White Teeth

A Novel

By: Zadie Smith

Narrated by: Lenny Henry, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Ray Panthaki, Sagar Arya, Zadie Smith

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.

©2000 Zadie Smith (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Zadie Smith's fizzing first novel is about how we all got here - from the Caribbean, from the Indian subcontinent, from 13th place in a long-ago Olympic bicycle race - and about what 'here' turned out to be. It's an astonishingly assured debut, funny and serious, and the voice has real writerly idiosyncrasy. I was delighted by White Teeth and often impressed. It has...bite." (Salman Rushdie)

"A rich, ambitious, and often hilarious delight." (The Independent)

"This is a strikingly clever and funny book with a passion for ideas, for language, and for the rich tragicomedy of life.... [Smith's] characters always ring true; it is her ebullient, simple prose and her generous understanding of human nature that make Zadie Smith's novel outstanding. It is not only great fun to read, but full of hope." (Sunday Telegraph)

The characters came to life

Wow, such fun to listen to the narration. This book entwines stories across generations and delves into race, immigration, love and identity. It's incredible how deeply these characters unfold. The narration draws you in and adds so much. Cannot recommend this enough!

Too many narrators

There are too many narrators. The last is sadly the weakest. Otherwise it is magnificent

One of the best

A truly terrific book which is written expertly and entertainingly and read beautifully. One of the best. I cannot recommend it enough.

Was there no editor?

This book is 30 percent longer than it should be to carry the multiple storylines.

Why did I wait so long to read this?

A fine listen. A meticulously crafted story. Enjoyed it thoroughly. A look into an improbable yet real slice of modern British life.

Well. Written.

I found myself continuously, wanting to come back to the story. Although the premise is such a simple idea, the stories complexities unfold little by little as the listener takes the journey with the Joneses, an Iqubals.

Worthwhile long listen.

Beautiful storytelling
Narrator is excellent
So glad I took the time to stick with it.

Really enjoyed this novel!

I really enjoyed this novel! I don't know why I hadn't read it sooner. It's funny, sad, beautiful, and frustrating at times. I see why some critics call it hysterical realism. Every sentence is a whirlwind of events, some of them a little absurd. I really liked that though. The style is really appealing to me. The narrators all did a great job! Would definitely listen to it again.

Well done

Well read, enjoyed all the narrators. And the story is both funny and poignant. Highly recommend.

Zadie Smith deserves every acclaim

The second narrator reads Samad's section like he's reading to a child... very distracting. He doesn't understand the commas, italics, or emphasis Smith puts in her writing. If you can power through the second narrator, White Teeth will be well worth your while.