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stephlikestoread's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Cancer
maeve834's review
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, War, and Eating disorder
astoriareader's review
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
MY THOUGHTS
- I blindly went into this book, as I kept seeing praise & good reviews for it. Apparently, it’s a sequel.
- This book DRAGS at such a slow pace. It also is not structured well, and it has extremely long chapters.
- Pedantic, pretentious. No idea why so many college lectures & quotes from other books are in this??
- Felt absolutely no connection to the main character.
- Tries to be a coming-of-age story if a Harvard student in her sophomore year.
- I have no idea how I finished this book.
- This is the most boring fictional book that I’ve read.
TL;DR: ⭐️this took me 9 days to finish 😂i usually fly through books. the most boring fictional book that i’ve ever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer
mlovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
4.25
Oh Selin.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Lesbophobia
anagramatica's review
dark
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I found the college setting and philosophical dialog a little irritating at first. I was listening to the audiobook and the author was reading. I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue listening, but I stuck with it. There were some pure funny moments, some cringe funny moments, and a lot of existential young-person-seeking moments. The later part of the story was easier for me to warm up to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Body shaming, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Cancer
sylviaplathsbitch's review
funny
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cancer
babettes's review
emotional
funny
reflective
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
4.5
completely blew me away. Watching Selin's growth, how the books she reads and the movies she watches, in addition to her actual living life, move the story is so well done. I relate to a lot to her in the beginning. Her staunch protection of her flawed mother mirrors my sentiments towards my father. The way she still is obsessed with someone and tries to create a narrative out of those feelings. However in the last quarter of the book we lose our similarities. She, pushed by the other women in her life all getting into relationships, seeks out the uncomfortable companionship of men. I understand that part of what the text is trying to get at that the decisions she is making aren't good ones, but it's still hard to watch. But that just is a testament to the greatness of the character. Selin is my friend, I don't want her to be forced to do anal using sunscreen as lube!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment, Cancer, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Body shaming
ekg's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Cancer and Suicide
lindseyhall44's review
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“I used to wonder this last year: how could you be so graceful in writing and so clumsy and life?”
Either Or takes place right after the events of its predecessor, The Idiot, as Selin returns to Harvard for her sophomore year of college. While discovering what it means to live an aesthetic versus an ethical life, Selin must deconstruct the issues which occurred last year as well as maneuver through the turbulence known as Academia, all before returning to her parents native country of Turkey for a summer abroad.
The narrative perspective of Selin toes the line between humor and sadness particularly well, as her witty remarks made me laugh out loud, yet were often at the expense of her naïveté. Never in all my reading experience have I ever related to a character as much as Selin, not so much in life stories, but more of how she sees the world. My heart clenched at this feeling of representation, found in a woman who is also trying to navigate the world around her. Similarly, Selin also finds comfort in representation, as the literary cannon serves as a guide to understand life in a more processable way.
While this book is not for everyone, the characters, writing, and nostalgia of a younger time places Either Or on a pedestal for literary fiction which will be hard to outmatch.
Either Or takes place right after the events of its predecessor, The Idiot, as Selin returns to Harvard for her sophomore year of college. While discovering what it means to live an aesthetic versus an ethical life, Selin must deconstruct the issues which occurred last year as well as maneuver through the turbulence known as Academia, all before returning to her parents native country of Turkey for a summer abroad.
The narrative perspective of Selin toes the line between humor and sadness particularly well, as her witty remarks made me laugh out loud, yet were often at the expense of her naïveté. Never in all my reading experience have I ever related to a character as much as Selin, not so much in life stories, but more of how she sees the world. My heart clenched at this feeling of representation, found in a woman who is also trying to navigate the world around her. Similarly, Selin also finds comfort in representation, as the literary cannon serves as a guide to understand life in a more processable way.
While this book is not for everyone, the characters, writing, and nostalgia of a younger time places Either Or on a pedestal for literary fiction which will be hard to outmatch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Sexual harassment, Eating disorder, and Mental illness
gorgeousgirl's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
man. sometimes the book makes you want to eat it. oh, selin!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Eating disorder and Cancer
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