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NW cover art

NW

By: Zadie Smith
Narrated by: Karen Bryson,Don Gilet
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Summary

From the MAN BOOKER PRIZE- and WOMEN'S PRIZE-SHORTLISTED author of Swing Time, White Teeth and On Beauty - a masterful and intimate novel of modern London life

Zadie Smith's brilliant tragicomic NW follows four Londoners - Leah, Natalie, Felix and Nathan - after they've left their childhood council estate, grown up and moved on to different lives. From private houses to public parks, at work and at play, their city is brutal, beautiful and complicated. Yet after a chance encounter they each find that the choices they've made, the people they once were and are now, can suddenly, rapidly unravel. Funny, poignant and vividly contemporary, NW is as brimming with vitality as the city itself.

©2012 Zadie Smith (P)2012 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

'A triumph. Every sentence sings' Guardian

'Intensely funny, richly varied, always unexpected. A joyous, optimistic, angry masterpiece' Daily Telegraph

'Smith's most satisfying novel. Funny, sexy, weird, full of acute social comedy. She's up there with the best around' Evening Standard

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What listeners say about NW

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting, but....

What did you like most about NW?

The stories are set in NW London where I live so I actually know all the places. All the characters sound familiar to me, they would actually fit into Kilburn and Willesden, not only because of there characters but also because of the narration.

Would you recommend NW to your friends? Why or why not?

I'd only recommend it to friends who live in NW London or those who have a personal connection to the area. Otherwise they'd have a hard time to follow the story as it's actually really confusing and often I couldn't figure out what it's all about.

What about Karen Bryson and Don Gilet ’s performance did you like?

Really good and authentic narration in NW accents. Well done!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but a book I wanted to get through in one 4-day holiday, which I did.

Any additional comments?

The book is split into different stories of individuals living in NW London, a pretty rough area of the capital. All of the stories are written in different styles and it's not always easy to follow as it takes a while to get used to a particular style. And then some of the stories are really confusing so I had a hard time to grasp what they were about.
All in all I'd say this book was an interesting experiment and it's definitely worth listening if you have a personal connection to NW London. The narrators have done a good job here, but I wouldn't recommend this book as I think it's too confusing.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Talented narrators bring the story to life

If you could sum up NW in three words, what would they be?

London, gritty, urban

Who was your favorite character and why?

Natalie was the most complex and well developed character.

What about Karen Bryson and Don Gilet ’s performance did you like?

They were both excellent at giving voice to the characters. It is a book about London and they perfected the accents.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both

Any additional comments?

Like White Teeth, this book could be seen as a portrait of London as much as anything. The ending is a bit of a letdown but it is still a great book, try it.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I just don't get it...

Would you try another book written by Zadie Smith or narrated by Karen Bryson and Don Gilet ?

I have listened to the book for over a hour and don't get it??? I have no idea what is going on or what it is about or where its leading..??

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Not quite her best

I love her work, but this is my least favourite. She does give a terrific portrait of life in a marginal London community - scarcely a community actually - that is psychologically and sociologically satisfying. Yet the plotting is poor and confusing. Questions remain unresolved at the end. She's tried to be too clever and oblique when her straight story-telling is peerless at its best.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Couldn't stand it

What disappointed you about NW?

It was nothing like Zadie Smith's earlier novels, and I felt unengaged with the characters. I got fed up with her lists - long rambling "clever" (but unsuccessful) adjective-strewn attempts to set a scene or an atmosphere. Very bored after the first couple of hours.

What will your next listen be?

Something more gripping, if not great literature (I like to listen to relatively undemanding books in the car whilst driving).

What does Karen Bryson and Don Gilet bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I liked Karen Bryson's narration, her accents were plausible. I didn't get very far with Don Gilet, but that wasn't due to his narration.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Boredom.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

An ok listen

The characters were well developed but the story was about flat for me wasn't gripping enough to make me read it out of excitement to see what happens next

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

NW told so well

It's great to listen to descriptions of a place you live to reevaluate.

Zadie's descriptions were so in tune and the stories told were original.

If you love and understand London this is a great read.

Excellent Narration. I'm going to miss Listening to it.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

NW

What made the experience of listening to NW the most enjoyable?

Fabulous voices and accents made it so real. Very well read.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

No real explanation for why Keisha behaved the way she did at the end

Which character – as performed by Karen Bryson and Don Gilet – was your favourite?

Leah seamed to change and grow with the story

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very good, almost brilliant

No doubt that this is a very good listen. I think that ZS is extremely talented. Again she exploits her home ground to great effect and the narration adds considerably to the experience. Personally, I think that the third story about the reformed addict detracted from the whole.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The best audio book of the best book.

One of the great novels, by an actual writer, what can I say. Reminds me of James Baldwin's Another Country, the way it lives so absolutely and totally in the city it inhabits. The reading is just fantastic, absurdly on point. Keisha Blake is a throwback to one of those 19th century characters, London's own Anna Karenina.

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1 person found this helpful