Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Normal People

These people are literally, as I'm sure others have said, so normal. I don't mean that derogatorily. I really enjoyed the book. I like slice of life even though I don't read or watch it as much as I should. Not as much attention is put into this genre even though it's just as important as any other.

My only issues are with the way it was written. That's more of a personal thing though. I find dialogue to be the most important part of a piece of media involving two or more people and in this book there are no quotation marks. The writing is very, very good, so the issue was when it flipped from being internal and external. Although I'm sure that was intentional. My other issue is I didn't like how their stories went. But that's another personal thing! If only they knew how to just talk to each other! Even still I think they're the kind of people who will get married in the future whether or not they work on themselves. They're it for each other. I like that, but I wish they were healthier!

Content Warnings

leligavi's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

Wow, this was a tough book. I don't think I was in the best head space to receive it, so learn from me...look at content warnings before reading. I found the two main characters infuriating and lovable all at the same time. I wanted them so badly to be together but also to never interact with each other again and to be better for it. This book made me feel a lot of conflicting emotions for sure. Because of that, it received a really good rating from me. However, even though I rated it so high, I don't necessarily think I liked it. It isn't a book I would have read on normal circumstances, and the content isn't something that is particularly enjoyable...but I think if a book can make me feel what this book did...it's worth the high rating.
But SERIOUSLY LOOK AT CONTENT WARNINGS and think about what head space you're in before reading.

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paulaks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

Something that came to my mind while reading, was that this book (the way it´s written and curated) gives me major: artsy depressed feministic not like other girls traumatised literature student vibes. I do not know if this makes sense at all but in my head it does. Now decide by your reaction if you´re intrigued or annoyed. Now to my thoughts:

This book is A LOT while being quite uneventful. Being character driven, it follows 2 characters over 4 years. Documenting my life for that long would be the most boring piece of literature but Connell and Marianne are SO complicated and traumatized. That has to be my first warning: The amount of triggers that are passively talked about is worrying. Please check those before reading (I tried to list some). Overall the reading experience was quite intense. Since there are no quotation marks, the thoughts, storytelling and conversations blend in together which can be confusing but makes for a really intriguing experience. The writing style was 10/10 so no need to continue on that.

Honestly, you can categorize the people that read this novel by their rating into two groups: The group that didn´t build a connection, were annoyed or angry or aren´t empathetic (= ratings lower than 2.5). And the ones who identified themselves with character traits or are just really empathetic (= rating 2.5+). Just a little thesis of mine, don´t take it to seriously. But what you should take serious is the fact that if you can´t build any connection with one of the MCs by the 50% mark, there is little to no point in reading this. I was quite invested so here´s my experience: Their decision-making had me on my toes, even tho the way they continued making wrong choices was exhausting. But it´s definitely interesting how trauma can shape a human being. This aspect shocked me a few times and made me question my own behaviour.

Lastly, the title choice is well done. Who is normal? Are we normal people? Do we want to be normal people? At least I was trying to answer that question.

My rating right now would be a 4 star. The potential was there and maybe I´m the problem but sometimes there were illogical moments and situations that made me uncomfortable (most of the time with Marianne). As you can guess by my long review, this is a great book for a group discussion but be aware that this would reveal a lot of personal stuff since Normal people is an intimate story.

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breeinreadingland's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

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clazbee's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I’ll be honest: I only read this book as it was part of my required reading. It’s not the sort of book I typically seek out, so perhaps I’m being overly harsh on it. However, this book was boring. The prose is simple, the lack of speech markers infuriating, and the plot revolves entirely around a lack of communication between the characters which I personally cannot stand. The few plot points that could be interesting- both Marianne and Connell seeming to lie on the ace spectrum, the introduction of BDSM, eating disorders- are all superficial and lack any real depth. Equating BDSM to being abused as a child/feeling worthless just feels cheap and harmful without any surrounding discussion. The only issue handled remotely well is that of mental illness, but even that just… happens. Everything in this novel simply is. And then it ends.

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brandie_abbie19's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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andriaspyrou's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense 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

One of the few books that actually made me feel things. I was able to relate to both characters in some ways so this made it feel extra special. The miscommunication between Marianne and Connell had me screaming at the book. Many of their problems and eventual arguments could be resolved by just communicating better. There’s so much depth in these two characters. You have to understand their past, their trauma, their way of thinking in order to get why they do things the way they do. Marianne and Connell in my eyes are two soulmates that never found a way to be with one another. They will always be in each other’s lives, but maybe not as romantic partners and that’s the beauty of this book. Two people who just can’t escape each other. The ending was so frustrating, not getting a clear answer as to what happens next but leaving it up to the reader’s interpretation. Do they or do they not stay together? Do they follow the same cycle again of staying apart and then coming back together after realizing that nothing compares to what they have?
I watched the tv show immediately after reading the book and it didn’t disappoint either.

Content Warnings

heather077's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

3.25

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