On Beauty
Zadie Smith · b. 1975 · England
Why it matters
Two feuding academic families (one liberal and Black, one conservative) collide across a New England campus and an ocean. Smith's homage to Forster transplants Howards End's class comedy into contemporary culture-war terrain.
At a glance
family sagasatire
Difficulty 5/10medium pace445 pagesA large ensemble cast and dense campus-novel wit sustained over a long book.
Where to go next
Zadie Smith · 2000White TeethLvl 5Medium pace
E. M. Forster · 1924A Passage to IndiaLvl 6Medium pace
Salman Rushdie · 1981Midnight's ChildrenLvl 8Medium pace
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Bernardine Evaristo · 2019Girl, Woman, OtherLvl 4Fast paced
J. G. Farrell · 1973The Siege of KrishnapurLvl 5Medium pace