I’ve had a copy of ‘On Beauty’ by Zadie Smith on my shelf for ages but as it is based on ‘Howards End’ by E. M. Forster, I decided to read the latter first about six years ago as I usually prefer to have some knowledge of the source material when reading an adaptation or homage to another book. However, I didn’t get on with ‘Howards End’ at all and consequently I have neglected ‘On Beauty’ for a very long time, but after enjoying Smith’s latest novel Swing Time so much last year, I wanted to try what is arguably her finest book.
As it has been a while since I read ‘Howards End’, I remember very little about it other than the famous ‘only connect’ quote (coincidentally, this led me to discover the then little-known BBC4 quiz show of the same name so reading it wasn’t a complete waste of time). This meant that most of the Forster allusions in ‘On Beauty’ went straight over my head, but I now don’t think it’s essential to know ‘Howards End’ inside out in order to appreciate Smith’s novel which is highly enjoyable in its own right and has interesting things to say about the dynamics of race, gender, politics and family in the 21st century.
‘On Beauty’ follows the rivalry between two feuding families, the Belseys and the Kipps. Howard Belsey is a white liberal middle-aged English academic and Rembrandt scholar at a prestigious New England college. He has been married to his African-American wife Kiki for thirty years and they have three children, Jerome, Zora and Levi, who are finding their own identities as young adults. Howard’s career has stalled just as his nemesis, Monty Kipps, a black British conservative who is also a Rembrandt scholar, starts working at the same college. While Kiki forms a friendship with Monty’s wife Carlene, Howard has an affair with the Kipps’ daughter Victoria having already been unfaithful in the past.
I struggled with ‘Howards End’ because of its vagueness and while ‘On Beauty’ is similarly loose in terms of plot and is structured more as a series of interactions and set pieces, the characters are distinctive and memorable. The reviewers who awarded ‘On Beauty’ one star on Amazon seem to have missed the point that while the characters are not particularly likeable, Smith intentionally emphasises their hypocrisy and the disconnect between their stated beliefs and their actions. Smith’s other main strengths lie in satire and dialogue and while she effortlessly captures a range of diverse scenarios from a funeral in north-west London to Levi’s encounters with the Haitian community back in the States, she is particularly good at sending up the world of academia in liberal arts colleges, culminating in the excellent glee club scene.
‘On Beauty’ deserves its status as a modern literary classic. I might even give ‘Howards End’ another chance one day although I don’t know exactly when that might be…
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I actually had no idea this was based on Howard’s End!!
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I think it’s a book which can be enjoyed without knowing the source material – definitely a good thing in this case!
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I read this last year and did not realise it was based on another book! I enjoyed it nonetheless, so clearly a knowledge of the source material isn’t necessary… but maybe I should try reading Howard’s End at some point.
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No, it doesn’t matter that much which I think is a good thing!
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I’ve have had this one on my shelf for a while too! I really loved Swing Time, and that is the only book of hers I have read. I will have to get to this one soon 🙂
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Yes, I loved Swing Time too – hope you enjoy this one as well!
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I loved Smith’s first book, White Teeth, so I looked forward to On Beauty. It’s been some time since I’ve read it but I do remember really liking it. I didn’t realize it was based on Howard’s End which I read a few years ago. Wasn’t that keen on it. The only Smith book I didn’t like was NW, very dissapointed in it, felt too disjointed for me.
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Yes, I found NW quite sparse too. On Beauty is probably my favourite of her books now.
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This does sound like quite an intriguing read. 🙂
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It definitely is 🙂
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I must have missed the point on this one completely and didn’t get it at all. I read it many years ago and maybe now with an improved english and understanding I would appreciate it more I don’t know but unfortunately it has put me off this author for a little while.
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It might be worth a reread – I didn’t love her debut but I think my tastes have changed and I might prefer it if I read it today.
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Interesting. I cannot get on with Zadie Smith and really enjoyed Howard’s End. I think I must try both on these two books again.
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Sounds like you’re the other way round from me on this one!
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I’ve never read any of Smith’s novels, but she seems to grow in acclaim with each novel she publishes.
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I definitely recommend this one as well as Swing Time which is her latest.
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I loved this book, thank you for bringing it back to me! I read her early novels but was put off by the animal cruelty in NW and haven’t read Swing Time yet. I seem to recall I re-read Howard’s End after I read this, which was a bit odd, but I read them close enough together that it made sense. She’s so good at sending up academia.
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I liked Swing Time a lot but thought NW was a bit sparse in style. I’m always in favour of people sending up academia!
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I didn’t realise that On Beauty was based on Howards End!! I’m so glad that I don’t necessarily have to be familiar with it – like you, I tried to read it a couple years ago and just could not get on with it. Fab review 🙂
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Thanks 🙂 Yes, it was reassuring that I enjoyed On Beauty despite not liking Howards End!
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