On beauty

Zadie Smith's On Beauty is a funny, powerful and moving story about love and family Why do we fall in love with the people we do? Why do we visit our mistakes on our children? What makes life truly beautiful?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.'The novel I didn't want to finish, I was enjoying it so much' John Sutherland, Evening Standard'Thrums with intellectual sass and know-how' Literary Review'Delightfully entertaining . . . filled with humour, generosity and contemporary sparkle' Alex Clark, Daily Telegraph 'My novel of the year . . . Delicious' Liz Jones, Evening Standard'Satirical, wise and sexy' Washington Post'Heartstopping' The Times Literary Supplement'A triumph, Smith's comedy shines' Daily Mail'Ambitious, hugely impressive, beautifully observed' Guardian