Reviews with content warning for Rape - Normal People

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

81 reviews

gabttap's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-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

"it's funny the decisions you make because you like someone, he says, and then your whole life is different. i think we're at that weird age where life can change a lot from small decisions."

i was talking about this book with a friend a few days ago and i came to the conclusion that all the empty spaces left throughout the story made perfect sense for me. the empty spaces can be lack of depth, sure, but they were also what made me connect so much - i filled the emptiness with my own life and my own experiences. where connell and marianne's narrative ended, began my own, in between theirs.

it was a hard read and simultaneously not hard at all, and i could make sense of everything that'd bother if it had been written anywhere else - and by anyone else. it was hard to rate, too, but not giving it 5 stars would be unfair to how much it made me feel, think, relate.

normal people is truly unlike anything else, and i know i'll take connell and marianne with me for a really long time.

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sashanached's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-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

4.0

Content Warnings

flara's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-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

3.0

This book was captivating. I was invested in the main characters' love story. The novel was a great companion on long train rides, but... I don't know, certain aspects felt unnatural. Writing in the first chapter was a bit strenuous. I found the dialogue a bit odd and hard to believe. I suppose I got used to it and didn't pay much attention to it later, but still, there were these little things sprinkled all over the book that I just did not find believable, and somehow that bothered me. I wanted to smack the characters half the time, especially Connell, but that's a different issue. I think that 10 years ago I would have enjoyed this book immensely. I kind of wish it was around then, because I know exactly who would have benefitted from it. The novel touches on difficult topics such as suicide, loss of a friend, mental illness, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, rape, etc. I suppose that in most cases people get shielded from these in their early years and that's partially why becoming an adult and suddenly being exposed to the horrors of life is an uneasy transition. I think that someone in secondary education/starting university, who struggles to navigate the social hierarchy of early adulthood, will probably find this book insightful.

Content Warnings