I enjoyed the story(ies) told in The Fraud, but the book itself felt disjointed. So much of the book was just TOLD to the reader. It was like seeing the pictures from someone's vacation to Italy and saying you went to Italy on vacation. The reader wasn't taken on a journey throughout the book. We were just told a story. And it wasn't from A to Z, either. More like A-J-D-B-R-L.....Z. I did love the research that went into the novel and I had never heard of the Tichborne case and enjoyed learning about that little bit of British history.

While I have enjoyed some of Zadie Smith’s previous work this book did not work for me at all. It was a slog to get thru and the multiple storylines never coalesced into something to care about.

Zadie Smith is a master of her craft. She writes so beautifully on any number of topics, which was certainly the case here. Was I particularly invested in this story? No. Was I invested in reading every word she wrote? YES. This was not on par with White Teeth or On Beauty for me, but it was interesting and a unique take on historical fiction. And of course, gorgeously, perfectly written.

I had a hard time following this one with all the back and forth between time periods—it was hard to keep track of when things were happening and who the characters were. I didn’t feel drawn into this and had to force myself to get through it.

Wow--what a book! This masterpiece has been on every Best Books of 2023's list.
It centers around a Scottish housekeeper who is a cousin to a famous British author (the author is based on the real-life author). She is the narrator of the book and unravels an amazing, authentic time in British history, the Tichborne Trial.
Yet, the story is a reflection of human behavior, as the title indicates. Fraud is depicted in so many ways throughout the book. English gentry and all its accoutrements are juxtaposed against the poverty and slavery of Jamaica. Smith accomplishes this in such a gripping and unique manner.
The writing is brilliant but you certainly had to concentrate. So much is going on throughout these pages .
Amazing book!

This one took me awhile to get through, but I'm so glad I did. I enjoyed the real characters and events woven into the fictional story. Here's hoping Smith continues to channel her inner Dickens and writes more historical fiction.

Stellar historical fiction. I enjoyed the narration from Mrs Touchet's point of view, and particularly liked the long digression of Mr Bogle's life story.

Another wonderful book by this author. She certainly knows how to do her research and to draw us all in. The characters, incredibly interesting and the story kept my interest.

As a Zadie Smith fan I really didn't know what to expect from historical fiction from her. This story has really stuck with me though. Her ability to infuse humor, sly and sometimes dark, into the mundane is something I really love. The way she creates relationships between her characters is often unexpected but always rich. I think in this case the genius of the story is the protagonist as a cipher for modern white women exploring their connection to race and their own whiteness. Smith pulls no punches if you're reading closely enough which is a bit thrilling. While not my favourite of hers, again, it won't quite let go of a hold on my brain.

I love Zadie Smith's writing. She can tell a good story like no other. This was her first foray into historical fiction and I always love it when authors pull more obscure historical characters into their stories. I had never heard of the Roger Tichborne case so that was fascinating to learn about. However, I felt the book was a little disjointed. It went back and forth in time and I was very confused by this for the majority of book. I never knew where we were in history.

What a thicket of a novel this is. Smith has a fine mind and a sharp intellect. Her portrait of Dickens and crew is amusing. Her scrutiny of the UK establishment’s seesaw relationship with slavery is timely and done with some care. Her depiction of the fraudster and his popularity of course has political relevance. But all jumbled up together, with a time frame that jumps back and forth? And a central character who is hard to pin down and a bit too modern for her boots? I didn’t think this came successfully together, though the reading of it had its moments.

This book sounded like it would be right up my alley, but unfortunately, I DNF'ed about 20 percent of the way through. I found it very slow-going and wanted to keep reading to see if it would pick up, but it is a bit long, so I cut my losses. I really want to be a Zadie Smith fan, though ... I might try some of her earlier works instead.

Thank to NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for a review.
I'm just so disappointed. I tried reading this book three times. Twice in print, once on audio.
It never got off the ground and I never gained any interest in it at all.
Perhaps I will try again another time.

Courtesy of Netgalley I received the ARC of The Fraud by Zadie Smith. This ambitious historical novel takes place in Victorian England and also Jamaica. Focused on the year long Tichborne trial, the novelist William Ainsworth, his family and fellow writers, I was immersed in this well researched story of deception and injustice. I especially enjoyed Eliza Touchet, who evolved during the course of the trial into an astute observer and chronicler of human nature. The literary references added to the atmosphere and characterization, and helped to give context to this book. Definitely worth reading!

Reviewed this for The Boston Globe online and in print. A few takeaways:

Beautifully written historical fiction as well as typically dry and insightful Zadie Smith. At the center are several singular characters… Solipsistic and vain, these Ainsworths are vivid, amusing creations. While the specter of Dickens hangs over the proceedings, there’s something reminiscent of Trollope in The Fraud in how it strives to deeply blend the political and the domestic ... Along with Smith’s signature wry wit and the beautiful originality of her sentences, The Fraud’s strength lies in how it portrays Eliza’s awakening to the realities of race in 19th-century Britain ... While not an unmitigated success, The Fraud is absorbing, resonant and relevant. Grandly ambitious, it illuminates the social and political landscape of an era, though in privileging social commentary over characters and plot, it sometimes loses momentum.

I'm so sad to say that this was a bit of a slog for me! I am a Zadie fan, but this one was long and hard to get into. I'll be sure to read all of the things she writes in the future - but this was not my fave.

2.5 rounded up

Nearly a DNF, I was relieved when done with this latest offering from Smith. Even the fantastic character of Eliza, whose cutting wit was a joy to read, wasn't enough to keep this reader engaged. The three separate story lines barely seem connected with any depth, and overall the plot moves at such a slow pace that it reads rather dull. Definitely not one that I raced to pick back up.

The Fraud focuses on aspects of Victorian England as told through the perspective of Eliza Touchet. Eliza is cousin and housekeeper to author William Ainsworth and has lived with him for decades. Through her eyes, we see the writers of the day as well as the social landscape of England. When the Tichborne Trial takes over the headlines, Eliza attends in order to determine whether the Sir Roger Tichborne is really the true heir. In doing so she seeks out witness Andrew Bogle and listens to his story and how he ended up as part of the trial. Overall, a look at how people perceive themselves and their freedoms, The book was broken up into eight volumes, often with very short chapters that sometimes made it difficult to keep track of which character and timeline was being discussed, though the prose was well-written. The different characters all touched on class and how some groups focused solely on their own issues, not always considering those of others, and some groups were at the mercy of others, regardless of their actions.

3.5 stars rounded up.

There is much to tuck into and enjoy in Zadie Smith’s first historical novel, an expansive view of the first half of Queen Victoria’s reign through the eyes of the widowed Eliza Touchet. It’s cleverly written and structured, though it didn't particularly grip me.

Using real people, and real events, the novel moves from the literary circles of the mid-19th century in which the likes of Dickens and Cruikshank mingle with Eliza’s cousin, William Ainsworth (now completely out of print but popular at the time) to the 1870’s trials of the Claimant, in which a man claiming to be Sir Roger Tichborne tries to prove his bona fides.

Along the way, the author shows us society from the viewpoint of the powerless: women, black people, and the working class. She references Samuel Johnson’s dog - that a woman preaching is like a dog walking on its hind legs, not that it’s done well but that it’s surprising it’s done at all - to give us the Victorian perspective on these groups. She also makes it clear how siloed the powerless are in their views of the power structure and what would improve it.

The timeline gets a little confusing as we swing from the height of Ainsworth’s literary acclaim to his final years where he’s financially exiled to Sussex. The novel is structured into eight volumes with a multiplicity of short chapters, much like one of Dickens’s novels might have been published and there are a variety of styles. There are gouts of the Claimant's trial and a lengthy diversion into the story of Andrew Bogle, the Claimant’s man servant, as well as excerpts from Ainsworth’s own novels.

It’s not clear who is intended to be the fraud of the title. Ostensibly it is the Claimant, the darling of the masses who appreciate that he’s trying to stick it to the toffs even as he tries to prove he is one himself. It’s a little reminiscent of billionaire Trump becoming a champion of the working classes. Ainsworth also worries that he is an unwitting fraud, that his literary peers are laughing at him even as they enjoy his extravagant hospitality. Eliza herself, superficially a righteous and uptight Catholic widow is not above being like the “Ladies of Llangollen” (two scandalous upper class women who lived as a couple) or even indulging in a little sadomasochism with her married cousin.

Recently I read and 5-starred William Boyd’s The Romantic, which follows a white man’s spacious adventures in the Victorian era. The Fraud takes on something more challenging with a smaller canvas and a modern viewpoint and, while it wasn't as successful for me, I appreciate that the author is pushing the boundaries of historical fiction with a much more contemporary perspective.

Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

It always big news when Zadie Smith has a new book out. This one is very different from her other books. This book will be nor be for everyone. It's 464 pages and at times it gets to be frustrating in a sense that you start to lose track of who is who. There are three storylines which could actually be a stand alone novel. The problem for me was I wanted them to gel together and feel like there was a purpse to the style of the storytelling. The stories were intersting to read but not enjoyable as a whole. The good news is the writing is always beautiful so that makes it worth the read but really just for Zadie Smith fans. I would not make this your firrst novel of hers to read. Thank you to #netgalley and #penguinbooks for the read. Truly wanted to love it more.