Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
slow-paced
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the prose was often beautiful but i did not like this book and i am confused by how many people love this book and i do not understand this book and i did not feel understood by this book except for the very last chapter but i am very happy to not be a freshman in college anymore and i am very happy that i was never in a situationship friendship will they won’t they except for in some ways maybe i need to reread this book and keep in mind the events of yesterday’s dog park conversation.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Good read, took a minute to click with me since it wasn’t really plot-driven and I kept searching for one. Overall, this was light, funny & something that was easy to breeze through.
After struggling through this for 250 pages I realized that it most likely wasn't gonna get any more interesting, that I really didn't care how the book would end and that I just was bored while reading it.
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Academia meets existentialism. Witty and pathetic with a dash of optimism. Some of the writing is genuinely beautiful but it all boils down to an esoteric drag.
I read this book once when I was about 16 and was very upset that Selin had already read things like War and Peace and had opinions about Tarkovsky. I was annoyed by how quickly she learned Russian and Hungarian and was angry at myself for not knowing how to say ‘geophysicist’ in Mandarin. Now that I am older I understand that Selin is fictional and I do not need to be jealous of her, and I am instead moved by the million billion moments and feelings that Elif Batuman notices and can distill down to two sentences.
Here are some:
My feet looked ghostly and white against the pebbles. A school of tiny fish, black this time, darted past like arrows in a siege.
His pillow fell into my dessert. The pink whipped foam formed meaningful-looking patterns in the white fabric.
The croissant was crisp and soft and flaky at the same time. Just biting it made you feel cared for.
Two tables away from us at the outdoor café, a small boy in an orange puffy vest was sobbing with no restraint. A man sat across from the boy, methodically eating an omelette.
Here are some:
My feet looked ghostly and white against the pebbles. A school of tiny fish, black this time, darted past like arrows in a siege.
His pillow fell into my dessert. The pink whipped foam formed meaningful-looking patterns in the white fabric.
The croissant was crisp and soft and flaky at the same time. Just biting it made you feel cared for.
Two tables away from us at the outdoor café, a small boy in an orange puffy vest was sobbing with no restraint. A man sat across from the boy, methodically eating an omelette.
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated