I completely agree with what you said when you stated Selins is a "unreliable narrator".. she most definitely is unreliable. As I read the story I felt I saw her grow in circumstance; going from being afraid/not understanding so much about conversations- to acting more freely and in a relaxed manner when conversing with her hosts in Hungary. Her thinking she had learned nothing at the end, to me, was such a great example of the young womens experience. You don't recognize how much you have grown until farther down the line. Like you said, she is far too close to the story to see her development. BTW Svetlana's character is great, you're wrong about that, haha.
I'm currently a third through "The idiot" and I am debating wether to DNF it or not. I just can't get over the fact that IT DOESN'T HAVE A PLOT. But then, she spits out a fantastic quote that makes me think and debate within myself and reflect on life. And I can't find middle ground. After this video I think I will try to finish it but I don't really think I'm gonna love it.
yes ! (!!!!!!!) I loved all of your thoughts here, so I agree with red and blue! This was a wonderfully informative, structured, and paced review Rick. As one of my favorite books, I'll be pointing people to this video if they ever ask about The Idiot
Hahah wow I LOVED THIS despite raging at half of it (I am on the red shirt side of this discussion, fwiw). Because you countered all the arguments I disagreed with, I don’t have much to say except that this was delightful!
Claire Reads Books It’s fun for the whole family! Haha, glad you liked it, Claire. You may have been the person who initially turned me on to the book in the first place last year, so I’m happy you enjoyed it.
What I loved about this novel was all the time Batuman spent on the people she talked to (NOT including the boring cipher of the boyfriend.) When she traveled in the summer, I loved those segments. However, all the things I loved were essentially taken from her memoir that was much better, "Possessed: Adventures With Russian Books and the People Who Read Them." I read the memoir first, and so the novel and its inertia was maddening to me. Three stars. But five stars to this video.
an enthusiastic reader I didn’t know she wrote that memoir. That’s fascinating. I’m not sure if I find that better or worse LOL. Sounds like she just wrote about the same thing twice in a row. But I’m glad you liked the video, Sonya 😄
Really clever review! I finished the book today and loved it. I liked your discussion of whether Selin has really learned anything by the end. Right now I'm thinking my interpretation is that her realizing at the very end that she hasn't learned a thing is the very beginning of her process of piecing it all together and learning something from it. Otherwise I think it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for her to be telling us the story in the way she did, because it seems self-aware and aware of her actual shortcomings to an extent that she never was aware during the time period of the story itself. I mean, the way she talks about being at the village in Hungary felt like in hindsight she was starting to realize that she had been pretty self-absorbed and deserved to be seen by the locals as an idiot at the time. That's just my take though
Heh, I had mixed feelings on this one as well - I went back and forth between thinking it was completely hilarious and miserably tedious. I take that as a positive though, because I expected to loath it - American literary fiction set at ivy league universities almost universally make me want to punch all of the main characters, so I definitely went in with low expectations. Although I had read and enjoyed Batuman's nonfiction writing, so maybe that's not completely true...🤷 I laughed when you said that at 36 years old you're too old for the 18-year-old Selin, because so much of the environment of the novel was tied to being 18 specifically in 1995. Maybe your problem is that you're too young! 😜
I think your "twitter timeline" analogy is the perfect encapsulation of how I felt. The book is filled with cool observations that kept me going but its wrapped in a painfully tedious "story".
This should be considered for a Pulitzer for the number of t-shirts alone! I'd pretty much forgotten about this book, but now I remember that I kind want to read it.
insert book pun here I would recommend it as long as you’re not someone who gets hung up on plot. If that doesn’t scare you, go for it. There’s lots to enjoy. Super smart, so funny (but so so dry).
JessicaReadsThings The beauty of this video is that I can recommend and book and warn people about that same book at the same time. So I can’t be wrong, no matter your response 😄 But if you’re not hung up on plot, then for sure go for it. There’s a lot to love about it.
How did you film this? I need a behind-the-scenes... Mostly, this video made me want to reread the book, my reaction to it was so personal, I need to see if it stands up. I have very little in common with Selin, I do not "relate" to her, but I had an intense but unrequited relationship, mostly conducted over email, at the same age and in the same year as Selin so reading it brought up a lot of stuff. I see what you mean about Harvard not being a factor, but to me the time is a huge factor, more important than the place. This is the Xennial novel of my dreams, basically 😊
I planned out what each “person” said in advance and then filmed each color in a row. I wasn’t bouncing back and forth haha. That would have been exhausting. Your read of the book was so personal, who cares what anyone else thinks. Sounds like you were the prime target for it. Which is always the best feeling.
I can answer this for you: It's good. Where did people start getting this idea that the quality of a book has something to do with how admirable the characters are? If you want an "epiphany" from The Idiot, here's one: college is a waste of time. There. Now you have a moral to the story. But if you've been to college, you should know that already.
@@RickMacDonnell Thank you for your review btw! I was reading others' reviews and some said they were cackling- so that's why I think some of it flew over my head. :)
Haha, yes I did see the devastation you reaped on this book, Robert. It was hilarious, and brought a smile to the (at least) half of me that 100% agrees with you. So thanks for your review, it was entertaining as hell.
This reminds me of my feelings for Breaking & Entering by Joy Williams, which I read recently. I see its merits and why so many writers love Joy Williams but the story is about disaffected White middle class people in Florida. Although interestingly written, great prose does not save a story that is basically about the struggles of people who do not have struggles.
Just sounds like the meandering escapades of privileged kids coming of age into lives of non-problems. Which, honestly, are all too common theme in commercial literary fiction, and shows the class of people most likely to find successful careers in writing. Very tired of all the “my challenging yuppie life” books on shelves, but that’s just the case because most successful authors come from yuppie backgrounds. Joe Q. Redneck or Robbie from Compton ain’t gonna get a big-payout publishing contract, and they’re sure as hell not getting sneezed at by the Pulitzer committee. Honest to god, this is a big reason I only read mainly indie lit anymore. It’s written by real people who’ve lived in the real world and frankly, if you can weed through the bad shit, the good shit is REALLY FUCKIN GOOD. As good if not better than anything the big name publishers are releasing.
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I completely agree with what you said when you stated Selins is a "unreliable narrator".. she most definitely is unreliable. As I read the story I felt I saw her grow in circumstance; going from being afraid/not understanding so much about conversations- to acting more freely and in a relaxed manner when conversing with her hosts in Hungary. Her thinking she had learned nothing at the end, to me, was such a great example of the young womens experience. You don't recognize how much you have grown until farther down the line. Like you said, she is far too close to the story to see her development. BTW Svetlana's character is great, you're wrong about that, haha.
I'm currently a third through "The idiot" and I am debating wether to DNF it or not. I just can't get over the fact that IT DOESN'T HAVE A PLOT. But then, she spits out a fantastic quote that makes me think and debate within myself and reflect on life. And I can't find middle ground. After this video I think I will try to finish it but I don't really think I'm gonna love it.
All I can say is that I doubt this feeling will change. That’s definitely the vibe of the whole thing. It’s frustrating, for sure!
yes ! (!!!!!!!) I loved all of your thoughts here, so I agree with red and blue! This was a wonderfully informative, structured, and paced review Rick. As one of my favorite books, I'll be pointing people to this video if they ever ask about The Idiot
whatpageareyouon Thanks, Alex! That means so much, coming from you. This made my day 😁
Hahah wow I LOVED THIS despite raging at half of it (I am on the red shirt side of this discussion, fwiw). Because you countered all the arguments I disagreed with, I don’t have much to say except that this was delightful!
Claire Reads Books It’s fun for the whole family! Haha, glad you liked it, Claire. You may have been the person who initially turned me on to the book in the first place last year, so I’m happy you enjoyed it.
What I loved about this novel was all the time Batuman spent on the people she talked to (NOT including the boring cipher of the boyfriend.) When she traveled in the summer, I loved those segments. However, all the things I loved were essentially taken from her memoir that was much better, "Possessed: Adventures With Russian Books and the People Who Read Them." I read the memoir first, and so the novel and its inertia was maddening to me. Three stars. But five stars to this video.
an enthusiastic reader I didn’t know she wrote that memoir. That’s fascinating. I’m not sure if I find that better or worse LOL. Sounds like she just wrote about the same thing twice in a row. But I’m glad you liked the video, Sonya 😄
Really clever review! I finished the book today and loved it.
I liked your discussion of whether Selin has really learned anything by the end. Right now I'm thinking my interpretation is that
her realizing at the very end that she hasn't learned a thing is the very beginning of her process of piecing it all together and learning something from it. Otherwise I think it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for her to be telling us the story in the way she did, because it seems self-aware and aware of her actual shortcomings to an extent that she never was aware during the time period of the story itself. I mean, the way she talks about being at the village in Hungary felt like in hindsight she was starting to realize that she had been pretty self-absorbed and deserved to be seen by the locals as an idiot at the time. That's just my take though
Heh, I had mixed feelings on this one as well - I went back and forth between thinking it was completely hilarious and miserably tedious.
I take that as a positive though, because I expected to loath it - American literary fiction set at ivy league universities almost universally make me want to punch all of the main characters, so I definitely went in with low expectations. Although I had read and enjoyed Batuman's nonfiction writing, so maybe that's not completely true...🤷
I laughed when you said that at 36 years old you're too old for the 18-year-old Selin, because so much of the environment of the novel was tied to being 18 specifically in 1995. Maybe your problem is that you're too young! 😜
Remembered Reads I would much rather think I’m too young than too old so thanks! 😂
I think your "twitter timeline" analogy is the perfect encapsulation of how I felt. The book is filled with cool observations that kept me going but its wrapped in a painfully tedious "story".
I loved this style of video! Way to go!
This should be considered for a Pulitzer for the number of t-shirts alone! I'd pretty much forgotten about this book, but now I remember that I kind want to read it.
insert book pun here I would recommend it as long as you’re not someone who gets hung up on plot. If that doesn’t scare you, go for it. There’s lots to enjoy. Super smart, so funny (but so so dry).
@@RickMacDonnell plot?! Never heard of it
Hahaha this was so great. Half of you is going to hate this, but I'm going to need to buy the book now...
JessicaReadsThings The beauty of this video is that I can recommend and book and warn people about that same book at the same time. So I can’t be wrong, no matter your response 😄 But if you’re not hung up on plot, then for sure go for it. There’s a lot to love about it.
How did you film this? I need a behind-the-scenes...
Mostly, this video made me want to reread the book, my reaction to it was so personal, I need to see if it stands up. I have very little in common with Selin, I do not "relate" to her, but I had an intense but unrequited relationship, mostly conducted over email, at the same age and in the same year as Selin so reading it brought up a lot of stuff. I see what you mean about Harvard not being a factor, but to me the time is a huge factor, more important than the place. This is the Xennial novel of my dreams, basically 😊
I planned out what each “person” said in advance and then filmed each color in a row. I wasn’t bouncing back and forth haha. That would have been exhausting. Your read of the book was so personal, who cares what anyone else thinks. Sounds like you were the prime target for it. Which is always the best feeling.
I really loved this book. I really loved this video. 😂 well done
Brooke Mercer Thanks, Brooke! Glad you liked it (the book AND the video 😄)
This is so good!!!
Yay! Fun!
😂 I wish I had something interesting to say but just 😂
Cuppa Books I’ll take it 😁
I can answer this for you: It's good. Where did people start getting this idea that the quality of a book has something to do with how admirable the characters are? If you want an "epiphany" from The Idiot, here's one: college is a waste of time. There. Now you have a moral to the story. But if you've been to college, you should know that already.
I don't know but this book didn't make me laugh once. It just made me smile, but that's it! Not sure if I'm missing something
I think that’s literary fiction code for “funny”’ 😂 But I hear you. Sometimes funny maybe just means humorous or entertaining.
@@RickMacDonnell Thank you for your review btw! I was reading others' reviews and some said they were cackling- so that's why I think some of it flew over my head. :)
@@LS-lo8ks Oh I'm with you there. Cackling? Never.
Very entertaining 😄
Team blue from start to finish. Pretentious codswallop.
Haha, yes I did see the devastation you reaped on this book, Robert. It was hilarious, and brought a smile to the (at least) half of me that 100% agrees with you. So thanks for your review, it was entertaining as hell.
This reminds me of my feelings for Breaking & Entering by Joy Williams, which I read recently. I see its merits and why so many writers love Joy Williams but the story is about disaffected White middle class people in Florida. Although interestingly written, great prose does not save a story that is basically about the struggles of people who do not have struggles.
Danni Green I’ve tried to read Joy Williams on a few occasions and I have never taken to her. Not sure why. Just not for me I guess 🤷🏻♂️
Great review! Did not enjoy the book. Stopped reading a hundred pages in or so. Seemed like a waste of time.
Just sounds like the meandering escapades of privileged kids coming of age into lives of non-problems. Which, honestly, are all too common theme in commercial literary fiction, and shows the class of people most likely to find successful careers in writing. Very tired of all the “my challenging yuppie life” books on shelves, but that’s just the case because most successful authors come from yuppie backgrounds. Joe Q. Redneck or Robbie from Compton ain’t gonna get a big-payout publishing contract, and they’re sure as hell not getting sneezed at by the Pulitzer committee. Honest to god, this is a big reason I only read mainly indie lit anymore. It’s written by real people who’ve lived in the real world and frankly, if you can weed through the bad shit, the good shit is REALLY FUCKIN GOOD. As good if not better than anything the big name publishers are releasing.