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james1star's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Oh my goodness!!! Personally this book was phenomenal, I absolutely loved it! Another incredible novel by Sally Rooney.
I’ll start the review with my cons (if you can call them that because some are also pros) but my main irk I don’t think I’ll ever get over with reading Rooney is her lack of quotation marks - hun, isn’t it basic grammar?? Maybe not but I just get irritated about this - which is annoying and once again requires a lot of ‘she/he/they said/murmured/etc…’ which does get very repetitive as you’re reading and also at times you don’t exactly know which character is talking but for the most part it’s decipherable. Likewise, in beautiful world, Rooney somewhat mixes up the ‘correct’ way of presenting speech (as in using separated lines) with combining speech and narration in huge and I mean HUGE paragraphs carrying over page after page which is quite hard to get your head around.
Moving away from these to actual book content, I do feel that the sex elements are in some places overkill and this goes for other topics and definitely gets repetitive. Personally I would maybe prefer some parts to have been omitted as very similar. Additionally, this book is de-scrip-tive (say it with emphasis huns) and very very very (yep it calls for three ‘very’s) heavy/dense. I’ll get onto why I like this in a sec but I did find it hard to read in places and a bit tiresome where I felt I was forcing myself to read huge passages just to get on with the narrative but maybe not enjoying the process. Also unlike ‘normal people’ and more like ‘conversations with friends’ I don’t think I could read it all in one go (or at least enjoy doing so) because of the density. As previously mentions, some topics are discussed a bit too much especially religion with recurring conversations but it wasn’t off-putting.
Now to the good bits. These characters I did root for. That’s not to say they’re unproblematic and certainly do things that made me want to get inside the pages and shake/hit/yell at them but overall they’re ‘good’ people with a variety of struggles and strifes in their lives. A little bias but the queer additions I did like (around page 270-80 I was so near to giving up on the main relationships and going full on gay shipping… but alas, I didn’t) and these were nice to read. Following on, the characters all deal with many things and the book acknowledges a lot of topics including: religion, sex (oof a big one), mental health, suicidal thoughts, toxic relationships, employment, celebrity culture, socialist ideals and many more. Mentioning that last point I will add they way Rooney let’s the characters discuss communism/socialism/politics sorta themes is done the best in beautiful world - via letters between Alice and Eileen - and most natural I feel.
Another major theme is the idea of what is the meaning of life in essence and how we’re all searching for a beautiful world. Side note but the discussions on ‘what is beauty?’ and other similar topics is really lovely to read and very insightful and makes you think for sure. But main point again that has really stuck with me is how… it’s so hard to articulate what I’m thinking right now. But basically the characters are discussing how there’s many issues in the world and these are BIG global problems e.g. poverty, world hunger, climate change, political minefields and lots more. But then at the end of the day… or at the end of one’s life as mentioned in one of the emails, what we really cling to is our friends and family, who we love/loved/missed out on loving, those who’s lives we touched and in what ways, how they touched ours and all these ‘little’ relationships and events that seem so minimal or unimportant in the grand scheme of problems/discussions facing the world but then when we add up each individual’s lived experiences (or the human condition in a more philosophical outlook) they actually end up amounting to so much more. Think about it… if we combine every single person’s seemingly irrelevant experiences together they obviously add up to something huge. I don’t know but Yhh this ideology and discussions really stuck with me. How all of us in search of a beautiful world as a whole should maybe look more for beauty in our personal worlds which would then creates a ‘whole’ beautiful existence. I don’t know what I am trotting on about anymore but this book definitely make me think about this and the way the email exchanges go off on tangents and rambles is so so magical and ‘human’ if you like.
Another thing I did really like was the descriptive nature of this novel. Whilst it does get a bit too much in places, I do feel there is a reason for this. Rooney really makes us feel so connected to the characters and it’s hard to realise at the end of the day there’s a page between you and them because it’s written so descriptively that you can image them being real. More so then all her previous characters and previous conversations. Likewise, I sense this is a more mature book compared to her previous works due in part to some themes but also her growth as a writer. Also the characters are all in their thirties as opposed to early twenties so naturally there will be more complex characters in a way. And complex they are.
The layout of the book I also really loved where we follow a third person narration of what’s going on in one of the ‘couples’ lives (Alice and Felix OR Eileen and Simon) interjected by email correspondences between Alice and Eileen which is in the first person. I really and I mean really loved these emails so much. They just seemed so real and Yhh… perfection. This follows up until they all meet where we have some chapters just narrating the plot ending with two emails set in the ‘present’ during a Covid—19 lockdown. Some reviews don’t like this addition and feel it’s an unnecessary add-on but I actually loved it. Before the emails the characters are in a somewhat precarious but happy state and then this is confirmed at the end. For me it was the best ending of Rooney’s previous books - I wasn’t left annoyed for once and just genuinely happy I guess.
I could literally talk on and on and on about this book so I think I’ve covered all grounds I wanted to !?! But Yhh I would totes recommend - a clear 4.75 stars from me. Thank you Sally xx can’t wait for more
I’ll start the review with my cons (if you can call them that because some are also pros) but my main irk I don’t think I’ll ever get over with reading Rooney is her lack of quotation marks - hun, isn’t it basic grammar?? Maybe not but I just get irritated about this - which is annoying and once again requires a lot of ‘she/he/they said/murmured/etc…’ which does get very repetitive as you’re reading and also at times you don’t exactly know which character is talking but for the most part it’s decipherable. Likewise, in beautiful world, Rooney somewhat mixes up the ‘correct’ way of presenting speech (as in using separated lines) with combining speech and narration in huge and I mean HUGE paragraphs carrying over page after page which is quite hard to get your head around.
Moving away from these to actual book content, I do feel that the sex elements are in some places overkill and this goes for other topics and definitely gets repetitive. Personally I would maybe prefer some parts to have been omitted as very similar. Additionally, this book is de-scrip-tive (say it with emphasis huns) and very very very (yep it calls for three ‘very’s) heavy/dense. I’ll get onto why I like this in a sec but I did find it hard to read in places and a bit tiresome where I felt I was forcing myself to read huge passages just to get on with the narrative but maybe not enjoying the process. Also unlike ‘normal people’ and more like ‘conversations with friends’ I don’t think I could read it all in one go (or at least enjoy doing so) because of the density. As previously mentions, some topics are discussed a bit too much especially religion with recurring conversations but it wasn’t off-putting.
Now to the good bits. These characters I did root for. That’s not to say they’re unproblematic and certainly do things that made me want to get inside the pages and shake/hit/yell at them but overall they’re ‘good’ people with a variety of struggles and strifes in their lives. A little bias but the queer additions I did like (around page 270-80 I was so near to giving up on the main relationships and going full on gay shipping… but alas, I didn’t) and these were nice to read. Following on, the characters all deal with many things and the book acknowledges a lot of topics including: religion, sex (oof a big one), mental health, suicidal thoughts, toxic relationships, employment, celebrity culture, socialist ideals and many more. Mentioning that last point I will add they way Rooney let’s the characters discuss communism/socialism/politics sorta themes is done the best in beautiful world - via letters between Alice and Eileen - and most natural I feel.
Another major theme is the idea of what is the meaning of life in essence and how we’re all searching for a beautiful world. Side note but the discussions on ‘what is beauty?’ and other similar topics is really lovely to read and very insightful and makes you think for sure. But main point again that has really stuck with me is how… it’s so hard to articulate what I’m thinking right now. But basically the characters are discussing how there’s many issues in the world and these are BIG global problems e.g. poverty, world hunger, climate change, political minefields and lots more. But then at the end of the day… or at the end of one’s life as mentioned in one of the emails, what we really cling to is our friends and family, who we love/loved/missed out on loving, those who’s lives we touched and in what ways, how they touched ours and all these ‘little’ relationships and events that seem so minimal or unimportant in the grand scheme of problems/discussions facing the world but then when we add up each individual’s lived experiences (or the human condition in a more philosophical outlook) they actually end up amounting to so much more. Think about it… if we combine every single person’s seemingly irrelevant experiences together they obviously add up to something huge. I don’t know but Yhh this ideology and discussions really stuck with me. How all of us in search of a beautiful world as a whole should maybe look more for beauty in our personal worlds which would then creates a ‘whole’ beautiful existence. I don’t know what I am trotting on about anymore but this book definitely make me think about this and the way the email exchanges go off on tangents and rambles is so so magical and ‘human’ if you like.
Another thing I did really like was the descriptive nature of this novel. Whilst it does get a bit too much in places, I do feel there is a reason for this. Rooney really makes us feel so connected to the characters and it’s hard to realise at the end of the day there’s a page between you and them because it’s written so descriptively that you can image them being real. More so then all her previous characters and previous conversations. Likewise, I sense this is a more mature book compared to her previous works due in part to some themes but also her growth as a writer. Also the characters are all in their thirties as opposed to early twenties so naturally there will be more complex characters in a way. And complex they are.
The layout of the book I also really loved where we follow a third person narration of what’s going on in one of the ‘couples’ lives (Alice and Felix OR Eileen and Simon) interjected by email correspondences between Alice and Eileen which is in the first person. I really and I mean really loved these emails so much. They just seemed so real and Yhh… perfection. This follows up until they all meet where we have some chapters just narrating the plot ending with two emails set in the ‘present’ during a Covid—19 lockdown. Some reviews don’t like this addition and feel it’s an unnecessary add-on but I actually loved it. Before the emails the characters are in a somewhat precarious but happy state and then this is confirmed at the end. For me it was the best ending of Rooney’s previous books - I wasn’t left annoyed for once and just genuinely happy I guess.
I could literally talk on and on and on about this book so I think I’ve covered all grounds I wanted to !?! But Yhh I would totes recommend - a clear 4.75 stars from me. Thank you Sally xx can’t wait for more
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Classism, Drug use, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Infidelity
sorcha's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Addiction, and Alcohol
sambashua's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship
itsocchiolism's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
least favorite book I’ve ever read. the writing is so pretentious, and not it a fun way!! every single character is boring and unlikeable. I wanted to put it down and stop reading it about sixty pages in, but i figured since this is the first Sally Rooney book I’d picked up, that i should give her a fair shot and finish it, but wow the entire time i just wanted it to be over. There’s no real plot or character development, so what was the point? one and a half star bc there were like three quotes i didn’t hate
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, and Mental illness
lucykateburns's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
This novel follows the friendship between Alice and Eileen and their relationships with, respectively, Felix and Simon. The writing style is very accessible, although I have seen many critique it for the lack of formatted dialogue. I actually did not find this a problem, and found it very easy to follow who was speaking and found the dialogue itself very believable. I also commend the author's ability to create images, especially when describing her characters gestures and the sounds they hear.
The novel is very character focused and that is another reason I found it enjoyable. Rooney's characters are flawed and realistic, although at times they were quite pretentious. I did not really mind reading, and related to the contents of, the girls email exchanges regarding more philosophical questions (that said, some of them really did not hit for me), but the many interactions between Felix and Alice were difficult to read. I found myself rooting a lot more for Eileen and Simon.
I believe 20-somethings would enjoy this book, as it addresses a lot of the existential questions that are associated with truly coming into adulthood. It made me feel a bit better to hear some of the impotence the characters felt when considering global capitalism and when recognising their privilege. For that, and some other comments made on other topics, I did feel like I could be friends with them. I liked the overall sentiment that what matters most is human connection, and being concerned with those around us, and I am glad that this encompassed what I understand to be the three main types of relationships; family, friends and lovers.
There were some really funny and some really insightful moments, so I would recommend this as a fairly light read and it really is a nice delve into someone else's understanding of the modern world! I do not think this is the greatest literary production of our time, but I don't think it is aiming to be. It does not require much thought or analysis to appreciate in its entirety. Everything is laid out for the reader to easily consume, which is a merit to Rooney's writing and its clarity!
Trigger Warning
The novel contains a lot of sexual content, which borders on being pornographic. Although this is not in itself negative, some chapters could cause discomfort to readers trigger by sexual descriptions - especially when dealing with the problematic daddy/princess kink.
The novel is very character focused and that is another reason I found it enjoyable. Rooney's characters are flawed and realistic, although at times they were quite pretentious. I did not really mind reading, and related to the contents of, the girls email exchanges regarding more philosophical questions (that said, some of them really did not hit for me), but the many interactions between Felix and Alice were difficult to read. I found myself rooting a lot more for Eileen and Simon.
I believe 20-somethings would enjoy this book, as it addresses a lot of the existential questions that are associated with truly coming into adulthood. It made me feel a bit better to hear some of the impotence the characters felt when considering global capitalism and when recognising their privilege. For that, and some other comments made on other topics, I did feel like I could be friends with them. I liked the overall sentiment that what matters most is human connection, and being concerned with those around us, and I am glad that this encompassed what I understand to be the three main types of relationships; family, friends and lovers.
There were some really funny and some really insightful moments, so I would recommend this as a fairly light read and it really is a nice delve into someone else's understanding of the modern world! I do not think this is the greatest literary production of our time, but I don't think it is aiming to be. It does not require much thought or analysis to appreciate in its entirety. Everything is laid out for the reader to easily consume, which is a merit to Rooney's writing and its clarity!
Trigger Warning
The novel contains a lot of sexual content, which borders on being pornographic. Although this is not in itself negative, some chapters could cause discomfort to readers trigger by sexual descriptions - especially when dealing with the problematic daddy/princess kink.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Drug use, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Infidelity, Self harm, and Toxic friendship
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This novel really solidified my love for Sally Rooney’s books, and I can’t wait to finish off the trifecta by reading “conversation with friends.”
“Beautiful World, Where are You?” Follows Alice, Eileen, Felix, and Simon as they explore romantic and platonic relationships throughout adulthood. Alice is a novelist, Eileen works at a literary magazine, Felix is a warehouse employee, and Simons job was explained I just can’t remember:) Each character holds a unique and relatable viewpoint, offering commentary on class and current events with the use email as well as the author’s prose.
For myself, the connection between Alice and Rooney made the read so intriguing, since she is known for her privacy and lack of public announcements. While Alice is NOT a carbon copy of the writer, Rooney intertwined personal beliefs and characteristics within the novel, developing a more meaningful ambience
While this book is not for everyone, I would definitely recommend it for those who love literary fiction and/or character drivers novels.
“Beautiful World, Where are You?” Follows Alice, Eileen, Felix, and Simon as they explore romantic and platonic relationships throughout adulthood. Alice is a novelist, Eileen works at a literary magazine, Felix is a warehouse employee, and Simons job was explained I just can’t remember:) Each character holds a unique and relatable viewpoint, offering commentary on class and current events with the use email as well as the author’s prose.
For myself, the connection between Alice and Rooney made the read so intriguing, since she is known for her privacy and lack of public announcements. While Alice is NOT a carbon copy of the writer, Rooney intertwined personal beliefs and characteristics within the novel, developing a more meaningful ambience
While this book is not for everyone, I would definitely recommend it for those who love literary fiction and/or character drivers novels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Abortion
samvansam's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death of parent, Abortion, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
alexan007's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
alp_books's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
internationalreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Self harm, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Infidelity, Drug use, and Alcohol