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seclark's review against another edition
3.0
Easy read, fun story. I loved it because I have worked in a college admissions office (though not an Ivy League one!). However, there were some holes in the story, and the writing style drove me crazy at times. A good beach read.
ckporier's review against another edition
3.0
This would be a great beach novel. An interesting glipse into the admissions process at an ivy league school. The plot was not particularly believable, but it was a quick and entertaining read.
flogigyahoo's review against another edition
4.0
Just finished reading Admission, all 634 pages, about Portia, a 38 year old admission officer, at Princeton in a 16 year relationship with Mark, a professor at the same University.
This is an extremely well written, intelligent, at times fascinating and elegant novel. I could not put it down. I can easily recommend it to anyone wishing to pass a couple of pleasant days reading about an entrancing heroine whose life goes through a traumatic upheaval, both personally and work based. Her insights and explanations of the inner workings of the college admission process is erudite and compelling. Anyone planning to get their kids into an ivy league college will find this an eye opener.
That said, it's far too long--say 200 pages too long. The author has an agenda and repeats it again and again: kids today, even bright ones, have to go through an appalling admission process to get into the university of their choice. On top of her agenda, what our heroine undergoes during the period of this book--a few months at most--would cause any normal person to go crazy. It's just too much...she's Jewish, she's got issues with her mother who is planning on adopting a baby and apparently it's 17 year old unwed mother, with her own upbringing (her mother is wealthy yet lives "naturally"), she undergoes a totally unexpected shattering breakup of a long relationship (this is no spoiler--it's obvious from page one), the start of a new one, a staggering work load and finally--nearly 400 or more pages in--an event of mind blowing proportions. Way too much. I kept thinking and hoping: oh no, not that...not that. Life can be stranger than fiction. True. But it seems an easy way out and the author did not even need it. In spite of these drawbacks, a great read. I recommend it.
This is an extremely well written, intelligent, at times fascinating and elegant novel. I could not put it down. I can easily recommend it to anyone wishing to pass a couple of pleasant days reading about an entrancing heroine whose life goes through a traumatic upheaval, both personally and work based. Her insights and explanations of the inner workings of the college admission process is erudite and compelling. Anyone planning to get their kids into an ivy league college will find this an eye opener.
That said, it's far too long--say 200 pages too long. The author has an agenda and repeats it again and again: kids today, even bright ones, have to go through an appalling admission process to get into the university of their choice. On top of her agenda, what our heroine undergoes during the period of this book--a few months at most--would cause any normal person to go crazy. It's just too much...she's Jewish, she's got issues with her mother who is planning on adopting a baby and apparently it's 17 year old unwed mother, with her own upbringing (her mother is wealthy yet lives "naturally"), she undergoes a totally unexpected shattering breakup of a long relationship (this is no spoiler--it's obvious from page one), the start of a new one, a staggering work load and finally--nearly 400 or more pages in--an event of mind blowing proportions. Way too much. I kept thinking and hoping: oh no, not that...not that. Life can be stranger than fiction. True. But it seems an easy way out and the author did not even need it. In spite of these drawbacks, a great read. I recommend it.
lkbside's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the book and its look into the admissions process, made more credible by the author's experience reading applications for Princeton, the setting of the novel. I especially liked how she began each chapter with a little snippet of an imagined college application essay.
Portia, the protagonist, isn't a particularly sympathetic or appealing character; she is very absorbed in her work in admissions and her "work" of keeping others at arms length. We're told early on that she has a secret in her past. The direction Portia's personal story was going in was a bit predictable and not terribly believable, in contrast to the author's writing style which is quite compelling and absorbing. Her final "admission" of the secret to her former partner gives one hope that she will continue to open up about her life, but I felt it would have been more satisfying if she also made a personal admission about her actions in her work.
Portia, the protagonist, isn't a particularly sympathetic or appealing character; she is very absorbed in her work in admissions and her "work" of keeping others at arms length. We're told early on that she has a secret in her past. The direction Portia's personal story was going in was a bit predictable and not terribly believable, in contrast to the author's writing style which is quite compelling and absorbing. Her final "admission" of the secret to her former partner gives one hope that she will continue to open up about her life, but I felt it would have been more satisfying if she also made a personal admission about her actions in her work.
ajones329's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
The twist was fairly predictable. It felt I was reading more to confirm my predictions rather to know what happened
denise813's review against another edition
2.0
Not a comedy like I thought. Such comedic potential, too. :(
onejordo's review against another edition
4.0
Admission should possibly be required reading for any high school student or parent of a high school student on the brink of applying to colleges. Follow Portia Nathan, a Princeton admissions officer, through a season of college admissions. While this alone may seem a dull subject, this novel is anything but.
Perhaps you’re like myself and have given little thought to those who comb through college applications. Korelitz has written a book that will excite you about the potential futures college applicants face, and give you a peek of the pressure experienced on both sides of the application process. Mixed in is a deep love story, complicated families and major changes in Portia’s life.
There is quite a bit of heft to this book, but every page is worth it. Admission is beautifully written and will leave the reader with hope.
Perhaps you’re like myself and have given little thought to those who comb through college applications. Korelitz has written a book that will excite you about the potential futures college applicants face, and give you a peek of the pressure experienced on both sides of the application process. Mixed in is a deep love story, complicated families and major changes in Portia’s life.
There is quite a bit of heft to this book, but every page is worth it. Admission is beautifully written and will leave the reader with hope.
dameofscones's review against another edition
4.0
The blurb on the back of this book doesn't sound like something particularly exciting, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was difficult to put down. Having (somewhat) recently gone through the college application process myself (although my experience was not quite as rigorous as required by the Ivy League), it was fascinating to see the other side of the application process, with a fictional spin to it. I particularly liked the paragraphs detailing certain Princeton applicants scattered throughout the novel. It added great color to moments in the story that might be plodding or boring. However, I could never get a clear picture of Portia herself. She mentions maybe twice that she has curly hair, but the author never suggests she is noticeably attractive, overweight, quirky, or truly memorable. Towards the end of this rather weighty book, however, I found myself getting a bit incredulous. What, truly, are the odds of Portia finding her son so serendipitously? And while her actions in helping Jeremiah at the novel's conclusion are truly selfless, it was all wrapped up a bit too fast for my taste. Those, however, are the only parts of this great books that prevent me from giving it a solid, well-deserved 5.
angkniery5's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and am curious to see the movie. If is not what I would think of as a comedy. A smart well written book about a Princeton Admissions officer who in midlife finds herself examining her life after years of existing only through her job. This book is an interesting take on the college admission process, especially since I am close to entering that journey with my oldest child.
ampersandread's review against another edition
4.0
The blurb on the back of this book doesn't sound like something particularly exciting, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was difficult to put down. Having (somewhat) recently gone through the college application process myself (although my experience was not quite as rigorous as required by the Ivy League), it was fascinating to see the other side of the application process, with a fictional spin to it. I particularly liked the paragraphs detailing certain Princeton applicants scattered throughout the novel. It added great color to moments in the story that might be plodding or boring. However, I could never get a clear picture of Portia herself. She mentions maybe twice that she has curly hair, but the author never suggests she is noticeably attractive, overweight, quirky, or truly memorable. Towards the end of this rather weighty book, however, I found myself getting a bit incredulous. What, truly, are the odds of Portia finding her son so serendipitously? And while her actions in helping Jeremiah at the novel's conclusion are truly selfless, it was all wrapped up a bit too fast for my taste. Those, however, are the only parts of this great books that prevent me from giving it a solid, well-deserved 5.