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roisin_treacy's review against another edition
5.0
Not one to re-read books too often, but I was so utterly consumed by the tv series that I couldn’t resist coming back to this one. I loved it even more the second time round. Sally Rooney’s prose is intoxicating.
thepicklebug's review against another edition
4.0
In the beginning I really loved this book and I loved the authors writing. However, the last several chapters were lackluster and I found myself dragging my feet to finish it. The “will they won’t they” just continued on and on and on. I understand the premise, but the book honestly could’ve ended almost as quickly as it began, but instead it was dragged out for an unbearably long time. I’ll definitely be giving another one of her books a go because the writing itself is worthwhile. Beautifully descriptive, but not to the point that it’s overbearing.
This book also had a lot of depressive undertones and I always closed it feeling a little bit disassociated. It made me sad as a single hetero woman, looking at today’s dating world and made me wonder about several of my non-sexual relationships and how easy it is to weave in and out of friendships/family/romantic partners with almost no effort. That’s not to say this made the book any less worth the read, it’s only a warning to potential readers.
Although the ending chapters left me disappointed, I’m sitting at a solid 3.5 (rounding up to 4 because Goodreads doesn’t believe in half star ratings apparently) because the book had me thinking about my own life and others’ every time I picked it up. I was constantly thinking about it, even when I was avoiding to finish it. I’ll most likely be lulling this one around in my head for a while.
This book also had a lot of depressive undertones and I always closed it feeling a little bit disassociated. It made me sad as a single hetero woman, looking at today’s dating world and made me wonder about several of my non-sexual relationships and how easy it is to weave in and out of friendships/family/romantic partners with almost no effort. That’s not to say this made the book any less worth the read, it’s only a warning to potential readers.
Although the ending chapters left me disappointed, I’m sitting at a solid 3.5 (rounding up to 4 because Goodreads doesn’t believe in half star ratings apparently) because the book had me thinking about my own life and others’ every time I picked it up. I was constantly thinking about it, even when I was avoiding to finish it. I’ll most likely be lulling this one around in my head for a while.
gabsnow's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
adriennemcc's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
isidorara's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
naja_victoria's review against another edition
2.0
Hear me out: Maybe I just didn’t get it.
It seemed like a story of abuse to me. The main character jumping from relationship to relationship without any introspection on how to break an emotionally (and sometimes physically) abusive cycle? That ain’t it sis.
The writing itself was great - loved the diction. But for me there was just no storyline. I honesty love stories about nothing but this went a little to far into nothing. I REALLY wanted to love it but it fell flat.
It seemed like a story of abuse to me. The main character jumping from relationship to relationship without any introspection on how to break an emotionally (and sometimes physically) abusive cycle? That ain’t it sis.
The writing itself was great - loved the diction. But for me there was just no storyline. I honesty love stories about nothing but this went a little to far into nothing. I REALLY wanted to love it but it fell flat.
pixiedust_'s review against another edition
2.0
Rating: ★★✮☆☆ (2.5 stars)
While Normal People started off with promisingly simple yet intimate character insights, I found myself growing increasingly frustrated. Nothing particularly meaningful, significant, or plot-driven happened even a quarter of the way through. As a reader, I was left feeling confused as to what all the hype was about.
Rooney's distinctive writing style of omitting quotation marks also proved distracting for me. Without clear indicators of dialogue versus internal monologue, I struggled to discern when characters were actually conversing or had imagined exchanges playing out in their heads. This made following the interpersonal dynamics and emotional nuances more difficult than it needed to be.
By the 24% mark, my patience had worn thin, waiting for some semblance of a compelling storyline or memorable events to hook me in. As much as I wanted to understand the acclaim, the slow burn proved too slow for my tastes. Life is busy enough without slogging through minimal plot progression and analyzing sparse thoughts that left me feeling vaguely unfulfilled.
While Rooney is praised for her realistic portrayals of millennial angst and complex relationships, her work simply did not resonate with me on a personal level. Based on my experience with Normal People, I can confidently say I am not a "Sally Rooney girl," and I don’t feel compelled to further explore her catalog.
While Normal People started off with promisingly simple yet intimate character insights, I found myself growing increasingly frustrated. Nothing particularly meaningful, significant, or plot-driven happened even a quarter of the way through. As a reader, I was left feeling confused as to what all the hype was about.
Rooney's distinctive writing style of omitting quotation marks also proved distracting for me. Without clear indicators of dialogue versus internal monologue, I struggled to discern when characters were actually conversing or had imagined exchanges playing out in their heads. This made following the interpersonal dynamics and emotional nuances more difficult than it needed to be.
By the 24% mark, my patience had worn thin, waiting for some semblance of a compelling storyline or memorable events to hook me in. As much as I wanted to understand the acclaim, the slow burn proved too slow for my tastes. Life is busy enough without slogging through minimal plot progression and analyzing sparse thoughts that left me feeling vaguely unfulfilled.
While Rooney is praised for her realistic portrayals of millennial angst and complex relationships, her work simply did not resonate with me on a personal level. Based on my experience with Normal People, I can confidently say I am not a "Sally Rooney girl," and I don’t feel compelled to further explore her catalog.
isaskrukrud's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ok so pros
- i really like the style of writing! im a sucker for 3rd person so i like this
- i like watching their growth in college and how it changes them (good and bad)
- i also enjoy the way a lot of it is told past tense, it keeps me engaged
- i really enjoyed some of the commentary on the class differences in the relationship between connell and marianne, and how that was explored.
cons…
- i don’t care about either of them, like im trying but to me they are so boring, like i wish there was more to their trauma other then that it’s something they bond over but yknow is what it is
- i said i liked how it’s told in these flashbacks when they meet again, but i feel like its used too much, which makes it lose its function in the story, i would like to see more happening in the now
- the only plot is them, which like i get, the story is their relationship but i don’t feel like it’s interesting enough for me, i wish their was a little something more propelling the story to give them SOMETHING
overall i don’t think this book is bad, i get where it was going, i just felt the book thought it was smarter than it was, ut had some nuggets i really enjoyed but not enough to give it 4 stars.
- i really like the style of writing! im a sucker for 3rd person so i like this
- i like watching their growth in college and how it changes them (good and bad)
- i also enjoy the way a lot of it is told past tense, it keeps me engaged
- i really enjoyed some of the commentary on the class differences in the relationship between connell and marianne, and how that was explored.
cons…
- i don’t care about either of them, like im trying but to me they are so boring, like i wish there was more to their trauma other then that it’s something they bond over but yknow is what it is
- i said i liked how it’s told in these flashbacks when they meet again, but i feel like its used too much, which makes it lose its function in the story, i would like to see more happening in the now
- the only plot is them, which like i get, the story is their relationship but i don’t feel like it’s interesting enough for me, i wish their was a little something more propelling the story to give them SOMETHING
overall i don’t think this book is bad, i get where it was going, i just felt the book thought it was smarter than it was, ut had some nuggets i really enjoyed but not enough to give it 4 stars.
friendlyneighborhood_psycho's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0