Reviews with content warning for Rape - Either/Or

I really love these books, and I think it has to do with how smart they are while still being so simplistic and approachable. The author has so deftly nailed the thought process of a college student studying literature (and I was one so I get it), and the book manages to follow her story while weaving in the reflections of the things she’s learning about, which I do think is so crucial to developing a character like this. It’s like the meeting of a novel and research paper, while still managing to feel so real and true to what someone like this would experience.

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maddalenacesco's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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

girl loses her sense of self, mental stability, backpack... and much more, if you know what I mean

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applesodaperson's review

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inspiring reflective medium-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

I honestly did not know that this book was a direct sequel to The Idiot, so good thing I have read this previously. But I do think The Idiot needs to be read first, because without it, the reader of this book won't understand anything about Selin's relationship to Ivan or friendship with Svetlana. Anyways, I really enjoyed this book! My absolute favorite thing about Batuman's writing is how she is always asking questions about life and about why things are the way the are. It prompts me to think so much about my own life and ways of thinking. But like The Idiot, my favorite part of this book was when she was at Harvard. And then I liked the part about her in Turkey even less than I liked the part about her in Hungary in the last book. I felt like Selin's time in Turkey was only about her being preyed on by terrible and creepy men, which made me feel really icky. I much prefer the intelligent conversations she has with her classmates at Harvard.
Read from the Provo library.

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gabek's review

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adventurous emotional 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

3.5

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bookwhore07's review

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funny reflective fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

a lot of “surely she’s not going to have sex with this man” and then “oh”

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karabeavis's review against another edition

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funny informative 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

4.5

The writing is incredible, and sure. Phrases like “the tap coughed” are brilliant and stuck in my mind. It’s set in Harvard and the ins and outs of a peer group of talented, precocious students from all over the world: this is an interesting premise.

I found the book excruciating at times. For me, the main character is hard to identify with. Despite having a cool mum who is a no—nonsense doctor, in regular contact, the protagonist is hapless, and

the sex she finally has is awful. There doesn’t seem to be a single pleasurable encounter. Pleasure doesn’t come into it. The character is neurotic, an American thing I observe in American sitcoms etc. It’s hard, at times, to like her.

. It’s set in the 1990s — my adolescent period too. This character is empowered in some ways but also naive! She wants to live a little, which is the point of the last third of the book.

Back to the writing which is layer upon layer of cultural literature references: the book is thoroughly researched and clever. I loved the description of Selin’s time spent at her grandmother’s house in Turkey.

Overall esoteric and inwardly gazing. I like the sophisticated world the character moves in, but at the same time, I loathe it. I wanted to love this. there’s a buzz around it and many will adore it! It’s memorable.

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moonbeamreads's review against another edition

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Big tw: rape and dubious consent regarding most of the sex scenes

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lybe's review against another edition

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Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I enjoyed The Idiot but this just fell flat. Batuman's extraordinary humour that was such a big contribution to why its predecessor was and is so popular is still there (and I did laugh out loud several times, thank you very much) but the novel as a whole feels tedious and lacklustre. Batuman's interviews surrounding its publication were truly interesting but those ideas and concepts are just murmuring around in the background and rarely ever transpire superficially in a naïve (American?) way.
I would have most likely DNF'd this if I hadn't been listening to the audiobook.

The amount of mostly unreflected r*p* scenes in this? What's with that?

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Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Either/Or by Elif Batuman

stephlikestoread's review

readsandfeeds's review

elenaakers's review

maddalenacesco's review

applesodaperson's review

gabek's review

bookwhore07's review

karabeavis's review against another edition

moonbeamreads's review against another edition

lybe's review against another edition