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Set in New England mainly and London partly, On Beauty concerns a pair of feuding families - the Belseys and the Kipps - and a clutch of doomed affairs.

It puts low morals among high ideals and asks some searching questions about what life does to love. For the Belseys and the Kipps, the confusions - both personal and political - of our uncertain age are about to be brought close to home: right to the heart of family.

Review from the ’86 Book Club, Cambridge

We all had reservations about this book, some of us liking it much more than others.

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

Most of us were intrigued by the dynamics of the two families. On the whole we felt the characters were well drawn but some felt that one or two, such as Kiki, were not properly developed and the relationships between characters (Howard/Clare, Kiki/Carlene) were not strong enough to suspend disbelief.

Of the non-family characters, one we found sharp and moving was Karl and his situation was credible so we felt totally sympathetic towards him and the difficulties he faced in his life.

We found the amorality of the characters, both young and old, rather depressing. Perhaps that reveals what sheltered lives we lead (despite living in a university town!).

However despite these criticisms, we recognised this was mainly a satirical novel about academic life which sometimes made us laugh and reminded some of us of Malcolm Bradbury’s The History Man.

We all found though, that there was just too much in the novel. It was bursting with characters, situations and themes. We felt that there was just too much to absorb and this perhaps diluted its impact and at times confused the reader.

In this respect, though, this novel is better than White Teeth, Smith’s first novel, where a brilliant opening (man trying to commit suicide in a car park is told by the Halal butcher he can't commit suicide here – it’s private property!) is dissipated by a vast diarrhoea of ideas. That was three books in one – too many strands.

We were agreed that her gift for humour is real and original and On Beauty contains some really funny scenes like the hotel scene where Vee drops her coat to seduce Howard, revealing stockings and not much else just as the cleaner comes out of theΜύ bathroom. She also paints some wonderful images too like the patchwork of CDs on the pavement shimmering with β€œa zillion digital colours”.

None of us really understood the relevance of the Nick Laird On Beauty poem. It seemed rather obscure.

A scintillating novel, which satisfied some, confused others and offended one or two.