The Accidental
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-23 14:53:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ali Smith
- ISBN：0141010398
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Arresting and wonderful， The Accidental pans in on the Norfolk holiday home of the Smart family one hot summer。 There， a beguiling stranger called Amber appears at the door bearing all sorts of unexpected gifts， trampling over family boundaries and sending each of the Smarts scurrying from the dark into the light。
A novel about the ways that seemingly chance encounters irrevocably transform our understanding of ourselves， The Accidental explores the nature of truth， the role of fate and the power of storytelling。
A novel about the ways that seemingly chance encounters irrevocably transform our understanding of ourselves， The Accidental explores the nature of truth， the role of fate and the power of storytelling。
Reviews
Spaska
，
Couldn’t go past the first few pages
Mindbait
，
I picked this one out from the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" book。 It was great up to a point， with alternating chapters being told from the point of view of different members of the family in the story which kind of fill in the gaps in each others' stories。。。 but then towards the end it's almost like a part of the narrative is missing or something。Perhaps that's just the way it's written， or maybe it's because I was reading it while working nightshifts and the gaps were actually in I picked this one out from the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" book。 It was great up to a point， with alternating chapters being told from the point of view of different members of the family in the story which kind of fill in the gaps in each others' stories。。。 but then towards the end it's almost like a part of the narrative is missing or something。Perhaps that's just the way it's written， or maybe it's because I was reading it while working nightshifts and the gaps were actually in my brain？ 。。。more
Hana White
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Brilliant story brilliantly written。 The very end a little predictable in the metaphor of the cuckoo but that is the only flaw in the whole book。 With each character you are immediately and brilliantly drawn in to how each of their minds work and it's just great。 Brilliant story brilliantly written。 The very end a little predictable in the metaphor of the cuckoo but that is the only flaw in the whole book。 With each character you are immediately and brilliantly drawn in to how each of their minds work and it's just great。 。。。more
Chloe Sproule
，
God I love Ali Smith。 I don’t know how， but she can write from a 12-year-old girl’s mind as if she really still was one。 Apparently this is a reimagining of an old Italian movie which I’ll have to go watch now。
Alessio D'Avino
，
I don’t know what to say。。。the story itself is not something I’ve never heard of， but the way the author plays with words， with the images they convey， is out of this world。 I’m definitely going to read more books by Ali Smith。
Betsy Johnson
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3。5
Vigdis
，
På grunn av livet ble det noen veldig lange avbrekk i lesinga。 Når jeg først leste var det store deler av gangen fordi jeg koste meg med den， men så lot jeg den ligge i en måned （eller et par） mellom hver gang。 Både historien og skrivestilen （som er typisk Smith） er nok bedre med litt mer kontinuitet。Forøvrig er det en utrolig spesiell historie som går fra morsom til ubehagelig og tilbake på null komma svisj。
Carolyn
，
Hardcover， though there is also a paperback copy of this in our home。 A lot to like about this。
anna birgitta
，
Täiesti tüüpiline ja sügavalt irooniline - "Juhuslik" oli juhuslik meeleoluost uuskasutuskeskusest id est hõrk ning üsna niššikas teos， mis juhuslikult meeldis。 Täiesti tüüpiline ja sügavalt irooniline - "Juhuslik" oli juhuslik meeleoluost uuskasutuskeskusest id est hõrk ning üsna niššikas teos， mis juhuslikult meeldis。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
3。5
Buff Davis
，
loved this， plot and characters so good
Leah
，
I don't know how to rate this: I can't decide if it was brilliant or just pretentious rubbish。 I can't deny though that this book consumed me， it got under my skin and I couldn't stop reading。Ali Smith is great at a stream of consciousness style that's still readable， （only sometimes tedious but mainly brilliant）。 I particularly enjoyed Astrid's chapters， she captured the mind of a 12 year old girl so flawlessly。 I enjoyed the cinematic references。 I enjoyed the literary technique of viewing the I don't know how to rate this: I can't decide if it was brilliant or just pretentious rubbish。 I can't deny though that this book consumed me， it got under my skin and I couldn't stop reading。Ali Smith is great at a stream of consciousness style that's still readable， （only sometimes tedious but mainly brilliant）。 I particularly enjoyed Astrid's chapters， she captured the mind of a 12 year old girl so flawlessly。 I enjoyed the cinematic references。 I enjoyed the literary technique of viewing the same events/character from each perspective and how a scene would be interpreted differently depending on who we were following。 I'm just not sure if I actually enjoyed the book itself。 Definitely one to leave a lasting impression though， for better or for worse。 。。。more
Melinda Mary
，
3。5 stars。
Liz
，
I wish I'd read this book in college （or before I had children， back when I had time to sit and think without interruption）。 It merits serious discussion， dissection of themes， even a back-and-forth on its central plot points。 It's the perfect reverse detective novel for that one seminar I got kicked out of。 It's exciting and complicated and weird。 It makes you work and， well， I love that。Smith is known to take risks with uncomfortably current and topical content， which feels a little strange wh I wish I'd read this book in college （or before I had children， back when I had time to sit and think without interruption）。 It merits serious discussion， dissection of themes， even a back-and-forth on its central plot points。 It's the perfect reverse detective novel for that one seminar I got kicked out of。 It's exciting and complicated and weird。 It makes you work and， well， I love that。Smith is known to take risks with uncomfortably current and topical content， which feels a little strange when reading this 15+-year-old book-- but she does something that will never fail to impress me: truly inhabit her different characters。 Each has a voice。 Each has a version of the facts。 Each has motivations that very nearly make no sense when read from the other characters' perspectives。 I often hate child or adolescent characters， precocious and precious as they usually are， but Smith hits just the right notes to remind you of your own embarrassing 12-year-old self without either glamorizing it or depressing you。 The convergence of the different narratives around one universally beloved character， à la The Sound and the Fury （but with stolen furniture instead of pregnancy）， is just pitch-perfect。 It's a book that I immediately wanted to restart upon finishing so that I could hunt for clues。 。。。more
Sian Jones
，
my favourite Ali Smith book so far。 Criminally underrated！
Fernando Hisi
，
Ali Smith é uma escritora muito muito boa。 Parece que ela sempre acerta em cheio no zeitgeist e dilui tudo de forma direta， simples。 Esse， dos que eu li dela， é talvez o que eu menos goste。 Talvez porque fale de uma época meio nebulosa， os 2000， de uma maneira um tanto genérica。 Talvez porque a impressão final seja menos da história contada e mais de como ela foi contada。 Esse "gimmick" da condução narrativa， que li numa das resenhas， realmente é de se pensar， mas me parece mais um livro sobre e Ali Smith é uma escritora muito muito boa。 Parece que ela sempre acerta em cheio no zeitgeist e dilui tudo de forma direta， simples。 Esse， dos que eu li dela， é talvez o que eu menos goste。 Talvez porque fale de uma época meio nebulosa， os 2000， de uma maneira um tanto genérica。 Talvez porque a impressão final seja menos da história contada e mais de como ela foi contada。 Esse "gimmick" da condução narrativa， que li numa das resenhas， realmente é de se pensar， mas me parece mais um livro sobre escrever um livro。 Algo um pouco meta， talvez mais discreto que os filmes do Nolan， mas é daquelas obras que parecem deslumbradas com si mesma， uma linda plataforma， que no final das contas esquece o que sustenta。 。。。more
Ralu
，
Ali darling， you’re a smart ass for sure！ Desi nu sunt o mare fana a postmodernismului preferand oricand o structura narativa conventionalâ， călâie， Accidental a fost una dintre cartile pe care le-am parcurs cu cea mai mare placere。 O mai citisem pe Smith， eram deja oarecum familiarizata cu stilul， am recunoscut anumite tipologii de personaje， dar acum， mai mult ca data trecuta， mi-a placut teribil。。。tot。 Fluxul halucinant de idei， frazele trunchiate， cuvintele aruncate pe pagina uneori alandala Ali darling， you’re a smart ass for sure！ Desi nu sunt o mare fana a postmodernismului preferand oricand o structura narativa conventionalâ， călâie， Accidental a fost una dintre cartile pe care le-am parcurs cu cea mai mare placere。 O mai citisem pe Smith， eram deja oarecum familiarizata cu stilul， am recunoscut anumite tipologii de personaje， dar acum， mai mult ca data trecuta， mi-a placut teribil。。。tot。 Fluxul halucinant de idei， frazele trunchiate， cuvintele aruncate pe pagina uneori alandala， revenirile， schimbarea perspectivei te imping intr-un soi de vortex literar din care n-ai vrea sa mai iesi。 Neverosimila povestea？ Sigur。 Amber e o himera？ Probabil。 Dar ce ramane trainic in picioare e familia asta， Smart， ai carei membri trec prin niste momente， hai sa le numim dificile， peste care reusesc sa treaca agatandu-se de un personaj inopinat， o absență-prezentă sau o prezență-absentă （ depinde cum vrei sa vezi lucrurile）。 Un el， profesor univ de literatura adulternin， o ea， scriitoare de mana a doua destul de fadă， un adolescent depresiv， care in virtutea unei glume ajuge sa fie responsabil de sinuciderea unei colege de liceu， si o pustoaica absolut grozava pleaca la o casa de vacanta。 de unde se intorc schimbati sau。。 nu chiar， dar cel putin mai capabili sa infrunte realitatea si proprii demoni。Musai de citit la un moment dat。 。。。more
Becky
，
Ali Smith is my queen。 Her writing is so loose and playful， her stories always unexpected。 It's hard to imagine myself disliking anything she writes。 Ali Smith is my queen。 Her writing is so loose and playful， her stories always unexpected。 It's hard to imagine myself disliking anything she writes。 。。。more
Jennifer
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5 POV， multiple writing styles， interesting structure and a twist that you knew was coming but didn’t know what exactly it would look like。 Not a single likable character and yet I liked this book for its experimental approach to the coming of age in a family tale
George
，
3。5 stars。 An interesting， original novel about the unravelling of a family。 The father， Michael， a literature teacher， has a number of affairs with his students。 Eve， his wife， is an author who knows about Michael’s affairs。 Magnus， the son， is 15 years old and has been suspended from his school for unethically and immorally manipulating the images of a fellow school student， a girl。 The girl commits suicide and the parents want the school to take action。 Astrid， the 12 year old daughter， is no 3。5 stars。 An interesting， original novel about the unravelling of a family。 The father， Michael， a literature teacher， has a number of affairs with his students。 Eve， his wife， is an author who knows about Michael’s affairs。 Magnus， the son， is 15 years old and has been suspended from his school for unethically and immorally manipulating the images of a fellow school student， a girl。 The girl commits suicide and the parents want the school to take action。 Astrid， the 12 year old daughter， is not very communicative。 The family goes on a short vacation， renting a holiday house。 One evening Amber， a woman aged 30 and not related to the family， walks into the rental house and makes herself comfortable。 Michel thinks Amber is Eve’s guest， Eve thinks Amber is one of Michael’s conquests。 Amber has an affect on all four members of the household。 An engaging， worthwhile read。Shortlisted for the 2005 Booker Prize。 。。。more
Abbi
，
I think I wanted to enjoy this more than I did。 As always， I love Ali Smith's writing - the stream-of-consciousness style and the way that everything， even small things， are so profoundly noticed and pondered upon， make me wish that I could get inside her head and think the way she writes。 However， as a story， this left me with a lot of unanswered questions， the answers to which no one else seems to know either。 Amber as a character is interesting - the sections that she （it is assumed， at least I think I wanted to enjoy this more than I did。 As always， I love Ali Smith's writing - the stream-of-consciousness style and the way that everything， even small things， are so profoundly noticed and pondered upon， make me wish that I could get inside her head and think the way she writes。 However， as a story， this left me with a lot of unanswered questions， the answers to which no one else seems to know either。 Amber as a character is interesting - the sections that she （it is assumed， at least） narrates went pretty much completely over my head， and overall I found her very irritating and troublesome。 I can stretch my imagination to believe that the Smarts would let her in uninvited and， in truth， with no idea who she actually is， but the way she acts towards/speaks to them is at times so rude and unacceptable that I can't possibly imagine a person so charming that the family would keep them around afterwards。 Inexplicably， each member of the family seems very attached to her， and she fundamentally changes each of them and their dynamic as a group， even though I as a reader thought there was nothing particularly amazing about her。 Perhaps， though， that's the point - Amber is not necessarily special， but she defies social norms in a disarming way and happens to give the other characters what they need at the time （Astrid a role model， Magnus a partner， etc。）。 Outside of her， I thought Astrid and Magnus had the strongest narratives， with Michael's easily being the least fleshed out。 The ending for me was not exactly disappointing， but it lacked something。 Not my favourite of Ali Smith's works。 。。。more
Amanda Lawrenson
，
I read this years ago。 It was on a list in a magazine of recommended books to read。 This was recommended for people overcoming depression and looking for fresh starts！！ I remember hating it， although I read it all。 It felt very post modern and pretentious as well as dull。 Maybe I just didn't get it so this book put me off reading other literati book winners。Years later I realised that was a mistake。 Book prize winners and nominees can be clever and profound， whilst also making their writing ente I read this years ago。 It was on a list in a magazine of recommended books to read。 This was recommended for people overcoming depression and looking for fresh starts！！ I remember hating it， although I read it all。 It felt very post modern and pretentious as well as dull。 Maybe I just didn't get it so this book put me off reading other literati book winners。Years later I realised that was a mistake。 Book prize winners and nominees can be clever and profound， whilst also making their writing entertaining and accessible yaay！ I know some authors want to make you work， like watching a David Lynch film， but for a book to work on that level it has to mesmerise you and this didnt。 。。。more
Susanne Bandi
，
。。。some nice thoughts but alienating
Trishita （TrishReviews_ByTheBook）
，
All I’ve wanted to do the last few days was watch some good old movies， but Ali Smith kept intruding。 Usually， it wouldn’t matter， I’d do what I want to do， but I needed to finish this last book of the year before the last of the year。 The problem was I was really enjoying the book， but I just wasn’t into reading at the moment， but also， I really wanted to devote my full attention to the words on the page， because with Ali Smith you just can’t not。 So yeah， it felt like a chore and a charm simul All I’ve wanted to do the last few days was watch some good old movies， but Ali Smith kept intruding。 Usually， it wouldn’t matter， I’d do what I want to do， but I needed to finish this last book of the year before the last of the year。 The problem was I was really enjoying the book， but I just wasn’t into reading at the moment， but also， I really wanted to devote my full attention to the words on the page， because with Ali Smith you just can’t not。 So yeah， it felt like a chore and a charm simultaneously。 I hate not being fully receptive of books， which is why I never read by a deadline， but here， I just couldn’t help it。I’m sure I missed a lot but I also really liked it， the story not so much but the words， and the inventiveness and the playfulness， the ideas and the ironies， and the little stories of the family of Smarts。 I wonder how Ali Smith can continuously play around with words so much， across so many books， and still have more to play around with or play around with the same old words in new ways。The Accidental follows the story of four members of the Smart Family - mother， stepfather， son and daughter - on a summer holiday in a small English town and an intruder that starts living with them uninvited and makes them see and recognise themselves， each other and their lives for what they were。 The four flowing streams of consciousness were absorbing to read， all with interesting threads of thought and feeling。Ali Smith takes the reader deeper into the mystery of the Smart family before， at the last moments， bringing them into the light。 Infused with her usual wit and humour， and a structure that could easily have not worked but did， The Accidental is a book I’d have to visit another day， in a better mood。 Just to read without a reason。 3。5 stars！ 。。。more
Trish
，
2 1/2 stars。 This book had such potential （4 stars at least）， but each character’s stream of consciousness not directly related to the overall plot or their current lives was so tedious and pointless I couldn’t get past it。 Especially Amber， the mystery woman who shows up unexpectedly in this family’s lives。 We only get a few pages really， and all but a sentence or two is completely wasted。 Speaking of wasted， I downgraded this from 3 stars to 2 1/2 because some of the book was so good that it m 2 1/2 stars。 This book had such potential （4 stars at least）， but each character’s stream of consciousness not directly related to the overall plot or their current lives was so tedious and pointless I couldn’t get past it。 Especially Amber， the mystery woman who shows up unexpectedly in this family’s lives。 We only get a few pages really， and all but a sentence or two is completely wasted。 Speaking of wasted， I downgraded this from 3 stars to 2 1/2 because some of the book was so good that it made the bad even worse。 。。。more
Evelyn Taylor-McGregor
，
I’ve read too many Ali Smith books in a row to really know what I think of this one。 Not my favourite， not my least favourite。
Daisy May Johnson
，
It's not often that I reach for the word 'luminous' to describe a book but then I read The Accidental and everything changed。 This is luminous， this is airy， fiercely stylish writing， and it is full of a bright and unique beauty。 I loved it， this story of the long hot summer where everything changes for the Smart family。 A visitor arrives， her name is Amber， and she is here to make difference。 Each member of the family will be changed by their interactions with her， and the way that Ali Smith ca It's not often that I reach for the word 'luminous' to describe a book but then I read The Accidental and everything changed。 This is luminous， this is airy， fiercely stylish writing， and it is full of a bright and unique beauty。 I loved it， this story of the long hot summer where everything changes for the Smart family。 A visitor arrives， her name is Amber， and she is here to make difference。 Each member of the family will be changed by their interactions with her， and the way that Ali Smith capures them is so， so good。Let's dwell on that notion of something being luminous for a moment longer， because I always think it's interesting to do that sort of thing。 It's easy to throw it into a book review because it feels like the sort of space that should have such words。 Luminous。 Shining。 Giving off light。 And yes， The Accidental is set within one of those bright， burnished summers that Britain can quite perfectly conjure when the fates allow， but it also captures the quality of that summer through its stylistics。 Smith cartwheels through a multitude of character perspectives， shifting style and tone and voice depending on who's talking and what they want us to know。 Some sections come in sonnets that range from self-deprecating through to wry through to laugh out loud; others chapters render themselves as deliciously vivid teenage stream of conscious （some of the best， I think）， whilst others just sort of kaleidoscope through reams of cinema and film references。 Luminous。 Every inch of it。One of the things to mention as well is that it took me some time to read this， because there's a lot of it to read。 That seems a slightly ridiculous thing to say， but let me explain （it'll make sense， I promise）。 A book like this is something of a web that connects not only to itself but things located in the wider world， both fictional and real。 And so， for example， the pages and references to film connect not only to the film but also the story of that film， the moment of that film， the weight of it。 A sentence， then， can include a thousand others。 A word， a thousand worlds。 The great joy of The Accidental is that you can pause from the book itself and slide through all those worlds （my joy， for example， over a reference to Burt Lancaster and Gina Lollobrigida in 'Trapeze'！） before coming back to the story of The Accidental itself。 （But maybe， now that I think about it， you don't ever leave this story， and you're just travelling the web and the weft of this luminous world）。 （I said I'd make sense。 I'm not sure I have in the slightest！）Perhaps the trick to The Accidental is to take a joy in just experiencing it。 There's so much here to lose yourself in。 So much light， so much style， so much， so much。 。。。more
Marti
，
I really wanted to like this one but didn’t。 I read it on my Kindle and I wonder if it would have been better via Audible or in print。 The creativity of punctuation or that lack thereof was lost on me。 I struggled to follow the stories and truly understand what was happening。 Kudos to those who understood and enjoyed the novel。
Leona
，
I don't have words。 I don't have words。 。。。more
Jane Van
，
Started out a bit depressing， but ended up loving it。 Fantastic writing。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Accidental
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Accidental&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Accidental&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0