feb 1, 2026 If I were to sum up my reading experience on Agostino it would be these images: Even though I listened to the lecture video and the conversation video before reading the book, it could not prepare me for the contents I got hit with at 100km/h. I learnt from the videos that […]
Posted in Blogs, Moravia | Tagged with Agostino, Freud, Oedipus complex, patriarchy
Moravia/Agostino’s descriptions felt like both a blessing and a complete curse in this book. There were many beautiful descriptions of the sea and the town that painted a vivid picture, like the “rows of cabins painted in pastel colors”, the “crowded beach”, the “festive buzzing”, and the “sparkling sea…filled with bathers” (pg. 21). That being […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Belonging, depression, loneliness, Uncategorized
Hi again! One of the elements that stood out to me the most in Nada was its irony, which is seen from the title itself. Nada, which means ‘nothing’, truly captures the space between the expectations Andrea came to Barcelona with and the reality she lived, learning that what she envisioned was nothing like it. […]
Okay, so “Agostino” isn’t your typical vacation read. Sure, it’s set in Italy during the summer, but it’s way more than just tanning and sand. It kinda takes you on this interesting ride through the mind of a 13 year old kid who’s suddenly hit with the first few harsh realities of the adult world […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Uncategorized
Agostino was a short read, but one that leaves a lot to think about. I think it’s more than your usual coming-of-age story. It’s one of those reads where the writing coaxes you to keep going even though you’re lowkey really weirded out. It actually reminded me a lot of Proust, in the sense that […]
Posted in Blogs, Moravia | Tagged with Agostino, coming of age, innocence, Puberty, sexuality
I quite miss the days of reading a book and not worrying that the main character is going to perform some questionable acts in the name of being unhealthily attached or attracted to his mother. But alas, here we go again. I don’t think Agostino is meant to be a comfortable read, and I fear […]
Posted in Blogs, Moravia | Tagged with book-reviews
I actually quite liked this one despite how long it was. Though I can’t tell how much of the writing style is Laforet and how much is the translation, it’s by far my favourite so far (though the bar is low). I’m starting to think it may not be the texts that are the issue […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Uncategorized
Reading Agostino was a very unsettling but yet eye-opening about growing up too quickly, as Moravia shows adolescence not as an exciting transition, but something that I believe a lot of people can relate to which is confusing, and painful. Agosto’s relationship with his mother starts out as a very close one as they would […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Uncategorized
Wow, Nada was an interesting, interesting read. It follows the story of a young girl post Spanish civil war moving to attend university. Our protagonist Andrea moves in with her extended family who seems to have lost almost everything due to the war, given that they were quite well off before the war. I […]
Posted in Blogs, Laforet | Tagged with Uncategorized
I have no words. In starting this book, I did not expect the book to pan out in the way that it had. There are so many aspects of the book that sent shivers of disgust through my body, yet also evoked a sense of pity and understanding for Agostino’s coming of age. One instance is the mixed role of…
Posted in Blogs, Moravia | Tagged with coming of age, incest, LGBTQ, meh, pedophilia, sexuality, Shame
