Martha Wilmering

I have been reading all of Zadie Smith's novels over the last few months and I generally love her work, but I quit this book about 40% into it and wished that I had quit it much sooner. I never could relate to any of the characters. I found the plethora of people coming and going throughout this book to be very confusing, poorly woven together and just generally uninteresting. Yes, there were good insights about historical events and authors and lots of good statements about women's rights, but that wasn't enough to make up for the fact that I just couldn't keep all of the characters straight. Maybe it's a mental defect on my part, but I don't recommend this book but I heartily recommend all of her others. I wish she had stuck to writing about more contemporary times. Historical fiction just isn't her forte if you ask me.