On Beauty

I lost interest really fast... maybe made it 50 pages. I might try again when I don't have other books I am wanting to read.

I think you have all been reading a different boook. From the first page of On Beauty, I knew that i was in the hands of an author who really knew what she was doing. It was funny, moving, well-plotted and with some extraordinary set pieces that had me transfixed. Smith's grasp of human nature and foibles suggests a wisdom beyond her years. My only gripe was that some of the yonger members of the family were sketchily drawn compared with Howard but I can forgive Ms Smith that for providing me with such entertainment. Everyone i know who has read it loved it too. You lot are in a very unhappy minority.

To be honest I don't know why I'm defending it as I was the one in our book group who gave it the lowest mark! I still think its "OK" but wouldn't re-read it.

psyche - the real problem I had with this book was that I simply did not like any of the characters. I couldn't associate with them, they were pastiches of real people. Not even 'intellectuals' are this shallow! It's many years since I read Howard's End - but that is a truly beautiful novel, with fine characterisation, a real sense of place and a plot that flows effortlessly alongside the description. This book offers none of that.

tcook - I did read White Teeth a while ago, but as far as I can remember, I felt that it descended into cartoon farce at the end and that was what I didn't like about it. The bits of On Beauty that I like are mainly the bits that have been nicked from, er, are a "homage to" Howard's End, like the description of listening to music, but I also thought some of it was funny, like the description of Victoria's approach to sex and Howard's bemusement by it...

seemed to me in this book she was thinking more about being in love with her new husband than writing a good book (see poetry excerpts of his). Autograph Man was excellent though and I enjoyed White Teeth when I read it, although that was a long time ago.

psyche - how could you compare this pile of poo to White Teeth - at least that had a witty, original and very funny start. This one has nothing to recommend it - unless you can point it out to me!

I thought it was OK - better than White Teeth, and I haven't read The Autograph Man. But then I re-read Howard's End and it was so much better it made me sad.

I thought it was just me, just started this and it's annoying me it's so bad. Might not bother if it doesn't get any better...can it be any worse than The Historian? Doubtful...

It is that bad. Autograph Man is quite good - but On Beauty is one of the worst books I've ever read.

Dreadful just dreadful. The plot is boring, the characters are two dimensional, the writing is sloppy.

is it really that bad? I loved white teeth.