Feel Free: Essays
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- Author：Zadie Smith
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Summary
From Zadie Smith， one of the most beloved authors of her generation， a new collection of essays
Since she burst spectacularly into view with her debut novel almost two decades ago， Zadie Smith has established herself not just as one of the world's preeminent fiction writers， but also a brilliant and singular essayist。 She contributes regularly to The New Yorker and the New York Review of Books on a range of subjects， and each piece of hers is a literary event in its own right。
Arranged into five sections--In the World， In the Audience， In the Gallery， On the Bookshelf， and Feel Free--this new collection poses questions we immediately recognize。 What is The Social Network--and Facebook itself--really about？ "It's a cruel portrait of us: 500 million sentient people entrapped in the recent careless thoughts of a Harvard sophomore。" Why do we love libraries？ "Well-run libraries are filled with people because what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere: an indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay。" What will we tell our granddaughters about our collective failure to address global warming？ "So I might say to her， look: the thing you have to appreciate is that we'd just been through a century of relativism and deconstruction， in which we were informed that most of our fondest-held principles were either uncertain or simple wishful thinking， and in many areas of our lives we had already been asked to accept that nothing is essential and everything changes--and this had taken the fight out of us somewhat。"
Gathering in one place for the first time previously unpublished work， as well as already classic essays， such as， "Joy，" and， "Find Your Beach，" Feel Free offers a survey of important recent events in culture and politics， as well as Smith's own life。 Equally at home in the world of good books and bad politics， Brooklyn-born rappers and the work of Swiss novelists， she is by turns wry， heartfelt， indignant， and incisive--and never any less than perfect company。 This is literary journalism at its zenith。
Since she burst spectacularly into view with her debut novel almost two decades ago， Zadie Smith has established herself not just as one of the world's preeminent fiction writers， but also a brilliant and singular essayist。 She contributes regularly to The New Yorker and the New York Review of Books on a range of subjects， and each piece of hers is a literary event in its own right。
Arranged into five sections--In the World， In the Audience， In the Gallery， On the Bookshelf， and Feel Free--this new collection poses questions we immediately recognize。 What is The Social Network--and Facebook itself--really about？ "It's a cruel portrait of us: 500 million sentient people entrapped in the recent careless thoughts of a Harvard sophomore。" Why do we love libraries？ "Well-run libraries are filled with people because what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere: an indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay。" What will we tell our granddaughters about our collective failure to address global warming？ "So I might say to her， look: the thing you have to appreciate is that we'd just been through a century of relativism and deconstruction， in which we were informed that most of our fondest-held principles were either uncertain or simple wishful thinking， and in many areas of our lives we had already been asked to accept that nothing is essential and everything changes--and this had taken the fight out of us somewhat。"
Gathering in one place for the first time previously unpublished work， as well as already classic essays， such as， "Joy，" and， "Find Your Beach，" Feel Free offers a survey of important recent events in culture and politics， as well as Smith's own life。 Equally at home in the world of good books and bad politics， Brooklyn-born rappers and the work of Swiss novelists， she is by turns wry， heartfelt， indignant， and incisive--and never any less than perfect company。 This is literary journalism at its zenith。
Reviews
Sadie Kenny
，
Four stars on the strength of her writing， less about my own enjoyment of every essay。 There were some topics I just couldn’t get into， but as she addressed in the beginning， I *felt free* to take what I wanted and leave what I wanted， too。 My favorite was her deadpan comparison of Justin Bieber and Martin Buber。 I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration， only remembering towards the end that I had heard in a Zadie Smith interview how much she detests that medium！
Hazel Odell
，
It took me a long time to finish this book of essays， but I'm absolutely better for reading it。 Because I don't have a background in classic British literature or art， some of the essays were inaccessible and I couldn't figure out the main point。 But most of the essays were an absolute pleasure; full of rich descriptions， and existential and personal questions。 Some of my favorite essays was "Crazy They Call Me": On Looking at Jerry Dantzic's Photos of Billie Holiday。 Would absolutely recommend It took me a long time to finish this book of essays， but I'm absolutely better for reading it。 Because I don't have a background in classic British literature or art， some of the essays were inaccessible and I couldn't figure out the main point。 But most of the essays were an absolute pleasure; full of rich descriptions， and existential and personal questions。 Some of my favorite essays was "Crazy They Call Me": On Looking at Jerry Dantzic's Photos of Billie Holiday。 Would absolutely recommend a lot of these essays to friends。 Especially British ones。 。。。more
Ilan Israel
，
Zadie Smith’s uneven musingsI love Zadie Smith’s novels and I think she is a wonderful writer。 Having exhausted her novels， I turned to her essays。Some of them are brilliant， and most of them are well- crafted pieces。 I loved her acceptance speeches， in Germany and the Philip Roth speech in America。 I loved her reminiscences about her family。What lost my interest were the many magazine articles talking about authors I was unfamiliar with or art exhibits that I had never heard of， for which I cer Zadie Smith’s uneven musingsI love Zadie Smith’s novels and I think she is a wonderful writer。 Having exhausted her novels， I turned to her essays。Some of them are brilliant， and most of them are well- crafted pieces。 I loved her acceptance speeches， in Germany and the Philip Roth speech in America。 I loved her reminiscences about her family。What lost my interest were the many magazine articles talking about authors I was unfamiliar with or art exhibits that I had never heard of， for which I certainly can’t blame the author。 I found her juxtaposition of Justin Bieber with the late philosopher Martin Buber ridiculous， though I’m sure every time I read something of Buber’s work， which I do from time to time， I won’t be able to get Justin Bieber out of my mind。I think I will wait anxiously for Zadie Smith’s next novel。 。。。more
Becca
，
Zadie Smith is a true genius and it is electric just to be in her writerly presence， literally regardless of the subject matter。 She can write about art I’ve never heard of， or don’t like， or a beer advertisement， in thrilling ways。 You sort of feel like you’re in the presence of a particularly brilliant friend （who in real life would find you dull）。 I disagree with plenty she says （among other things， she’s a bit of a technophobe and I think she draws a little too much existential angst out of Zadie Smith is a true genius and it is electric just to be in her writerly presence， literally regardless of the subject matter。 She can write about art I’ve never heard of， or don’t like， or a beer advertisement， in thrilling ways。 You sort of feel like you’re in the presence of a particularly brilliant friend （who in real life would find you dull）。 I disagree with plenty she says （among other things， she’s a bit of a technophobe and I think she draws a little too much existential angst out of the existence of iPhones， for example）。 But it’s still a joy to read。 。。。more
Muneeb Hameed
，
I ended up skimming through big portions of this one。 It's a compilation of essays by Zadie Smith。 Some of the essays were amazing and I'll probably read them a few more times but most of them felt like they were longer than they needed be。 There's definitely some gold scattered throughout so I'm glad I read it but I can't say I'd recommend the whole thing。 （But def read her essay called Joy。 Best one in the book。） I ended up skimming through big portions of this one。 It's a compilation of essays by Zadie Smith。 Some of the essays were amazing and I'll probably read them a few more times but most of them felt like they were longer than they needed be。 There's definitely some gold scattered throughout so I'm glad I read it but I can't say I'd recommend the whole thing。 （But def read her essay called Joy。 Best one in the book。） 。。。more
Sharon Bautista
，
Zadie Smith is adept at describing so many things， even in this collection alone。 Read Feel Free to think in new ways about Michael Jackson’s hips， surveillance capitalism， Rome’s public spaces， Philip Roth’s use of first person， the violence of families。。。
A。M。 Potter
，
Thirty-one engaging essays， ranging from pieces about Smith’s homeland （England） to literature， dance， art， and popular culture。 Smith is a rare writer: although she’s erudite and lofty， her prose is warm and inviting。 I’d love to have a conversation with her – on any topic。
merixien
，
Yazarın çeşitli gazete ve dergilerde yayınlanan denemelerinin derlemesi。 Brexit'ten， sahnelere， kitaplardan， dünya gündemine， felsefe ve sanata dair pek çok konuda görüşlerini anlattığı için， böyle bir derlemeye dair yorum yapmak çok zor。 Ancak bence çok ilginizi çekmeyen konularda bile dikkatinizi kitapta tutması ve kendisini okutması açısından muazzam bir kitap。 Konular arası geçiş yaparken herhangi bir kopma yaşamıyorsunuz。 Kitabın ikinci bölüm "Sahnede" çok ilgimi çekmemesine karşın sıkılmad Yazarın çeşitli gazete ve dergilerde yayınlanan denemelerinin derlemesi。 Brexit'ten， sahnelere， kitaplardan， dünya gündemine， felsefe ve sanata dair pek çok konuda görüşlerini anlattığı için， böyle bir derlemeye dair yorum yapmak çok zor。 Ancak bence çok ilginizi çekmeyen konularda bile dikkatinizi kitapta tutması ve kendisini okutması açısından muazzam bir kitap。 Konular arası geçiş yaparken herhangi bir kopma yaşamıyorsunuz。 Kitabın ikinci bölüm "Sahnede" çok ilgimi çekmemesine karşın sıkılmadan okudum。 Diğer bölümler zaten büyük bir keyifti。 Zaman zaman tekrar açıp okumak isteyeceğim kitaplar arasında yerini aldı。 4，5 / 5 。。。more
Jdetrick
，
There is no question in my mind that Zadie Smith is a talented writer。 I found her prose very readable and enjoyable。 Unfortunately， a lot of these essays are about topics that don't thrill me and I found it difficult to make it through some of them。 There is no question in my mind that Zadie Smith is a talented writer。 I found her prose very readable and enjoyable。 Unfortunately， a lot of these essays are about topics that don't thrill me and I found it difficult to make it through some of them。 。。。more
cassielaura
，
Oh the breadth of Zadie’s cultural references， and scene making。 Joyful。 Divine。
Salomé Constancis
，
Dnf'd at 100 pages。 Dnf'd at 100 pages。 。。。more
Jenna
，
Respectable， witty， skillful writing but couldn’t connect with a large chunk of the topics
Rebecca
，
Loved Fences: A Brexit Diary， On Optimism and Despair， Alte Frau， Getting in and out， Crash， The Buddha of Suburbia。 My favourites， though， have to be the Bathroom， Meet Justin Bieber， Love in the Gardens， Find your beach and Joy in the latter half of the book。
Nico
，
As a collection of essays， this book was always going to have highs and lows。 There's not a huge unifying theme between the essays， although they are grouped into sections that at least unify some thematically。 The best sections here are the first （In the World） and last （Feel Free）。 The essays in these sections are the most wide-ranging and philosophical （in some sense）。 Many of the essays in the middle sections are responding to specific pieces of media， which， while interesting， are a little As a collection of essays， this book was always going to have highs and lows。 There's not a huge unifying theme between the essays， although they are grouped into sections that at least unify some thematically。 The best sections here are the first （In the World） and last （Feel Free）。 The essays in these sections are the most wide-ranging and philosophical （in some sense）。 Many of the essays in the middle sections are responding to specific pieces of media， which， while interesting， are a little tighter in scope。 If you're coming to this book for cultural commentary， then these essays are for you。 And to be clear， it's not that I didn't enjoy them， I just enjoyed pieces like "Northwest London Blues，" "Elegy for a Country's Seasons，" and "The Bathroom" much more。 The way that Smith turns her reflections on her life experiences into observations on society at large is really illuminating and gave me， at least， an interesting perspective on the topics that she writes about。 The one star off of my rating really comes from how the essays dragged a little in the middle of the collection， which at its most extreme resulted in me skipping the Harper's columns entirely。 I'm sure they're for someone， but they definitely weren't for me。 。。。more
Gemma
，
This was one of 3 books that I borrowed from my local library just before the COVID-19 lockdown began in the UK。 I can remember what a tense time it was， well， everywhere。 Nobody really knew what was happening or what to expect next。 Almost a year on， I finally read Smith's essays。 This is a really satisfying collection - I valued the range。 Growing up in Willesden， burning down her flat in Rome， the philosophy of Martin Buber， the struggles of Justin Bieber - all covered。So grateful for good bo This was one of 3 books that I borrowed from my local library just before the COVID-19 lockdown began in the UK。 I can remember what a tense time it was， well， everywhere。 Nobody really knew what was happening or what to expect next。 Almost a year on， I finally read Smith's essays。 This is a really satisfying collection - I valued the range。 Growing up in Willesden， burning down her flat in Rome， the philosophy of Martin Buber， the struggles of Justin Bieber - all covered。So grateful for good books during this time。Also grateful for a writer who invites me to reach for my dictionary。 Gnostic and gnomic， recurring words in the work of Zadie Smith 。。。more
Anya
，
Interesting how， with explicit appreciation for her meanderings and recognition of echoes of my own rhythms， not all of it holds my attention。 And that's perfectly fine。I will have to look further into the demonic Thou。[Read: Generation Why; "Crazy They Call Me"; Tattered Ruins of the Map; Getting In and Getting Out; Buddha of Suburbia; Life-Writing; Meet Justin Bieber！; Joy] Interesting how， with explicit appreciation for her meanderings and recognition of echoes of my own rhythms， not all of it holds my attention。 And that's perfectly fine。I will have to look further into the demonic Thou。[Read: Generation Why; "Crazy They Call Me"; Tattered Ruins of the Map; Getting In and Getting Out; Buddha of Suburbia; Life-Writing; Meet Justin Bieber！; Joy] 。。。more
Amy Heap
，
This collection of essays begins with one about libraries， a very good start indeed。 I love Zadie Smith's fiction， and very much enjoyed many of the essays， especially those about books I have read， or places I have been or long to go。 There were quite a few essays about people I knew nothing of， and which did not capture my interest， and others which I felt simply not clever enough to appreciate。 It is fascinating to hear the actual voice of a novelist， writing as herself， and come to know some This collection of essays begins with one about libraries， a very good start indeed。 I love Zadie Smith's fiction， and very much enjoyed many of the essays， especially those about books I have read， or places I have been or long to go。 There were quite a few essays about people I knew nothing of， and which did not capture my interest， and others which I felt simply not clever enough to appreciate。 It is fascinating to hear the actual voice of a novelist， writing as herself， and come to know something of her life， how she thinks， and how she writes her novels。 。。。more
Merricat Blackwood
，
I love Zadie Smith but I don’t know if I can love this book。 Smith starts the book with a set of semi-political essays， grouped under the title “In the World，” that make her sound like， honestly， a boring liberal。 She was shocked and destabilized by the Brexit vote， because she thought Brits were nicer and more cosmopolitan than that--a common and reasonable way to react to the events of 2016， but not a very interesting one。 She feels “betrayed” by Jeremy Corbyn。 She mourns the destruction of li I love Zadie Smith but I don’t know if I can love this book。 Smith starts the book with a set of semi-political essays， grouped under the title “In the World，” that make her sound like， honestly， a boring liberal。 She was shocked and destabilized by the Brexit vote， because she thought Brits were nicer and more cosmopolitan than that--a common and reasonable way to react to the events of 2016， but not a very interesting one。 She feels “betrayed” by Jeremy Corbyn。 She mourns the destruction of libraries to make way for condos， but it’s a sort of vague nostalgic mourning that seems to foreclose any consideration of the actual facts: who will benefit from the destruction of the libraries？ Who will suffer？ And who made the deal？ She writes a short， sad piece about the loss of little natural wonders to climate change; it would make a striking meditation in a novel， but as a standalone essay it’s flimsy。 A lot of the political claim here is， basically， "I am nice and I want other people to be nice。" A perfectly respectable way to live， but not a thrilling narrative perspective。 I craved a bit of perversity。The thick middle section titled “On the Bookshelf，” though， is a joy， as I knew it would be。 Reading a good piece of capsule criticism is a guilty pleasure for me。 It makes me feel smarter， because now I know a little bit about a book that I may never read， and because I’ve knitted a few ideas together in my mind in a way that I never would have otherwise--in this case， for example， the different role of class in British and American literary writing， the bigger gap between dialog-voice and narrative-voice that British writers tend to have to navigate。 Honestly， it’s the pleasure of feeling smart--and because Zadie Smith is much smarter than me， and a very lucid writer who leads you around the contours of her thoughts so smoothly it’s like you’re thinking them yourself， it’s a very potent pleasure in this case。 Although possibly a superficial and vain one！ In one essay， in which Smith describes certain dancers she loves and draws lessons about writing from them， the pleasure is mostly in imagining being able to see what Smith sees in dance。 When I watch dance my response ranges from “whoa” to “that looked really hard” to “I’m bored。” I simply don’t have the radar to pick up much nuance。 But it’s fun to imagine what life would be like if I had that instrument！ But then at the end of the book there are too many essays in which really sharp insights about things like class and dealing with a parent’s mortality are tucked away in overlong descriptions of pretty spaces and pleasant daily lives。 It seems like Smith’s great desire is to be pleased by the world， and that’s not a terrible thing， but there is a limit to how much I want to read about walking through a garden in Italy and thinking about how nice it is。 。。。more
Stacie Saurer
，
This was my first foray into Zadie Smith's writing。 While I loved her essays on current events （political & social）， her writings/reviews on art pieces， movies， and novels were lackluster。 I'd go from "YES， that's how I feel， I just couldn't put it into words！" to "Um，what are we talking about？ Do I even care what we're talking about？" The answer to the 2nd question is a decided no。 Perhaps her publishers wanted a thicker book， but it really did Ms。 Smith a disservice to include every review she This was my first foray into Zadie Smith's writing。 While I loved her essays on current events （political & social）， her writings/reviews on art pieces， movies， and novels were lackluster。 I'd go from "YES， that's how I feel， I just couldn't put it into words！" to "Um，what are we talking about？ Do I even care what we're talking about？" The answer to the 2nd question is a decided no。 Perhaps her publishers wanted a thicker book， but it really did Ms。 Smith a disservice to include every review she penned during this time period。 So， be prepared to have your breath taken away with the Brexit essay， only to want to bang your head against the wall during 80 pages of Harper's reviews。 。。。more
Lola Rodríguez Bernal
，
''la escritura existe （para mí） en la intersección de tres elementos precarios， inciertos: el lenguaje， el mundo y el yo individual。 [。。。] nunca me resulta obvio qué peso hay que conceder a cada uno de estos tres elementos para mantener equilibrada la balanza''。 ¡qué placer ha sido leer a Zadie Smith！ ¡qué viaje！ habrá quien no me creea， pero este libro -una recopilación de 31 ensayos- ha conseguido que llore， ¡que llore！ en varios momentos， uno de ellos， cómo no， al final。 qué pena separarme de ''la escritura existe （para mí） en la intersección de tres elementos precarios， inciertos: el lenguaje， el mundo y el yo individual。 [。。。] nunca me resulta obvio qué peso hay que conceder a cada uno de estos tres elementos para mantener equilibrada la balanza''。 ¡qué placer ha sido leer a Zadie Smith！ ¡qué viaje！ habrá quien no me creea， pero este libro -una recopilación de 31 ensayos- ha conseguido que llore， ¡que llore！ en varios momentos， uno de ellos， cómo no， al final。 qué pena separarme de esta autora。 cómo decían en otra review Smith is my kind of people。 como decían también， ¡qué rico ese espacio multicultural desde el que escribe！ -explícita o implícitamente-。 un poquito cínica， un poquito optimista， muy ingeniosa， inteligente。 muy preocupada por lo que pasa en el mundo。 si Foster Wallace te gustó， Smith te va a encantar。 aquí algunos de mis ensayos favoritos: 1。 Notas sobre la entonación （junto a Sol ardiente de junio）。 ¡un ensayo sobre los guilty pleasures！ sobre cómo a cierta edad nos esforzamos por adecuarnos al gustoTM （qué pena que GD no me deje escribir en superíndice） la progresión del gusto y la diversidad del placer en qué disciplina artística; la inmovilidad en otros。 sobre cómo carajo gestionar la interminable e infinita lista de para-leer。 sobre crecer como artista y devotas de la cultura 2。 Notas sobre NW London。 ''cuando estaba escribiendo NW London aspira， en el fondo， a crear a la gente a partir del lenguaje， y para eso hay que intentar hacer justicia a la naturaleza rebelde y subjetiva del lenguaje y， simultáneamente， a lo que me gusta llamar la materialidad de la gente。 Precisamente en eso consistía la modernidad de Virginia Woolf， [。。。] Admiro a Beckett， respeto a Joyce， pero amo a Virginia Woolf。'' 3。 El cuarto de baño。 un ensayo increíble。 sobre lo siniestro -esto es， lo familiar y terrorífico- que significa， sin más， pertenecer a un grupo de gente llamado familia。 4。 ¡Conoce a Justin Bieber！ la filosofía de Martin Buber a través de， agarros， ¡Justin Bieber！ ogggg， ¿me entendéis ahora lo de Smith is my type of people？ ¡¡！！ declaraciones de Bieber sobre dejar de cobrar los Meets&Greets ''[lo] llenaban de tanta energía espiritual de otras personas que acababa agotado y triste''。 ya os podréis imaginar por donde van los tiros。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
I really like reading Zadie Smith's essays and musings。 I like hanging out with her as she thinks about growing up in London， movies- some I've seen （Anomalisa） and some I now need to see （everything Key and Peele） - art， books， writing， life in general。 One essay I especially enjoyed: A Bird of Few Words: Narrative Mysteries in the Paintings of [British-Ghanaian] Lynette Yiadom-Boakye （on a 2017 exhibit in the New Museum， New York - Undersong for a Cipher）， in which Smith responds to an essay b I really like reading Zadie Smith's essays and musings。 I like hanging out with her as she thinks about growing up in London， movies- some I've seen （Anomalisa） and some I now need to see （everything Key and Peele） - art， books， writing， life in general。 One essay I especially enjoyed: A Bird of Few Words: Narrative Mysteries in the Paintings of [British-Ghanaian] Lynette Yiadom-Boakye （on a 2017 exhibit in the New Museum， New York - Undersong for a Cipher）， in which Smith responds to an essay by an academic art critic in the catalogue that accompanies the show。 That critic states: "The impact of her pictures is of encountering people 'we' -the general North American art audience - have never met， coming from a world with which 'we' are unfamiliar。 One that we have no basis for generalizing about or projecting our fantasies onto。" Smith responds: pp 190-191 "Yet the subjects of these paintings are not members of a recently discovered indigenous tribe in Papua New Guinea but， rather， many handsome black men and women in unremarkable domestic settings。 There is a respectful caution in this kind of critique which， though undoubtedly well intended in theory， in practice throws a patronizing chill over such work。 Yiadom-Boakye is doing more than exploring the supposedly uncharted territory of black selfhood， or making - in that hackneyed phrase - the invisible visible。 （Black selfhood has always existed and is not invisible to black people。）" There's more。 。。。more
Gianluca Ciccarelli
，
Most essays quite interesting， some boring。 Smith is a very sophisticated human whose opinions are worth reading and pondering。
Marijn Verschuure
，
I just finished the last essay in this book。 It left me feeling warm inside and dizzy with a cocktail of emotions and feelings。 Without a shred of doubt， Zadie Smith is one of the best living writers。
Simon J Alvey
，
I adore Zadie Smith as an essayist， reading her essays are like spending time with a friend who is much smarter， wittier and better read than you （also part of my real life I am glad to say）。 Everywhere you turn in this book you find a sharp and interesting thought about modern life。 It is also a book packed with the good things we can't get to right now， bustling cities， great art， being with people which induces envy but also brings joy。 It is the sort of collection that made me gloriously inf I adore Zadie Smith as an essayist， reading her essays are like spending time with a friend who is much smarter， wittier and better read than you （also part of my real life I am glad to say）。 Everywhere you turn in this book you find a sharp and interesting thought about modern life。 It is also a book packed with the good things we can't get to right now， bustling cities， great art， being with people which induces envy but also brings joy。 It is the sort of collection that made me gloriously inferior， as I realised how much I still need to see and read and think about， all the while delighting in her perfect incisive sentences。 In short this is the sort of book that makes life feel worth living 。。。more
Ruth Lemon
，
I did enjoy this essay collection but I have to admit that some of them were too confusing and philosophical for me to engage with。 A reflection on me rather than ZS but I did find that some of her ideas and the theories she talked about weren’t relatable。 But again， it’s my problem， not hers。 I love her writing and her humour throughout
Nathalie Larsen
，
Highlights:North-west london bluesThe BathroomThe Shadow of IdeasLove in the gardensAlte FrauThe Buddha of SuburbiaJoy
Kate Knowles
，
Smith makes constellations with language; her subjects are so many distant stars that piece together beautifully under her watch。
Sub_zero
，
«Los escritores siempre reivindican que todo es ficción y los lectores siempre sospechan que no lo es， ¿quién tiene razón？»
Inma
，
'Con total libertad' de Zadie Smith es un libro de artículos y ensayos recopilados donde la autora nos habla de temas diferentes desde un punto de vista original， crítico y muy personal。 Son temas políticos， culturales y sociales， entre otros。 Pero， ¿qué destaco de este libro？🗞 La autora escribe maravillosamente bien。 Es increíble lo bien que se expresa y lo mucho que transmite。 No he leído nada más de ella pero he leído buenas críticas de otros de sus libros 'Dientes blancos' y 'Sobre la bellez 'Con total libertad' de Zadie Smith es un libro de artículos y ensayos recopilados donde la autora nos habla de temas diferentes desde un punto de vista original， crítico y muy personal。 Son temas políticos， culturales y sociales， entre otros。 Pero， ¿qué destaco de este libro？🗞 La autora escribe maravillosamente bien。 Es increíble lo bien que se expresa y lo mucho que transmite。 No he leído nada más de ella pero he leído buenas críticas de otros de sus libros 'Dientes blancos' y 'Sobre la belleza'。🗞 Algo que destaco de sus artículos es que te obliga a plantearte ideas y reflexiones que no te habías planteado hasta ahora。 Puedes terminar de leer uno de los artículos， cerrar el libro y pensar "¿en qué mundo vivimos？， ¿por qué no sabía sobre esto hasta ahora？" y que te transmita algo así es muy valioso。🗞 Toca temas que me han parecido muy interesantes （como el del Brexit） aunque también otros me han quedado muy ajenos。 No pensé que la mayoría serían tan específicos y muchas cosas de las que hablaba no las conocía， así que， aunque he disfrutado mucho de su escritura， no he conectado con esos temas。🗞 Las partes que más me han gustado son 'En el mundo'， 'Entre el público' y 'Con total libertad'。 Finalmente， y por el hecho de que una buena parte del libro son de temas muy particulares （hay alguna introducción a un libro que pidieron que escribiera， reseñas de arte de obras que no conocía， y otros de índole similar que me han resultado muy ajenos） le he dado 3 ⭐️。 Tengo mucha curiosidad por probar alguna de las novelas de la autora， eso sí。 。。。more
Chahna
，
I got into this book not knowing what it contained， but since I had read and loved her Intimations before， it seemed like a next step。 It is a collection of essays on books and movies and art and other things and they are very opinionated。 At least that is what I found。 I wonder if I would ever be so confidant in my opinions to write about things with such firmness。 I like the bits and pieces of her life sprinkled all over。 I still have some essays left to read but I haven't read them because of I got into this book not knowing what it contained， but since I had read and loved her Intimations before， it seemed like a next step。 It is a collection of essays on books and movies and art and other things and they are very opinionated。 At least that is what I found。 I wonder if I would ever be so confidant in my opinions to write about things with such firmness。 I like the bits and pieces of her life sprinkled all over。 I still have some essays left to read but I haven't read them because of their spoiler-y nature and I have yet to read these books （or so I am telling myself rn。） Her writing is， as always， very crisp and clear。 I admire it。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Feel Free: Essays
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Feel Free: Essays&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Feel Free: Essays&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0