2012 Puddly Awards
 
 
Follow us on TwitterFollow us on FacebookFollow us on TumblrSubscribe to RSS

Recently Viewed clear list

Interviews | January 24, 2012

Jill Owens: IMG Ben Marcus: The Powells.com Interview

0 comments By Jill Owens

Ben MarcusBen Marcus's books The Age of Wire and String and Notable American Women were considered "experimental" fiction because of his unconventional use of... Continue »
  1. $18.17 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    The Flame Alphabet

    Ben Marcus 9780307379375
spacer
Free Shipping!

White Teeth (Vintage International)

by Zadie Smith

White Teeth (Vintage International) Cover

 

Awards

2000 Whitbread Award – First Novel
2000 New York Times "Editors' Choice" for Best Books of the Year
2001 National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee
2001 Puddly Award – Debut Novel
back to top

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Zadie Smith?s dazzling debut caught critics grasping for comparisons and deciding on everyone from Charles Dickens to Salman Rushdie to John Irving and Martin Amis. But the truth is that Zadie Smith?s voice is remarkably, fluently, and altogether wonderfully her own.

At the center of this invigorating novel are two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal. Hapless veterans of World War II, Archie and Samad and their families become agents of England?s irrevocable transformation. A second marriage to Clara Bowden, a beautiful, albeit tooth-challenged, Jamaican half his age, quite literally gives Archie a second lease on life, and produces Irie, a knowing child whose personality doesn?t quite match her name (Jamaican for ?no problem?). Samad?s late-in-life arranged marriage (he had to wait for his bride to be born), produces twin sons whose separate paths confound Iqbal?s every effort to direct them, and a renewed, if selective, submission to his Islamic faith. Set against London?s racial and cultural tapestry, venturing across the former empire and into the past as it barrels toward the future, White Teeth revels in the ecstatic hodgepodge of modern life, flirting with disaster, confounding expectations, and embracing the comedy of daily existence.

Review:

"[A] vibrant, rollicking first novel about race and idenity....[Smith's] prickly wit is affectionate and poignant." People

Review:

"[A] marvel of a debut novel....Reminiscent of both Salman Rushdie and John Irving, White Teeth is a comic, canny, sprawling tale, adeptly held together by Smith's literary sleight of hand." Entertainment Weekly

Review:

"A magnificent and audacious novel, jam-packed with memorable characters and challenging ideas." The Atlanta Journal & Constitution

Review:

"Ambitious, earnest and irreverent....Smith has a real talent for comedy and a fond eye for human foibles." The Wall Street Journal

Review:

"Smith has an astonishing intellect. She writes sharp dialogue for every age and race — and she's funny as hell." Newsweek

Review:

"Gently observant and generous in its judgments. Filled with vibrant life." The San Diego Union Tribune

Synopsis:

At the center of this invigorating and hilarious novel are two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal, hapless veterans of World War II. Set against London's racial and cultural tapestry, venturing across the former empire's past as it barrels toward the future, "White Teeth" is an international bestseller now available in paperback.

Synopsis:

Zadie Smith was born in northwest London in 1975. The Autograph Man is her second novel. Her first, White Teeth, was the winner of the Whitbread First Novel Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, and the Commonweatlh Writers First Book Prize. She is currently living in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

back to top

About the Author

Zadie Smith is twenty-four years old and a graduate of Cambridge University. White Teeth is her first novel, parts of which have appeared in Granta. Smith lives in North London.

From the Hardcover edition.

back to top

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 11 comments:
hheilman_89, May 4, 2010 (view all comments by hheilman_89)
Zadie Smith’s White Teeth is a novel which discusses cultural classes and finding ones roots. The protagonists, Archie and Samad, are WWII friends who now reside in London. Their wives, each many years younger, seem to be very mismatched; their marriages are rocky. However, their children, Irie, Magid and Millat, respectively learn about finding oneself in the midst of cultural conflicts as Archie and Samad learn about understanding despite differences. The complexity of human relationships becomes obvious very quickly, especially as their lives change and intertwine and as other characters are added to the mix.
Zadie Smith speaks for an issue that comes up over and over in society because of the relationships we form ourselves; where there are human beings, there are conflicts simply because of our vast individual differences. The events that link the characters—war, immigration, involvement in fundamentalist groups—are similar to those in our own lives. Other issues include defying one’s heritage in exchange for assimilation in society, tolerance, and consequences of the human condition and cultural differences.
Samad explains, “These days it feels to me like you make a devil’s pact when you walk into this country. You hand over your passport at the check-in, you get stamped, you want to make a little money, get yourself started… but you mean to go back! Who would want to stay? Cold, wet, miserable; terrible food, dreadful newspapers—who would want to stay? In a place where you are never welcomed, only tolerated. Just tolerated. Like you are an animal finally housebroken. Who would want to stay? But you have made a devil’s pact… it drags you in and suddenly you are unsuitable to return, your children are unrecognizable, you belong nowhere” (336).
Smith uses one specific symbol throughout her novel: teeth. This was of interest to me because Smith uses this cleverly and in several different manners. The ideas are complex, but not difficult to understand; Smith clearly displays her metaphor. Teeth unify and equalize characters; they are a general symbol for humanity as all people have them. Because they are so common, Smith separates characters if they lose teeth or have false teeth. (“She gave him a wide grin that revealed possibly her one imperfection. A complete lack of teeth in the top of her mouth” (20).) She uses root canals to bring up past events, or to “root around” in the past, or heritage. Likewise, Smith utilizes molars as Samad’s sons reflect and “digest” their father’s actions and their own destinies.
The issue of understanding each other and human relationships comes up again and again. The characters make legitimate attempts to be aware of differences, yet there is an obvious struggle in assimilating and preserving one’s culture. The characters find that one’s heritage veers into different paths; it is not easily defined. The characters take on this challenge differently; Samad makes every attempt to turn his sons into good, Hindu men. Irie finds that her parents neglect to reveal her heritage, so she must find it her own way. Thus, the past restricts at times, and because of this, the present is complicated. The ways in which characters react to these issues bring up our own struggles in maintaining relationships despite different backgrounds.
Zadie Smith’s novel is a successful artwork. She discusses themes applicable to human kind in many different places and times. The ideas are simple to understand, yet the message stays the same; Smith’s ideas will remain as humans continue to struggle to form relationships.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(3 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
woofer, January 20, 2010 (view all comments by woofer)
My wife and I both read this book while traveling through Europe, before we were married. It is a riveting read, and also brings back great memories for me...
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(3 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
lewisevand, January 19, 2010 (view all comments by lewisevand)
My pick for best book of the decade . . . a must read!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(3 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
View all 11 comments
back to top

Product Details

ISBN:
9780375703867
Author:
Smith, Zadie
Publisher:
Vintage Books USA
Author:
Smith, Zadie
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
England
Subject:
Male friendship
Subject:
Domestic fiction
Subject:
London (england)
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
2001
Edition Description:
Paperback
Series:
Vintage International (Paperback)
Publication Date:
20010631
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
464
Dimensions:
8.63x5.13x.98 in. .76 lbs.
back to top

Other books you might like

  1. $11.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    Love, Etc

    Julian Barnes 9780307426734
  2. $3.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    The Autograph Man

    Zadie Smith 9780375501869
  3. $6.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    The Buddha of suburbia

    Hanif Kureishi 9780571142743
  4. $12.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    On Beauty

    Zadie Smith 9781101218112
  5. $13.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    Gabriel's Gift: A Novel

    Hanif Kureishi 9780743229654
  6. $7.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

    Dave Eggers 9780375725784
back to top

Related Aisles

White Teeth (Vintage International) Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$5.50 In Stock
Product details 464 pages Vintage Books USA - English 9780375703867 Reviews:
"Review" by , "[A] vibrant, rollicking first novel about race and idenity....[Smith's] prickly wit is affectionate and poignant."
"Review" by , "[A] marvel of a debut novel....Reminiscent of both Salman Rushdie and John Irving, White Teeth is a comic, canny, sprawling tale, adeptly held together by Smith's literary sleight of hand."
"Review" by , "A magnificent and audacious novel, jam-packed with memorable characters and challenging ideas."
"Review" by , "Ambitious, earnest and irreverent....Smith has a real talent for comedy and a fond eye for human foibles."
"Review" by , "Smith has an astonishing intellect. She writes sharp dialogue for every age and race — and she's funny as hell."
"Review" by , "Gently observant and generous in its judgments. Filled with vibrant life."
"Synopsis" by , At the center of this invigorating and hilarious novel are two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal, hapless veterans of World War II. Set against London's racial and cultural tapestry, venturing across the former empire's past as it barrels toward the future, "White Teeth" is an international bestseller now available in paperback.
"Synopsis" by , Zadie Smith was born in northwest London in 1975. The Autograph Man is her second novel. Her first, White Teeth, was the winner of the Whitbread First Novel Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, and the Commonweatlh Writers First Book Prize. She is currently living in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
spacer
spacer
  • back to top
Follow us on...


Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.