Siddhartha I chose because I enjoyed the way that Hesse presented the material of a life devoted to pleasure, pain and eventual growth. As well, whomever I lent the book to has enjoyed it (a friend rewarded me with a kiss and very real tears after reading it). That was a safe choice.
White Teeth was not so safe. Reviews praised the book so highly that there had to be a backlash. An online article complained that Smith's book debut was "too confident". This seems very odd as a complaint. Did this critic want her to lack confidence in what she was writing? Was she too young for such talent (the book was completed when she was 25)? I discovered the book just after my 26th birthday and have since read it about half-a-dozen times. At one point, I used to carry it around with me wherever I went so that I could dip into certain passages and get my fix. If you do find a book like that, it is your responsibility - your happy duty - to pass it on to any interested party. The copy I now have is the second one I have owned. The first one is in a friend's collection.
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Yeah, I can take it...