Either/Or

Me encantó todo sobre la historia de Selin ojalá hagan una película del libro

Elif Batuman is such a good writer that it's almost painful, though not so painful that I can ever stop reading. Reading "Either/Or," even more than reading her prior novel, "The Idiot," is an experience of watching a virtuoso perform: I'm both loving it and pretty sure I'm not even getting all of it. Sort of like visiting a major Duomo in Florence or going to the Louvre: I'm aware that I'm here but aware that I should be paying closer attention. But it's so good I don't want to slow down, semi-promising myself I will go back later and REALLY focus. This book makes me feel both smart and dumb, in the best possible way: smart that I can follow her great wit and most of the references, and dumb that I feel my brain really needs to work harder, perhaps the way it did before the internet came along. Also, I went to the same college that Selin/Elif did and I wasn't a legacy, so I *should* have the ability to fathom all this and I kind of love it that it takes effort. Long-story short, I'm a fanboy of her novels and if you don't like them, you're just another boring normie. ALSO, IT'S SO FUNNY.

Enjoyed this a lot, the intelligence and the humour of the writer. It is a continuation of THE IDIOT, an earlier novel. It still involves Selin's unrequited love for Ivan and her choosing to live an "aesthetic" life, as opposed to an "ethical" one. Written as auto-fiction, I believe I read somewhere.

This star rating reflects my opinion on the state of the book, not the contents; I haven't read it yet. The cover was visibly bent in several places, and the bottom seemed to have suffered some scrapes; there's glue peeling off. Also, the book doesn't seem very clean.

In Either/Or, Elif Batuman continues to capture the intellectual and emotional growth of Selin, a Harvard sophomore navigating love and literature. Batuman's sharp wit and detailed observations make this sequel both humorous and deeply reflective, exploring the complexities of identity and relationships. The book's unique blend of academic and personal exploration keeps readers engaged and eager to follow Selin's ongoing quest for self-understanding.