Cover of On Beauty

On Beauty

Zadie Smith, 2005

British novelist, born 1975. Won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2006.

On Beauty is a 2005 novel by Zadie Smith. It won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2006.

Acclaimed
  • Critics' Darling
  • Prize Winner

In family saga

On 3 of the 17 lists it was eligible for.

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At a glance

Author
Zadie Smith
First published
2005
Length
464 pages (UK paperback)
Awards
Genre
Literary fiction, Class and society, Migration and identity, Family saga

Is On Beauty worth reading?

3 of the 17 best-of lists it could have made include it, among them the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Booker Prize.

ListPlaceOriginal
Booker Prize (winners and shortlists) (Booker Prize Foundation, 2005)ShortlistSee the list
The 100 best books of the 21st century (The New York Times, 2024)No. 94See the list
Women's Prize for Fiction (winners and shortlists) (Women's Prize Trust, 2006)WinnerSee the list

Best edition of On Beauty

The edition we link to is the Penguin paperback (2006), 464 pages.

Publisher
Penguin (paperback, 2006)
Pages
464
ISBN
9780141019451

How critics, prizes and readers rate On Beauty

Prize juries rate it most highly: it earned 42% of the points available on prize lists, against 11% on critics' lists and 0% on readers' and booksellers' lists.

Critics
11%
Prizes
42%
Readers and booksellers
0%

Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work

Books like On Beauty

If you liked On Beauty, try White Teeth or NW.

Lists used on this page