I'm not sure where to begin and frankly it felt like neither did Zadie Smith. This book was confusing, scattered and not really enjoyable. Probably not the best introduction to Smith for myself....

I jumped into this book after hearing the hype and didn't know anything about it. Took me a good second to realise it was historical fiction - and then I read that this is her first foray into this genre, which makes sense why I was confused as she's known for her contemporary novels.

The narration goes between multiple characters and it left me confused as to the links and where things were going. I enjoyed the main character, Eliza Touchet, well enough but struggled through the trial and such.

After taking too long to review the book, I ended up getting an audio copy through my library app. I restarted this audiobook 3 times and it didn't make more sense after each try. I finished it just because I wanted to review it properly. I think if you want to give this book a try, definitely avoid the audiobook.

Zadie Smith's latest novel, her first venture into historical fiction set in 1870s London, explores the true story of the trial of Roger Tichborne, missing heir to a British baronetcy. The narrative, however, centers on Eliza Touchet, cousin by marriage to Victorian author William Ainsworth, who becomes embroiled in the Tichborne case. Smith skillfully portrays Eliza, a strong-willed septuagenarian with abolitionist beliefs, and Andrew Bogle, an intriguing character with roots in Africa and Jamaica.

The book offers insightful commentary on our current political climate, drawing parallels between Victorian Britain and contemporary issues like anti-vax beliefs, Brexit, and the complexity of understanding the world. Smith's writing is enjoyable and humorous, successfully capturing the Victorian style.

Despite these strengths, the novel's structure proves a significant drawback. The use of very short chapters, often flipping back and forth in time, creates disorientation and hampers immersion. While the character work is commendable, the prominent structural issues hindered the my overall enjoyment, making it a decent historical read with modern sensibilities, but not one that I think will work for all readers.

I really enjoyed the first 60% of this book but then I made the mistake of putting it down for two months (life got in the way), so when I picked it up again it was basically just incomprehensible to me... so that's a shame. But I really did enjoy reading the first half! Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This was not for me. The writing felt incredibly disjointed, so much so that half the time I had no clue what was going on.

I liked parts of the Fraud and usually enjoy Zadie Smith’s writing but there was a lot of characters to keep track of and this felt like two or three books within one. I do look forward to see if Zadie Smith writes another historical fiction book.

This is an incredible book with so many themes running through it. From Victorian England to Jamaica we follow the story that is gripping the nation,The Titchbourne Case.. A case that involves a claim by a rotund butcher to be Sir Roger Titchbourne.. We see this case through the main character Mrs Touchet but not before we are taken back to her early days as cousin, one time lover of William Ainsworth a well published prolific novelist. We are treated to encounters with Ainsworths contemporaries, including Dickens. Although she is an imagined charcter, she is a very insightful and entertaining individual.
A very thought provoking and entertaining read

Zadie Smith's first historical novel knocked it out of the park for me - I couldn't put this down! I've struggled with her novels in the past, but really enjoyed THE FRAUD.

I absolutely flew through Zadie Smith's latest book – I found it so easy to read and generally more straightforward than her other novels. It follows the trial of an unlikely claimant to a fortune, and in the meantime interrogates slavery, the concept of freedom, the vampirism of writers, women's exclusion from public life, class and the complex layers of privilege. It also has a big healthy dose of Dickens bashing which I was a little surprised at?

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres and I love reading about the nineteenth century, so obviously this was very much catering to my taste. I hadn't realised how many of the characters were real people until quite late into the book, which is perhaps stupid because William Harrison Ainsworth did ring a bell. (Will people be interested in reading his work again now that this book has been published?) I liked how it really depicts the political and tumultuous nature of the nineteenth century, which I think is often forgotten in the public perception of the Victorian era, and obviously it has that Zadie Smith flair of both writing and character.

But for me it felt slightly lacking compared to her other books. I've read NW and Swing Time in the past year and from both I came away feeling that I had read something meaty that had really dug into issues and questions, but without providing any neat answers. The Fraud didn't provide any answers, but I felt like it didn't quite give me the meat I wanted either.

I've been wanting to read a Zadie Smith book for a long time now and I'm sad to say that I wish that I hadn't bothered. I was bored from start to finish and I did debate not even finishing it but for some reason decided to push on through. I have to say that I just don't get the hype about this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful read, loved White Teeth so much and this did not disappoint either! Really excited to see what she does next

This was a real let-down for me. I love all of Smith's writing, but this book just didn't click. It felt too fragmented (and I love fragmentation!) and messy. It was unclear throughout what the focus was - as if there were too many ideas crammed in. There's a narrative shift about 270 pages in and it's really staggering, but then that drifts away. Sadly not Smith's best.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK for this ARC of Zadie Smith’s first historical fiction novel, truly a union of two of my favourite things. One of the best things about Smith’s writing is that way that she can identify and seamlessly weave together seemingly disparate stories and narratives to tell one unified story that leaves you in no doubt of her genius. Here she has centred her story around an historical event called the Tichborne Trial, in which the country was divided over whether a man was truly the long lost Sir Roger Tichborne or a fraud. Our two narrators are Mrs. Touchet, an elderly housekeeper and cousin to a fading literary talent, and Andrew Bogle, a former slave from Jamaica who has aligned himself with ‘Sir Roger’ and finds himself the star witness in the trial. Both are outsiders in society and both are all too aware of the ways in which those on top deceive and exploit those below. This is an engrossing and extremely well-researched novel and what it lacks in narrative momentum, it makes up in power. Smith fans will not be disappointed.

I found this book brilliant, intriguing, and thought provoking. Zadie Smith writes an excellent historical fiction, something very different from White Teeth and her other novels.
I found this story well researched and I also found it entertaining even when it was making me reflect on our contemporary world.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am confused by this novel - it’s the first Zadie Smith book I have read and I was expecting to be wowed - but while there are some good ideas and themes explored, I found the book as a whole to be confusing, meandering and just felt a lack of interest in the characters - I didn’t understand the motivations of the main character, Mrs Touchet, who although interestingly eccentric seemed all over the place in terms of her reactions and desires - I just couldn’t make much sense of her or of the plot, really. There’s even an acknowledgement of this near the end when Mrs Touchet notes the ‘various people and urges’ within herself. There are various strands to the plot, all of which have bases in real historical fact: one is a legal case of inheritance asking whether a man is who he claims to be or is in fact a fraud. Eliza Touchet becomes very interested in the case due to the appearance in it of a formerly enslaved Jamaican man by the name of Bogle, who she finds she believes despite the implausibility of the case itself. Then there’s also a lot of delving into Eliza’s own past, living with her cousin, novelist William Ainsworth, and his apparent lack of ability in being a novelist. There’s just too much going on and lots of attempts to bring various meanings of fraud in but it jumps around a lot. I did find the historical case being tried to be interesting and I enjoyed the spectacle of it and of uneducated Sarah as a completely biased yet fairly shrewd spectator. But I’m left mostly underwhelmed.

My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher, Hamish Hamilton, for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

The Fraud by Zadie Smith weaves together three storylines based on true events in the 19th century. A Cockney butcher arrives in London from Australia claiming to be Sir Roger Tichborne, the heir to a baronetcy and previously thought to have been lost at sea. His sensational fraud trial in London captures everyone’s attention, including Eliza Touchet, the cousin-by-marriage of prolific novelist William Ainsworth who outsold Charles Dickens in his day, and Andrew Bogle, a former Jamaican slave who believes the claimant really is Tichborne despite a considerable amount of evidence that he definitely isn’t. ‘The Fraud’ is Smith’s long-awaited first piece of long-form historical fiction, but ultimately I prefer her contemporary novels. It is an original take on a forgotten case with some humorous dialogue and parallels with more recent events in the US. However, I think it was held back by its overly complex structure scattered across very short chapters, with the three strands never quite hanging together in a coherent or satisfying way (much like my issue with To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara). Many thanks to Penguin UK, Hamish Hamilton for sending me a review copy via NetGalley.

Zadie Smith's first historical novel, and it lived up to all my expectations, though I'm really not surprised at all. Smith could write the copy on a box of cornflakes and I would read it.

The Fraud by Zadie Smith is a captivating historical fiction novel that transports readers to 19th-century England, delving into the intricacies of a celebrated criminal trial, the Tichborne case. With meticulous attention to detail, Smith weaves a tale that revolves around Eliza Touchet, a Scottish widow who finds herself entangled in the life of William Ainsworth, a popular Victorian novelist.


William Ainsworth, who was Charles Dickens’ friend and a more successful author in their early years, is portrayed as a waning literary figure who is fighting to stay relevant. He serves as a symbol of the challenges faced by writers during Victorian England, as new literary movements and tastes began to emerge.


The big trial and the unfolding social and psychological drama are what drive the plot of the novel. Eliza Touchet's interest is piqued by one of the primary witnesses in the trial, the enigmatic figure of Andrew Bogle, an elderly Jamaican who holds the secrets of a past shrouded in the brutality of slavery.


Smith delves into the darker aspects of the era, shedding light on the British colonial slave trade and the abolitionist movement. Drawing upon historical events and the experiences of characters like Andrew Bogle, Smith portrays the harsh realities of colonization and the complexities of navigating a society where racism and prejudice are deeply ingrained.


No exploration of Victorian England would be complete without acknowledging the influence of the iconic Charles Dickens. Smith deftly utilises his character to delve into the contradictions and complexities of Victorian England. It was an era of major transformations in most aspects of English life, from scientific, economic, and technological advances to changes in class structures and the role of religion in society. Authors like Thomas Carlyle began to direct their attention toward social issues, highlighting the dehumanizing effects of the Industrial Revolution.


Dickens' role as a social commentator and his critique of the worst excesses of Victorian society are explored through the lens of Eliza Touchet. Dickens is credited with bringing novelists to a new level of moral and political stature, something that Eliza Touchet objects to on ethical grounds. Dickens, while celebrated for being sympathetic to the plight of the poor and disadvantaged in British society, has also been criticized for his attitudes, which have been perceived as racist and xenophobic.


Through Mrs Touchet, Smith is challenging Victorian ideas of gender and sexuality. The Victorian era was characterised by rigid gender roles and societal expectations of women. Domesticity, motherhood, and the preservation of moral standards were considered paramount. However, despite the restrictions, women made some progress in the 19th century. While they did not have the right to vote, sue, or, if married, own property, as Britain transformed into an industrial nation, Victorian feminism emerged as a significant political force.

Whilst I did enjoy this book it took a little bit of time for me to get through which has impacted my overall experience. There is a lot of detail and is clearly very well researched and well written. Unfortunately I didn’t connect to the characters as much as I would have liked.
Overall an extremely well researched historical fiction that is different from anything I have read recently. Although it didn’t quite work for me I’m definitely glad I gave this a go and look forward to reading more by this author in the future

Having enjoyed studying “White Teeth” by this author, I was very keen to see how Zadie Smith writes an historical novel. I have not been disappointed. The book is based on fact, which is brought to life through interesting, strong characters, and a fascinating plot. Thanks to Smith’s research, I have learnt a lot about life and mores of Victorian literary London, with many themes that are as relevant today as they were then.