Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

753 reviews

readingqueerly's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

A few things this book needs: content/trigger warnings, a character sheet, and actual normal people. 
I'm sorry but I could not stand the main characters. Especially in the first part during secondary school, that was the hardest to get through. They are supposedly 'normal people' , yet they are so unhinged and for me their interactions were so hard to follow. The lack of punctuation wasn't the problem, it was the actual content of the interactions that just to me didn't make sense at times. I feel like I'm missing something? 
I think I'm still glad I read it, but it was very much a let down and was really not for me. Those main characters being the way they are in what is basically a character study of a book was just not it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Sexual violence

Moderate: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

Minor: Suicide attempt

zeynepsiir's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.0

I had watched the TV show and really enjoyed it, so I figured I’d read the book. When it comes to TV/movie adaptations, I generally think the book is way better; sadly not this time. The book felt very flat in comparison, the writing was quite weird at times (a character was randomly likened to a Labrador(?) at one point). Some plot points also felt very random and like they didn’t have the proper grounding in the story. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Blood, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence

jovanh's review against another edition

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

2.5

Supremely dissatisfying. Character driven story in which I can't tell if the characters grow or not. They're messily realistic, so I guess there's that.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Racism

komiification's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

5.0

Completely devastating how people can love each other so much yet can continue to hurt each other. Can never really talk to each other. Alongside this theme, as well as other points relating to genocide (which is still, upsettingly, relevant to today), and the way people now engage with literature without this political edge, this is, easily a modern classic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Suicide

Moderate: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Abortion, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Xenophobia, and War

mooncraftbujo's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.0

Do not get the hype at all. I like the reflection on toxic relationships but there is not a single character in this story that I liked or felt an emotional connection to, and I fully got the ick from none if the dialogue being in quotation marks. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Xenophobia, Violence, War, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

jayekayh's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence and Emotional abuse

dazzlingreader_'s review against another edition

emotional 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

3.75

This book is good, but it didn't talk to me as much as i thought it would. In my mind the characters are well written but they are and feel so real you might think of bad of them just from their decisions.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, and Grief

Minor: Classism

julianfromme's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

i was pleasantly surprised that this was more depressing than i expected it to be. marianne and connell are both literally me, just on different days

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse and Sexual violence

soul_of_books's review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted 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

3.75

I couldn‘t connect with the protagonists, but I really love Rooney‘s writing style and her way of telling a story

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, and Mental illness

minniepauline's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse