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emilycheno's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2.5 (arbitrary and reductive) stars.
I lightly dabble in literary fiction. I am perfectly okay with a book with little to no plot and unlikeable characters. But this one just went over my head. The writing seemed so excessive (but maybe it was supposed to be subversive?) I don't know, I felt dumb and bored reading this though.
I loved TRUST EXERCISE by Choi, it made my top ten books of 2024 list. But MY EDUCATION never landed.
I lightly dabble in literary fiction. I am perfectly okay with a book with little to no plot and unlikeable characters. But this one just went over my head. The writing seemed so excessive (but maybe it was supposed to be subversive?) I don't know, I felt dumb and bored reading this though.
I loved TRUST EXERCISE by Choi, it made my top ten books of 2024 list. But MY EDUCATION never landed.
octosan's review against another edition
4.0
Good prose, easier to digest in audiobook format- ZAMN SHE HORNY
This is also reflected in the audiobook :))
This is also reflected in the audiobook :))
jennpellecchia's review against another edition
3.0
This was pretty exciting at first, but the characters kind of gave up and wore on me about halfway through. I'm sad about this. It's very tough to be feel down by a book. But, I mean, I'm pretty psyched that someone is repping the whole moving-to-Brooklyn-and-having-a-baby demographic, I guess.
Spoiler alert: The narrator is Jane Eyre until she's Newland Archer. These are not difficult references to spot, though.
Spoiler alert: The narrator is Jane Eyre until she's Newland Archer. These are not difficult references to spot, though.
katecraigtn's review against another edition
3.0
If I had the opportunity to tell the author one thing, it would be to use commas and and less complex sentences. It truly felt like the she was trying to hard, using a thesaurus for practically every word. I never quite pegged Regina's motivation, how she slept with both parties of a married couple at separate times. Though her "education" is clearly rooted in her growth in maturity, her ability to self-sacrifice. But even in the end, she still sleeps with Martha, while she is now married and expecting her second child, before she makes the selfless gesture to allow her best friend to be truly happy. I'm not sure Regina actually got an education, because her actions continue to hurt others, namely her husband and son when she sleeps Martha 14 years later.
andipants's review against another edition
2.0
This was a lot more capital-L-Literary than my usual fare, but even adjusting expectations for that, the ratio of navel-gazing to actual insight and character development was way too high here. Regina comes off as ridiculously thoughtless and self-centered, and no indication is given by the end of the book that she's grown or learned anything from her experiences. Nicholas is one-note and pathetic, and Martha comes off as short-sighted and manipulative. The most interesting character to me was Dutra, but he was treated more as a plot tool than a character, and never got any real depth.
And perhaps it's just a sign of the difference between the early 90s and today, but I was flabbergasted at how Regina could put forth seemingly no effort at succeeding in life and still end up as successful as she did — it made me wonder how much support she was getting from her never-mentioned parents, and just gave the distinct impression of a spoiled kid who's never had to work for much at all. It also irritated me that the major event sending her into a spiral of life-threatening alcoholism and depression was that her fling with a married woman didn't pan out into something permanent. Like, how delusional do you have to be? Get some real problems.
On a technical level, the writing was sometimes lovely, but often overwrought, and the entire last third of the book seemed pointless. There is no character growth to demonstrate, so we just get middle-aged people angsting about their younger lives and a clumsy 9/11 narrative tossed in for no apparent reason. Meh.
And perhaps it's just a sign of the difference between the early 90s and today, but I was flabbergasted at how Regina could put forth seemingly no effort at succeeding in life and still end up as successful as she did — it made me wonder how much support she was getting from her never-mentioned parents, and just gave the distinct impression of a spoiled kid who's never had to work for much at all. It also irritated me that the major event sending her into a spiral of life-threatening alcoholism and depression was that her fling with a married woman didn't pan out into something permanent. Like, how delusional do you have to be? Get some real problems.
On a technical level, the writing was sometimes lovely, but often overwrought, and the entire last third of the book seemed pointless. There is no character growth to demonstrate, so we just get middle-aged people angsting about their younger lives and a clumsy 9/11 narrative tossed in for no apparent reason. Meh.
cammgarrison's review against another edition
3.0
Too unorganized with where and when the setting was along with it being a little too wordy. Had a good storyline but I was a little confused on how the ending would look until the very end.
hellolua's review against another edition
2.0
I can't tell how I feel about this book. Most of the way through I really didn't like it, and then, by the end, I kind of really appreciated it. I have a feeling I'll be susceptible to others' opinions -- you could likely easily convince me to love or hate it.
sarahsecunda's review against another edition
4.0
4.5! ngl in the beginning I thought the prose was obnoxious and I was ready to say this was like any other coming-of-age book about sleeping with a professor/married person but wow did this grow on me!! gosh