiting on the copy I requested from the library. Hopefully, I'll get it soon.

I recently won an advance copy at work & plan to join the discussion. I've never read Zadie Smith before.

Swing Time Dance Schedule:

Prologue/Part 1 -- Jan 3-7
Part 2 & 3 -- Jan 8-13
Part 4 & 5 -- Jan 14-22
Part 6 thru end of book -- Jan 23rd

Discussion starts now!

Zadie, Zadie, Zadie....

The classic Between the Lines discussion with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Note: This is actually Zadie interviewing Adichie but it's just so wonderful listening to and watching these brilliant women I just had to include it. This is for those 2 people who have never seen it:

Race, Writing and Relationships at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NYC.
https://youtu.be/LkeCun9aljY

Zadie by the book from The NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/boo...

Reviews:

The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...

The Zadie Smith Reader (essays and short stories from The New Yorker):
http://www.newyorker.com/contributors...

Wow, we have quite a few first time Zadie readers here. I'm interested to hear your early thoughts on her writing -- the prologue and Part 1 of the book.

The prologue definitely caught my attention - a scandal happened! What did the narrator do? Why is she getting so many text messages? --- I didn't have any issues with the writing in the first part of the book.

Part 1 ("Early Days") feels like a coming-of-age story and I thought it was interesting how the relationship between the narrator and the intriguing Tracey was slowly revealed. At first, they click with each other because of their similar skin tone. But we soon realize that their family dynamics are quite different.

The ending of Part 1 upset me. Will wait for others to get to that part, so we can discuss that scene.

Also, when I read Swing Time, I wondered how much was Zadie Smith inspired by her own life (like the narrator she has a Jamaican mother and English father, and I read somewhere that Zadie herself is also quite a singer)...

Was also pulled into the narrative by the opening piece and as ever, with Zadie Smith, pulled into all of the subsequent writing.

Glad we're reading this and curious to know not only how the plot plays out, but to see how her characters grow, change - themselves and in relation to one another.
thanks, too, to the links and background material. Haven't seen it all, grateful as ever

got the book over the holidays but haven't started it yet as I'm currently finishing up something else.

Janet and George, have either of you read her before? If so, which book(s) and what did you think?

Beverly wrote: "Happy New Year!!
May 2017 be your best reading year ever! :)

I have read:
White Teeth
On Beauty
NW

Each of these books were bookclub reads.
Actually I am n..."

Beverly, I think you're the first person I've run across that has read both White Teeth and On Beauty and preferred the latter. I own a copy of Teeth but have yet to read it and wonder how it could possibly be better than On Beauty. I thought that book was almost perfect.

I started NW but in reality I never really got into what she was doing with it. She appears to have a big rep and I thought I'd give her another shot.

I finished this a couple of weeks ago. I am currently writing a PhD thesis on Smith so I have read everything she has written, many times over - to the point of exhaustion in fact. But I really enjoyed Swing Time. I think it is a novel that a reader can return to. There is a lot going on but at the same time the narrative voice is light enough that it can be read without there being a feeling of being bogged down. I see a very strong narrative trajectory across three of Smith's novels - White Teeth, NW and now Swing Time. To me they are very much related not simply because of place (north west London) but also at the level of characters. In fact several characters appear in more than just one novel such as Alsana Iqbal who is one of the main characters of White Teeth but is also mentioned in NW. I love doing this kind of detective work with Smith - there are so many layers to her work, so much to sink your teeth in to. She really is a reader's writer.

My only issue is with the editing. There are soooooo many grammatical errors in this book, typos or words that have been omitted. I was really surprised.

Columbus wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Happy New Year!!
May 2017 be your best reading year ever! :)

I have read:
White Teeth
On Beauty
NW

Each of these books were bookclub reads...."

Well my liking On Beauty better than White Teeth has more to do with the subject matter/characters more than anything else. Actually there is not much in my rating/ranking each of the three books that I have read.

While White Teeth is not my fav - I did recognize that it was an impressive debut.

My favorite quote of Part One is:

People are not poor because they they've made bad choices, my mother liked to say, they made bad choices because they're poor."

Camilla wrote: "I finished this a couple of weeks ago. I am currently writing a PhD thesis on Smith so I have read everything she has written, many times over - to the point of exhaustion in fact. But I really enj..."

Camilla, all the best on your thesis. Feel free to take over the discussion if you like. Couple of questions for you if you can:

-Do you have a particular favorite of her novels? Also, any short story or essay you feel that's particularly exceptional that you would recommend?
-A group of book lovers on an English book site were discussing her work and much of the criticism she received during the discussion of her work was due to a level of sameness that seemed to infuriate them and permeate throughout her books: same location (nw London); same themes and issues (multi-culturalalism, race relations, race, ethnicity). Etc... Their argument was she seems to do a recycle of her work with same theme's but different names. Do you think this is a fair criticism?

We have two main characters/wannabe dancers in this story. Tracey and uh, what's her name. The narrator. Why does the author choose not to give a name to the narrator?

Hey there,
Cannot say I have a single favourite though I do have a least favourite which is The Autograph Man. I think On Beauty is a near perfect novel and I tend to see White Teeth, NW and Swing Time as a triptych of sorts.
I do think her short story The Embassy of Cambodia is a standout. It is available for free online I believe and so I implore all to read it.I am very much interested in Smith's authorial persona and as such have looked quite closely at a lot of her non-fiction writing.
In terms of her returning always to north west London I think this benefits her in terms of being a writer of serious literary fiction. By always returning to the one place she is able to illustrate how a range of diverse social, cultural and political differences and changes take place and effect the lives of the people involved.
I would also argue that her treatment of this place is varied across her novels and is by no means cartographically accurate but rather as Smith herself has remarked, 'a state of mind'. As a reader I also find it enjoyable. Through my research of Smith I have come to enjoy the recurring motifs related to this place, notably the small businesses run and frequented by her characters such as chicken shops, hair salons, cafes and butchers.
In regards to the narrator not being named, I have noticed quite a few people remarking upon this and I wonder why it is so important for the reader to have a name. I think it has something to do with Smith herself and her previous reluctance or lack of confidence in writing in the first person. Perhaps coming up with a name on top of pulling-off the narrative voice was all too much? I also think it allows Smith to play with her own authorial persona. There are so many qualities that the narrator and Smith share, biographically, that it is easy to conflate their voices. If anything, Smith is drawing attention to something by NOT naming the narrator, which I guess is what begs the question in the first place.

Columbus wrote: "We have two main characters/wannabe dancers in this story. Tracey and uh, what's her name. The narrator. Why does the author choose not to give a name to the narrator?"

While I am have only read through Part One.

At first I was curious on what the narrator's name was but as I read on, it did not seem to matter.
Then I thought did I really need to know the narrator's name if she was going to be the only narrator.
I do wonder how much of a "reliable" narrator she is going to be.
The narrator makes a number of comments that I am curious about and wanting to see where the author goes with it.
One of these is when the girls are playing with the dolls and Tracey's play acting statements seem so "grown-up" and were disturbing to me that an 8/9 yr child was making. I thought that some not so right was going on.

Camilla wrote: "Hey there,
Cannot say I have a single favourite though I do have a least favourite which is The Autograph Man. I think On Beauty is a near perfect novel and I tend to see White Teeth, NW and Swing ..."

I have to agree with your statement regarding Smith using the same place in her novels. I think it allows for the more exploration of character and subject matter and also for continuity of a sort. I do not think it is a fair criticism - many authors have been known for the setting of the books.

As for using the same themes - maybe I am not bothered by it because it is a theme I am interested in. Is this really any different than many other authors?

Camilla wrote: "Hey there,
Cannot say I have a single favourite though I do have a least favourite which is The Autograph Man. I think On Beauty is a near perfect novel and I tend to see White Teeth, NW and Swing ..."

Thanks so much for your comments, Camilla. Some really good points here.

The Autograph Man seems to be everyone's least favorite of her books. It's like the stepsister in the bunch, probably the real definition of a sophomore slump, maybe? I don't know.

Thanks for the Embassy recommendation. I've been hearing good things about this for several years now. There's a recent essay she wrote about cultural appropriation that I need to look for as well. I just read the headline about it recently and thought from just that I could be in disagreement with her on it - but we'll see.

I also agree with you and Beverly about her returning to NW London frequently in her books. I wasn't playing devil's advocate here but I really wanted to get others opinions. I wonder if there's some sexism and/or jealousy directed there. The discussion was an all male group at The Guardian book blog section. These charges are rarely directed at men are they? Is the same criticism ever leveled at someone like James Joyce for his frequent settings in Dublin?

Camilla wrote: "My only issue is with the editing. There are soooooo many grammatical errors in this book, typos or words that have been omitted. I was really surprised."

Typos/grammatical errors? Strangely I didn't notice any. You don't have an ARC copy do you?

Missy J wrote: "The prologue definitely caught my attention - a scandal happened! What did the narrator do? Why is she getting so many text messages? --- I didn't have any issues with the writing in the first part..."

Prologues can be so tricky can't they. Sometimes I wonder if an author should just forego one because it can often disrupt the rest of the book, in my opinion. Theoretically i guess, it suppose to advance the plot or give you some background information on the story. But, sometimes it just interferes with it I believe. I had iffy thoughts about this book when I read the prologue. I re-read it after your comment Missy J and it becomes so much clearer. But that's partially because I finished the book, I guess, and know how it applies to the rest of the story. Then again I should've paid more attention when I was initially reading it because this prologue is really well done. I guess I'll be more attentive to prologues in the future is my lesson.

Columbus wrote: "Camilla wrote: "My only issue is with the editing. There are soooooo many grammatical errors in this book, typos or words that have been omitted. I was really surprised."

Typos/grammatical errors?..."

No I just have a regular copy. I will see if I can find some examples and post page references just out of interest.

Camilla wrote: "Columbus wrote: "Camilla wrote: "My only issue is with the editing. There are soooooo many grammatical errors in this book, typos or words that have been omitted. I was really surprised."

Typos/gr..."

Ok

Just finished the Prologue and Part One. I've never been a huge fan of Zadie Smith. I've read White Teeth and NW1, however no memory of either book remains. Many reviewers were luke-warm about Swing Time, so I wasn't expecting to be overwhelmed. Instead, I'm pleasantly surprised. Taut plotting, memorable characters, the tensions of working class London life deftly illustrated. She is able to discuss big themes (racism, feminism, snobbery) through snappy dialogue and vignettes of every day life. There are some genuinely chilling and horrifying scenes. Looking forward to the next bit!

I didn't notice that the central narrator isn't named. Maybe that's part of Smiths central concept - how easily a black woman can become invisible.

Udeni wrote: "Just finished the Prologue and Part One. I've never been a huge fan of Zadie Smith. I've read White Teeth and NW1, however no memory of either book remains. Many reviewers were luke-warm about Swin..."


"I didn't notice that the central narrator isn't named. Maybe that's part of Smiths central concept - how easily a black woman can become invisible."

Interesting observation!
Especially since the narrator seems to be the one that does not fit the majority culture in what is "beautiful".

I too am interested in where the storyline goes next.

Discussing Part 2 & 3 (a couple of hours early)

I think part of the reason this book feels a little different for me is unlike her other novels this one is written in the first person . Some critics have surmised this form is part of the reason the book works. Smith wasn't even fond of it until she said "she realized she could bend it to her needs." Interesting. However, I would've preferred the book in third person and I think that's a big part of the reason I was lukewarm to it (not entirely the only reason, however). Any thoughts on this?

Zadie the hyphenate..,,,

writer - professor - style icon - jazz chanteuse (?)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLxQkQcjJ9G/

From the research I have done Smith seems very uncomfortable writing in the first person. Apparently the Keisha/Natalie section of NW was originally written in the first person but simply didn't work. Smith has said before that she finds it very hard to be sympathetic in the first person. I would argue that it has a lot to do with her own self-consciousness in writing in the first person - that she finds it really hard to differentiate herself from the 'I'. There are so many instances in this book where the line between fiction and reality is blurred - for example in the prologue the mention of the two young men being thrown into the Thames is a real-life crime. The same with the couple the narrator takes refuge with at the end of the book - they are a real-life couple and the renovation of their home that is mentioned is actually documented in a recent edition of the New Yorker Magazine. Not to mention the obvious similarities in biographical details between author and narrator. I find it all very interesting but am still undecided as to what Smith is trying to achieve with it.

Camilla wrote: "From the research I have done Smith seems very uncomfortable writing in the first person. Apparently the Keisha/Natalie section of NW was originally written in the first person but simply didn't wo..."

Camilla, while reading the prologue the story about the men thrown into the Thames just seemed too real to me so I looked it up myself. I think I found the story in The DailyUK with a story, pictures and the whole social aspect of it. This was a huge case in the UK. Really traumatic. I'm glad you brought that up.

Columbus wrote: "Camilla wrote: "From the research I have done Smith seems very uncomfortable writing in the first person. Apparently the Keisha/Natalie section of NW was originally written in the first person but ..."

It also brought to mind, for me, the crime at the centre of NW in which one of the characters, Felix, is killed by another character, Nathan. In both instances the crimes are committed by young, disaffected youth, natives of north-west London. I think these kinds of narrative patterns are important to reading Smith's work and what it is she is trying to achieve with it.

Swing time

Part 2

-We are introduced to Aimee, the pop star, ala Madonna, Gaga. What an interesting pop star she turns out to be. She's Australian if I can recall correctly? I don't have the book in front of me presently. Bigger than British-Australian pop star O Newton-John even. She just seems so saccharine initially.

-The narrator, Tracey and other friends are invited to a white girl's birthday party. They put on a show that in some way reminded me of watching Garland and Rooney and the summer stock group, "let's put on a show" that I used to watch while waiting on my mom and sisters preparing for church on Sunday morning. This part of the book was really enjoyable to me. Zadie pretty much setting the stage for everything to come. But, this scene was really revealing for me because of the confrontation with the white mother and the narrator's mother of Jamaican descent. The whole Black-Asian incident - the remark first comes up at the movie theatre earlier. Her political (and incredibly fascinating) mother dismisses the "typical bourgeois morality" but not the "Paki" remark. This is great reading.

Both On Beauty and Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays are giveaways on Goodreads. Ends Jan 9th.

Beverly wrote: "Udeni wrote: "Just finished the Prologue and Part One. I've never been a huge fan of Zadie Smith. I've read White Teeth and NW1, however no memory of either book remains. Many reviewers were luke-w..."

I like your sharp-eyed observation that the narrator is unreliable. The incident with the dolls and the sexualised dance at the birthday party suggests all is not well at Tracey's home. I wonder if we will find out more? You are already seeing how Tracey and the narrator are outside the middle class life that the narrators mother so wants to join. The scene where her mother is told off after the birthday party debacle is brilliant. She does toe-curling humiliation so well.

I'm Australian so from a purely superficial perspective I love that Smith has written an Australian character. Though there's nothing distinctly Australian in the character, I do just like the fact that she has thought about my country and my people. I enjoy hearing her use the words 'Ballarat' and 'bogan'. Pathetic, I am.

Camilla wrote: "I'm Australian so from a purely superficial perspective I love that Smith has written an Australian character. Though there's nothing distinctly Australian in the character, I do just like the fact..."

Not pathetic at all! I think we all perk up when a character is from the same place as we are.

Columbus wrote: "Discussing Part 2 & 3 (a couple of hours early)

I think part of the reason this book feels a little different for me is unlike her other novels this one is written in the first person . Some criti..."

I have not really paid attention if my reading experience is affected by the first person as opposed to the third person.

But about half through the reading of this part my opinion/thoughts changed on about the narrator.

As I noted above I thought the narrator may be unnamed because she is going to be unreliable - I have now changed my mind.

Then I thought the book was dragging for me as I thought the "narrator" is a boring/dull and I wanted to hear Tracey's narration about what is going on with her and her thoughts on the narrator. And all of the characters were coming more alive on the pages.

Then it dawn on me - this is intentional - the book is about girlhood,, womanhood, friendship with parenting, race, and class thrown in.

So now I am of the belief that the author is exploring these themes with the "narrator" as our guide and we are allowed to see how the other characters approach the main themes, especially those who seem to know what they want in life while our narrator really seems to be uncertain and/or is following the crowd.

Is anyone reading this book as an audio book?

Columbus wrote: "Swing time

Part 2

-We are introduced to Aimee, the pop star, ala Madonna, Gaga. What an interesting pop star she turns out to be. She's Australian if I can recall correctly? I don't have the boo..."

Yes, this section starts to put the pieces together and as it builds up to the "event" in the prologue.

Also agree that Smith is doing a good job of the "reality" of growing up during this time without being preachy about it.

The showing of the mothers who both of high expectations for their daughters but their type styles of parenting and how their own issues affect their daughters. So as much as the daughters are trying to figure out what they want to be - they are influenced by events/issues that are not related to them.

This section quietly embedded itself into my mind as it presents situations that we can relate to (not all of them but I think there is something that everyone can relate to from their childhood).

And how about the fathers?
Both of the fathers have an affect/influence on their daughters lives.

And you have to love "the grass is always greener" that the narrator and Tracey have about each others family.

Part 3: Intermission

I read the paper version of this book but while reading it Zadie Smith's voice was a constant throughout. I guess I've heard her very distinctive voice so often it was if this was the audio version of the book.

I agree that the narrator is just really drifting through with no clear direction. Aimee says at one point while in NYC: ....and in this city you really need to know wha it is you want....but I don't think you do know, yet. Ok, you're smart, we get that. The brain connected to the heart and eye --it's all visualization. Want it, see it, take it...I see you apologizing! It's like you got survivor's guilt or something.....so the question becomes: what are you going to do after this? What are you going to do with your life?......I'm not the biggest fan of romance books or books centered around love affairs but I was almost pushing for a relationship for her, or, an occasional tryst or something. She seem to just be coasting...

I read and enjoyed Swing Time. I'm not weighing in too much because I've returned it to the library, so can't review and because my dad (93 yrs old) recently fell and is now in a nursing home, so my schedule has been busier and my emotions are involved there as well. I have long been a fan of Zadie Smith. I have read all of her books shortly after publication. I think I would go with On Beauty as my favorite. I'll be back with more thoughts on the book when I don't have to think about spoilers. Enjoy the reading!

Karen Michele wrote: "I read and enjoyed Swing Time. I'm not weighing in too much because I've returned it to the library, so can't review and because my dad (93 yrs old) recently fell and is now in a nursing home, so m..."

So sorry to hear about your father. Sending best wishes to your father and hope he is comfortable.

Columbus wrote: "Part 3: Intermission

I read the paper version of this book but while reading it Zadie Smith's voice was a constant throughout. I guess I've heard her very distinctive voice so often it was if this..."

I have switched to reading Swing Time as an audio.
And for this book I am enjoying more as an audio than as print.
But maybe it is because as this point in the book I am starting to put pieces together of the information provided.

Smith's storytelling of being in the present, flashbacks to the past, and hints at future is coming together.

At this point the characters are formed in my mind and when one of the characters complains/notes some annoyance about another character - at this point the reader knows that the character complaining is either going to have to accept that about the other character or move on.

While at first I found the narrator a little uninteresting - I now think that it is more than she is surrounded by stronger/manipulative/controlling females in the her life.

Tracey is manipulative and wants to push everything to the edge. The reader learned at the beginning that Tracey was as a young girl sexually precocious. But through this is seems that Tracey is staying on the path to use her dancing talents as her success path.

The narrator's mother also wants her daughter to succeed but seems at times a little overbearing. The mother understands that dance will not be her daughter's way to success. But the narrator is smart and her mother pushes her in that direction. The narrator rebels against her mother's will by ensuring that she does not get accepted at a prestigious school.

Aimee is also so controlling - she says all of these things to the narrator to make her seem like she understands her and is her friend and looking out for her. Since narrator is "estranged" from her mother, Aimee fills a spot in the narrator's life. But despite giving the narrator good advice to find what makes her happy etc., Aimee does not give her a minute to herself.

The narrator seems to find some solace (or someone who accepts her who she is) through the male figures in her life - her father, her uncle, Tracey's father, and the piano player at her dance school.