I've loved everything Zadie Smith has written and The Fraud is no exception. Smith's first novel of historical fiction reads like a 19th century book: short chapters, clever details, and compelling characters. For me, it was a slow read, but an enjoyable one. Stick with it!

Zadie Smith does not disappoint. This is a long novel and it took me a while to get invested but the chapters are short and the writing lyrical. This is a historical novel, set in Victorian England and involves a writer who is a contemporary of Dickens and Thackeray. It also revolves around a long trial called the Tichborne Case. So many themes of race, class and who/what is fraud.

Zadie Smith’s first historical fiction novel is immediately amongst her better novels, if not the best. The tone, the style - Smith nails the busy tone, the gossipy characters, the vivid inner thoughts of the characters of a classic novel like Jane Austen or a Brontë. Rather than reading as historical fiction, it feels instantly beyond that.

Smith focuses on the story of William Harrison Ainsworth, a writer and contemporary of writers like Dickens and Thackeray (who both appear in the novel) but almost immediately fell into obscurity upon his death, unlike the others. Through the eyes of Eliza, William’s cousin/housekeeper, William’s story and difficult writing life are told, alongside the famous Tichborne case, in which a man claimed to be the heir to the Tichborne baronetcy.

The obvious question throughout the novel is, who exactly is the fraud? But Smith provides so many threads and motives and tricky personalities which lend richness to the question. I really loved this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Fraud by Zadie Smith!

The Fraud is a Zadie Smith's first novel of historical fiction, set in Victorian London. It is based on the real life “Tichborne Trial", a case of a lower-class butcher from Australia who claimed he was in fact the rightful heir of a sizable estate and title.
I found the book a little hard to get into, but I pursued because I've loved all of Smith's other novels. It did not disappoint.

Bleak House by way of Zadie Smith.
Love the short chapters. Love that she's centered the story around a woman.
Cerebral and wordy.
Smith is so good with race and class and the nonsense of being human.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

There's really no arguing against the fact that Zadie Smith is a fantastic writer, but this wasn't my favorite book of hers. This is the story Mrs. Eliza Touchet, a Scottish widow who works as a housekeeper for her cousin by marriage, British author William Ainsworth. I actually had no idea that William Ainsworth was a real historical figure until I looked him up - he's much less famous than many of his contemporaries like Thackeray and Dickens (both of whom show up in this story). Eliza has lived with William and his family for 30 years, helping him raise his daughters after his wife's passing, but their relationship has changed over time and she seems to be a bit adrift as William takes a new, much younger wife. Sarah, the new Mrs. Ainsworth, is obsessed with coverage of the Tichborne Claimant, and Eliza gets a bit sucked in as well after developing a fascination with Bogle, a former slave and one of the main witnesses on behalf of the main claiming to be the long lost Sir Roger Tichborne. I really enjoyed the segments of the book that focused on Bogle, particularly his past, which moved a lot faster for me than most of Eliza's chapters. I definitely liked the premise of this, and the writing was fantastic, I just didn't really feel very connected with Eliza, so it was a bit slow going.

Promising but does it live up to expectations?
The synopsis of Zadie Smith's new work, her first in the historical fiction genre, sounds promising. It tells the story of the writer William Ainsworth, the Tichborne trial which was well known at the time, and the life of ex-slave Andrew Boyle, the main witness at the trial. All told through the eyes of Eliza Touchet, Ainsworth's housekeeper.
There are many themes: freedom, justice, activism, slavery... All this together with the cameo of my adored Charles Dickens made this novel irresistible.
However, it was a challenging read. Perhaps the main problem was my high expectations. Zadie Smith's pen is beautiful, engaging, in a word, masterful. The characters, too, are engaging, interesting, above all, and above all, Mrs. Touchet.
What didn't work for me is the structure in too many volumes, and chapters so short that I didn't quite understand the purpose of many of them. As well as the lack of cohesion, or perhaps the chronology.
In short, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. But I recommend it nonetheless, as it is always a pleasure to immerse oneself in that era.
Español: Prometedora pero ¿cumple las expectativas?
La sinopsis de la nueva obra de Zadie Smith, la primera del género ficción histórica, suena realmente prometedora. Nos cuenta la historia del escritor William Ainsworth, el que fue muy conocido en la época juicio Tichborne, y la vida del exesclavo Andrew Boyle, testigo principal del mencionado juicio. Todo ello narrado a través de los ojos de Eliza Touchet, ama de casa de Ainsworth.
Son muchos los temas tratados: libertad, justicia, activismo, esclavitud… Todo ello junto con el cameo de mi adorado Charles Dickens hizo esta novela irresistible.
Sin embargo, ha resultado una lectura retadora. Puede ser que el principal problema haya sido las altas expectativas. La pluma de Zadie Smith es bella, atrapante, en una palabra, magistral. Los personajes, también son atractivos, interesantes, sobre todo, y por encima de todos, Mrs. Touchet.
Lo que no ha funcionado para mí es la estructura en demasiados volúmenes, y capítulos tan cortos que no he terminado de entender el propósito de muchos de ellos. Así como la falta de cohesión, o quizás la cronología.
En fin, que no la he disfrutado tanto como pensé que lo haría. Pero, no obstante, la recomiendo pues siempre es un placer sumergirse en esa época.

Historical fiction novel that takes place in the home of William Ainsworth, an 1800's novelist that worked with more famous writers like Charles Dickens. The story is told from the perspective of William's cousin, Eliza, a widow that takes care of the Ainsworth household. It also includes quite a bit around the trial of a man that claims to be Sir Roger Tichborne, a man that was presumed dead in a shipwreck. Popular opinion was split according to class, and will remind readers of current clashes in what is the "truth." I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learning about historical events that are new to me. Also pondering who, if anyone, is truly The Fraud in this story

I love everything that Zadie Smith writes and this is no exception. It's hard to review this book, I think I need to sit with it for a long time before I can fully (will it ever be fully?) wrap my mind around it. The historical fiction lover in me loves this book because it's written with the same dense, florid language but by a contemporary writer and woman of color. It's part historical fiction and part commentary and presents another view of her beloved NW. It's long but moves fast. There are a lot of intersecting stories and characters and you just have to trust, while you're reading, that you're in good hands and will ultimately be delivered. Learning that the book is based on actual events added a whole other layer and I underlined a million things to look up later. A far more worthy read than diving back into old classics. My bet, this book will be taught and studied.

Smith does it again, The writing is impeccable, the storytelling captivating and the prose clean. I’ve loved Zadie Smiths work for a long time. This novel does not disappoint.

I'm always on the fence with Zadie Smith and can't decide how I feel about her writing - that being said, she has a huge following and we will be purchasing a copy for our collection.

Zadie Smith's "The Fraud" is a brilliantly-crafted novel as is Smith's way, Her characters are luminous and beguiling, and as I read, I felt as if I were living among them. This is a book to hand sell before it hits the shelves. It is one to encourage customers to pre-order immediately, so that they can delve into the world of "The Fraud" on the day it is "born" into the world. Yes, it's that good!