Admission

Admission, by Jean Hanff Korelitz, centers on the life and struggles of an admissions officer at Princeton University. The fact that the author was a part-time reader for Princeton’s Office of Admission is a bonus, lending authenticity to an environment that already feels very real and totally convincing. But the book is not just about the university admissions process. There are other admissions—admitting people into your life, admitting secrets to yourself and others, admitting who you are and who you have been, admitting your hopes and failures—and all of these are addressed in Korelitz’s novel.

Thirty-year-old Portia Nathan is driving around the countryside visiting schools, explaining the admissions process, and encouraging show more students to apply. She finally comes to a new experimental school about to matriculate its first senior class, and finds herself oddly drawn to one of the teachers. The students are fascinating and delightfully different, leading the reader to share in Portia’s interest. And the teacher is a well-drawn character with secrets and mysteries of his own.

Portia considers herself totally different from the mother who raised her, a radical single Mom who always gave Portia too much information and too much encouraging direction. But, like her mother, Portia characterizes herself by the people, in her case prospective students, that she helps, and fails to help herself.

Arguments about the admissions process in England and the US, discussions of fairness and how it applies to something so subjective, philosophical side-issues, embarrassing missteps and cues overlooked, the trials and moral dilemmas of old and young, all bring depth and fascination to the book. Meanwhile the reader begins to guess the secret in Portia’s past, and Portia slowly loses the ability to hide.

Portia’s emotions, arguments, reactions and pain are all so beautifully portrayed that I couldn’t put this book down. Even as I guessed and thought “Surely not,” I knew the explanation would make perfect sense. The author keeps the surprises and revelations flowing right to the final page, cleverly leaving practical details to the imagination while emotional ones are fully admitted and confirmed. Admission is a truly satisfying, eye-opening read, a powerful surprising story filled with real characters, believable (sometimes tragic, sometimes hilarious) quotes from imaginary college entrance essays, and fascinating explanation of the “other side” to the admissions process. Highly recommended. show less

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book to read. The author has a very engaging writing style and tells a story that I found riveting. (I now want to check her other books. The other plots don’t look as interesting to me, but she’s such a good writer I might try another of her books.)

The characters are likeable and understandable and authentic seeming people. One third the way through the book I could see a million miles away what was coming, but that did not at all diminish the pleasure I got while reading it. I thought that I wouldn’t be as interested in the latter (flashback) parts as much as the first and last parts of the book, but I was surprised to find that I liked each part equally well.

I loved how each chapter started with show more an excerpt from a Princeton University application essay, and even the chapter names are delightful.

This story is very topical and modern now; I’m not sure if it will be a classic because of this, but I don’t think it’s precluded from having a lasting attraction for readers. I really felt for those young people who are now in high school and attempting to get accepted at universities or colleges.

This book is about a Princeton admissions officer who’d attended Dartmouth and first worked at the Dartmouth admissions office. This author appears to know about what she writes: She attended Dartmouth, her husband is a professor at Princeton, and she was a part time admissions reader at Princeton during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

I had so much fun reading this and I’d love to know what happens next, which is both frustrating and a testament to this well told story and its interesting characters. What’s peculiar is that the style and story were so engaging, and I found it amusing in a way a comedy would be, but it’s not a comedy, but there’s enough humor in it that I found a lot of it funny; I probably found humor in places where it didn’t actually exist, but I certainly also recognized the parts that were more serious too.

I couldn’t give it five stars in part because the ending wasn’t quite as satisfying as the rest of the book, although perhaps it went about as well as it could have been written. I do admit I can’t come up with an alternative ending that would be both more valid and fulfilling.

I also have to aknowledge that I was slightly bothered at mentions made throughout the book of vegan foods and of vegan people that in all but one instance are not flattering. The food and off page characters that are vegan are portrayed with some disdain. I can’t decide whether or not to be happy that anything vegan is mentioned at all given that it’s unusual to have the word vegan appear in novels.

Addendum: I just realized: I really want a sequel! I see some really interesting possibilities! show less

I liked this book and read it very quickly. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen to Portia at the end of the story. Even though I guessed the secret, I still thought this was a fun read. Since the main character worked in the admissions office of Princeton University, we also got to peek into that world and consider what goes on behind the scenes before one gets either an acceptance or deny from a college or university. The only reason I didn't give it more stars was that I thought it was a little long ... seemed a bit repetitious at times and I kept wishing the author had wrapped it up a bit sooner.

Admission is a fascinating read. I really had no clue what the Ivy League admission process entailed--as I went to a state university. Portia's tale is highly compelling--even though she is not at all a likable character. She is highly neurotic and one has trouble understanding why she makes the choices that she makes. Portia spends much of the book locked off from everyone around her. The book examines her relationship to two lovers, her mother, her mother's ward, and the institution with which she works. The book carefully unfolds, revealing Portia's very shocking secret and why she is the way that she is. I highly recommend this book--it is a somewhat long book, but worth it in the end. My only nitpick would be that I don't really show more understand why John finds her such a compelling character. show less

Admission is the story of Portia, a Princeton admissions officer, who struggles daily with the responsibility of deciding who will be allowed to attend Princeton and who will not. She is utterly wrapped up in her applicants, elated for the underprivileged who she knows will thrive at the school, and heartbroken for the legacy kids who won't make it. She is passionate about the selection process, vehemently defending it to angry parents and even to her own cynical mother. All of this presents a unique and interesting view into the college application and acceptance process with many well researched details. It is not until well into the book that we begin to learn that Portia's focus and passion for her job are covering up some dark show more secrets from her past.

I really enjoyed this book! The unusual setting and plot device held my attention and drew me into a world I had not even contemplated before. I could have done with one or two fewer rants about how extremely difficult it is to say no to qualified applicants, but the interesting, likeable characters and beautiful ending made it all worthwhile. show less

What a great book! I went into this with some trepidation - it's 450 pages long and I have a 10-month-old. But the mounting urgency of the plot, and the protagonist's secret, which is gradually revealed, pulled me in with increasing force. I've always been interested in college admissions, and would even like to be an admissions officer someday, and Korelitz's insider description of this world is fascinating. The emotional portrait of the protagonist is equally compelling.

Korelitz's protagonist, Portia Nathan, is a reserved, intelligent, careful woman who reveals herself to the reader piece by piece. She's a Dartmouth graduate who works for the Princeton admissions office, and takes a lot of flak for it - mostly from angry parents who show more think getting in should be easier than it is. What no one knows about her is that she's kept a secret, from everyone, for years.

This is a restrained but deeply moving book, and intellectually stimulating as well. I look forward to more from Korelitz. show less

"Admissions. Admission. Aren't there two sides to the word? And two opposing sides...It's what we let in, but it's also what we let out."

"For years, 38-year-old Portia Nathan has avoided the past, hiding behind her busy (and sometimes punishing) career as a Princeton University admissions officer and her dependable domestic life. Her reluctance to confront the truth is suddenly overwhelmed by the resurfacing of a life-altering decision, and Portia is faced with an extraordinary test. Just as thousands of the nation's brightest students await her decision regarding their academic admission, so too must Portia decide whether to make her own ultimate admission."

It wasn’t until after setting aside this review, and re-reading the above, show more that I see more than what I did immediately after finishing this book.

Portia does indeed have a decision to make – actually several. As the first quote shows, there are many kinds of “admissions”. Those that allow and those that acknowledge. The speaker indicates these definitions are on opposing sides; however I would add that they are so closely related, they are actually two sides of the same coin.

Admission is about Portia Nathan facing both “sides to the word”. In doing so, she puts into motion events that will not only change her life, but other's lives as well.

The author sets up her character beautifully, giving the reader a glimpse of the woman beneath the exterior she shows to others.

This passage is Portia ruminating on an applicant to Princeton:

"And this last, from a girl in Greenwich, Connecticut, who was smart enough to know that she wasn’t smart enough, only just very, very smart, and wrote with preemptive defeat about her hospital internship and the inspiration of her older brother, who had survived childhood cancer to attend law school. Smart enough to know about, or at least imagine, the ones she would be compared with, who had been handed so much less than she, and done so much more with what they had, while the children of privilege were penalized for having been fortunately born, comfortably raised, and excellent in all of the ordinary ways. Sometimes those were the ones who got to Portia most of all."

And as we get deeper into the book, we also get deeper into the character:

"Surely they never felt about themselves the way Portia felt about herself: addled by insecurities, endlessly halted by doubt."

A good story has a character you can identify with in some way, it gets you to care about him or her so that you want to go all the way to the end to find out what happens. You so so because you want to know what decisions do they make? Are they the right ones? Have I done the same? Would I do the same? Is anything we have done set in stone and unchangeable?

This is what kept me going as this book is a bit on the thick side. Not a detraction as Korelitz did a good job at keeping the narrative smooth and flowing. In fact I’m hard pressed to find anything negative about this novel.

I enjoyed her style: not too contemporary, nor too formal. I did guess the “secret” in her past; but this story isn’t about the secret as much as it is how Portia handles it resurfacing.

Admission is a book I highly recommend and will keep, knowing that I will re-read it someday. I’m not sure I would ever loan it out. That, more than anything, is why I am giving this 5 Stars. show less