This is a typical Zadie Smith book in exploring racial identity social mobility and personal identity. In it, the unnamed narrator lies in her father's house thinking about "our people " Who are they? Are "our people" defined by race, family, culture, friendship, work, music or even dance? How is it to move between different peoples? The unnamed narrator makes a defining friendship with pug -nosed Tracey because they are both "brown " girls. They are united by a love of dance. Although Tracey later pursues a career in dance , the narrator never realises her potential in singing but instead goes to university. After a time back in her childhood neighbourhood and a media job she goes to work with renowned pop star, Aimee, who has charity projects in Africa. Having left this assistant's job she returns to her childhood neighbourhood again to find her mother and Tracey both altered. For me the narrator was emotionally "empty." When her Mother has a life changing event at the end of the book she spends her time on the internet looking at the result of her last "work" for Aimee instead of thinking about her Mother. The parts of the story in Africa seem "flat" to me as a reader, although I did wonder if this was a deliberate attempt to make you look at "Western" attitudes to Africa? The heart of the book is the relationship between the narrator and Tracey with its complications and ambivalences. Music and dance provide the "beat" that underlies the whole novel. For me the most intriguing characters were the narrator's parents, although her self taught, politically aware black mother could be seen as a stereotype. Somehow Smith gets beyond the stereotypes She is one of the few authors who is able to explore themes of race and culture so deeply and with such insight. Tracey Exeter High Street

A very enjoyable book with characters that you feel you could have met at some point they are so real! Having grown up the 70/80's London the setting is very accurate too. Truth and lies, dysfunctional family; it's all here and beautifully written.

The story involves a narrator who never gives her name and her childhood friend Tracy – two mixed-race girls who want to be dancers. Only Tracy, however, has any talent. The narrator drops out of university to become a personal assistant to a pop star (who seemed to me to have hints of Kylie, Madonna, Angelina Jolie…) and the two girl’s lives diverge. Although we start in London large parts of the book are set in a development project in West Africa (which Aimee, the pop star, starts although she does drift away to other interests later). I was particularly fascinated by the way the narrator feels like she stands out as a black girl in her ballet class as a child yet is treated as a white woman when she is in Africa. Race is certainly not treated as a simple, either/or, issue. If you enjoy a good story but like your books on the literary side then I can recommend this. If you really need to get closure then just remember that we never find out the narrator’s name….

'Swing time' is a huge book in scope, starting unassumingly with two little girls at a dance class on their London council estate in the 1980s. From there we spiral off to New York and West Africa, taking in the entertainment industry, celebrity charity, family, friendship, ‘bettering’ yourself, and a whole lot else. I like stories with convincing female friendships and this really is, with all the resentment, jealousy, shame and power struggles of ‘best friends’ at that age (and perhaps beyond). It’s a rich read psychologically; all the characters feel real and complex, and it’s larded with satisfying dollops of wisdom, satire and social commentary. It even made me find dance interesting, while I was reading it anyway, which is some achievement.

I enjoyed this for the first half but it started to dull after that. I couldn't connect with the main character at all, couldn't work her out or empathise, she seemed almost like a non-person, totally vacant with no clue as to what makes her tick. Shame too that Aimee was so utterly hard to like or even have any interest in seeing as most of the book was taken up by her. Just felt the main characters weren't complete enough to really enjoy the book and nothing concrete occurred. Left me feeling very meh....