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jorgeaelgueta's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
applethecompany's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
mercyonmayo's review against another edition
2.0
I really wish Rooney would take a break from writing middle-class white people experiencing middle-class white people problems.
hauntingcare's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars
« It’s still better to love something than nothing, better to love someone than no one, and I’m here, living in the world, not wishing for a moment that I wasn’t. Isn’t that in its own way a special gift, a blessing, something very important? »
« It’s still better to love something than nothing, better to love someone than no one, and I’m here, living in the world, not wishing for a moment that I wasn’t. Isn’t that in its own way a special gift, a blessing, something very important? »
orange_julius999's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.75
cosmito's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kntaylor1216's review against another edition
3.0
Oh the pains of friendship. Of being in your late twenties/early thirties. Of not knowing yourself. Of the stress and anxiety of the world ending. Of being overwhelmed at the beauty and pain of the things and people around you.
This was my first Sally Rooney. I don’t know that I’m terribly interested in more of her writing as she writes in a way that is very self-serving and very self-important. She comes across as quite pretentious.
I will say that the only people I truly cared about in this book were Eileen and Simon. Alice was quite miserable the whole was through, and even up to final chapters, did not show much, if any, growth. And even now, as I write this review, only one character shows any amount of growth.
While it’s not my favorite, Rooney does a great job of capturing the suffocating pain and paralyzing beauty of being alive in this world.
This was my first Sally Rooney. I don’t know that I’m terribly interested in more of her writing as she writes in a way that is very self-serving and very self-important. She comes across as quite pretentious.
I will say that the only people I truly cared about in this book were Eileen and Simon. Alice was quite miserable the whole was through, and even up to final chapters, did not show much, if any, growth. And even now, as I write this review, only one character shows any amount of growth.
While it’s not my favorite, Rooney does a great job of capturing the suffocating pain and paralyzing beauty of being alive in this world.
clairechum's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It took me a long time to get through because as I was warned is the case with Sally Rooney books, there was no actual plot. There is just the inner dialogue of the four main characters and a look at the conversations and relationships between them. All in all, it was pretty dull. (I still want to read Normal People though).
Literally all of the characters were annoying and not good people but I understand that Rooney's intention was to make them all ordinary and depressed. Near the end when Alice is talking about her depression, it actually reminded me of my own experience in high school but that was literally the only relatable moment of the book. Otherwise, Alice lets Felix walk all over her and Simon lets Eileen do the same to him and I got tired of reading basically the same thing over and over.
Just not worth your time.
Literally all of the characters were annoying and not good people but I understand that Rooney's intention was to make them all ordinary and depressed. Near the end when Alice is talking about her depression, it actually reminded me of my own experience in high school but that was literally the only relatable moment of the book. Otherwise, Alice lets Felix walk all over her and Simon lets Eileen do the same to him and I got tired of reading basically the same thing over and over.
Just not worth your time.