Reviews

Either/Or by Elif Batuman

mxhcat's review

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75


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reidreids's review

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challenging funny reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

julesss9's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.0

owlyenthusiast's review

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funny hopeful reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I found out much too late that this was a sequel to The Idiot, which I had not read. On its own, Either/or is still a compelling, witty, and touching coming of age tale. I had issues keeping up with the many secondary characters which I’m sure is due to the fact that I did not read the first book. I also have no doubt that reading The Idiot would have made the conclusion to this book that much more satisfying.

kamflora's review against another edition

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funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

reader_runner's review

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3.0

I loved the Idiot, and was really excited to hear of a sequel. Either/Or continues with Selin at Harvard, trying to live a “full” life. For some reason, I found this a little difficult to get into - some bits were repetitive, and Selin didn’t always seem to be like her character in the Idiot. I did enjoy her summer travels though.

nolsrkive's review

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2.0

Um..yeah no. At first when i set this book aside, i thought i wasn’t in the mood for a « slice of life » kind of story. However, i recently picked it up again and i just found myself getting bored as i flipped through the pages, i kept checking how many pages i have left in the book. I’m going to have to dnf it at 35%. Kinda bummed cuz the book looked really promising :(

emhakes's review

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adventurous funny reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lexie25fih's review

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

alma_sven's review

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emotional funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5