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k8shm8's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
elwood's review against another edition
5.0
A book about someone who, from the outside, seems like a complete emotionless bitch but who is actually super sensitive to everything going on around them? Sign me up.
Sally, how can you make a relatively uneventful plot so freaking enveloping? HOW?
Obviously, I loved this book. I love how Sally’s books finish with so many unanswered questions and so many untied ends. Because that’s life, isn’t it? There is no such thing as that one moment when absolutely everything makes sense, when all the puzzle pieces fit together and all the questions you’re asking yourself are finally answered. There will always be something left unsaid, big or small. There is always unanswered questions, stories left unfinished. Sally has an immense talent for capturing that part of the human condition in her stories. This may not be the most entertaining read, but it’s realities and complexities make it so unbelievably relatable. And I think that’s what you need to take away from this book.
Will defs want to reread it, which is why this baby has 5⭐️.
Sally, how can you make a relatively uneventful plot so freaking enveloping? HOW?
Obviously, I loved this book. I love how Sally’s books finish with so many unanswered questions and so many untied ends. Because that’s life, isn’t it? There is no such thing as that one moment when absolutely everything makes sense, when all the puzzle pieces fit together and all the questions you’re asking yourself are finally answered. There will always be something left unsaid, big or small. There is always unanswered questions, stories left unfinished. Sally has an immense talent for capturing that part of the human condition in her stories. This may not be the most entertaining read, but it’s realities and complexities make it so unbelievably relatable. And I think that’s what you need to take away from this book.
Will defs want to reread it, which is why this baby has 5⭐️.
seisha's review against another edition
5.0
With Conversations with Friends, Sally Rooney has accomplished a small miracle - I'd never expected to give a five star rating to a book classified as literary fiction.
Even though the novel is fantastic in some sense, the realism of the characters makes it truly come to life. Their relationships are woven together in a complex tapestry, in which the boundaries between friends and more-than-friends blur. Modern ideas on matrimony and polyamory solidify in a story where relationships are not defined, where marriage is considered a declining bourgeois institution in our age of 'late capitalism', and where extramarital affairs are not vilified but instead subjected to a scrutinous curiosity.
Despite the subject matter, the author always remains in control and steers the story with clarity, without judgment or a restrictive moral lens. I highly recommend it.
Even though the novel is fantastic in some sense, the realism of the characters makes it truly come to life. Their relationships are woven together in a complex tapestry, in which the boundaries between friends and more-than-friends blur. Modern ideas on matrimony and polyamory solidify in a story where relationships are not defined, where marriage is considered a declining bourgeois institution in our age of 'late capitalism', and where extramarital affairs are not vilified but instead subjected to a scrutinous curiosity.
Despite the subject matter, the author always remains in control and steers the story with clarity, without judgment or a restrictive moral lens. I highly recommend it.
kseniiatttol's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity
libbyjo8's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
etiennevdgraaf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
ashleyclairetaylor's review against another edition
4.0
The characters have some insane dynamics going on. But Sally’s writing was so beautiful. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this book if it was written by anyone else
beefsprout's review against another edition
3.0
i know the point of the book is that they’re unlikable, but there equally is no progression of the situation either.
if shitty people do shitty things at the beginning of the book and it ends with them still being shitty people doing shitty things, then what were the three hundred pages for?
don’t get it twisted i still love sally rooney, but this isn’t my favourite of hers
if shitty people do shitty things at the beginning of the book and it ends with them still being shitty people doing shitty things, then what were the three hundred pages for?
don’t get it twisted i still love sally rooney, but this isn’t my favourite of hers
dnietoperafan's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t explain how much this book made me feel. Frances was such a relatable character for me. Her way of thinking, what she felt in certain situations; it just made me feel so close to her. This book made me cry more than once. It was just such an intense experience (as corny as that sounds). I just loved it.
Some characters aren’t likeable, but I think that depends on what your personality is like. So this is either a book you love or hate, there’s no in between. I’m very interested in other Rooney books, she certainly gained a spot in one of my favourite writers.
Some characters aren’t likeable, but I think that depends on what your personality is like. So this is either a book you love or hate, there’s no in between. I’m very interested in other Rooney books, she certainly gained a spot in one of my favourite writers.
logolepsy_e's review against another edition
3.0
Frances e Bobbi, Melissa e Nick. Tutto origina dall'incontro di queste due coppie, ognuna disfuzionale a modo suo.
Frances e Bobbi sono migliori amiche, recitano spoken poetry insieme, anni prima sono state insieme e ora hanno un rapporto un po' particolare. Melissa e Nick sono una coppia di adulti particolare, lui un attore di modesto successo, bello ed equilibrato, lei una fotografa e scrittrice un po' isterica e fredda nei confronti del marito.
L'incontro tra queste due coppie scatenerà perturbamenti nell'equilibrio delle vite dei protagonisti, regalandoci le vicende e le riflessioni contenute in questo romanzo.
Di Parlarne tra amici si è parlato tanto, è stato un caso letterario e ha lanciato l'autrice nell'Olimpo delle giovani scrittrici promettenti.
Parliamo di un romanzo intenso, scritto da una voce fresca e molto lucida, piuttosto rappresentativa della sua generazione.
Non c'è molto che io possa dire su questo romanzo che non sia già stato detto in mille modi.
Mi limiterò a notare che la scrittura della Rooney mi piace, ma che questo romanzo non mi ha fatto impazzire, per un motivo ben preciso: io ho iniziato a conoscerla con Persone Normali, che mi è piaciuto molto di più. E il punto è che Parlarne, letto a posteriori, mi è sembrato praticamente una bozza del suo secondo romanzo, diciamo un prototipo. I personaggi sono simili, nei due romanzi ritroviamo molti trope che si somigliano (il college, gli studi umanistici, i personaggi scrittori, la villa in Francia) e tematiche ripetute, come la questione di classe, l'incominucabilità, i rapporti complessi, accenni al femminismo, lo snobismo di alcuni dei personaggi.
Il punto è che in Persone Normali è tutto confezionato meglio, di conseguenza questo primo romanzo mi ha colpito un po' di meno.
Frances e Bobbi sono migliori amiche, recitano spoken poetry insieme, anni prima sono state insieme e ora hanno un rapporto un po' particolare. Melissa e Nick sono una coppia di adulti particolare, lui un attore di modesto successo, bello ed equilibrato, lei una fotografa e scrittrice un po' isterica e fredda nei confronti del marito.
L'incontro tra queste due coppie scatenerà perturbamenti nell'equilibrio delle vite dei protagonisti, regalandoci le vicende e le riflessioni contenute in questo romanzo.
Di Parlarne tra amici si è parlato tanto, è stato un caso letterario e ha lanciato l'autrice nell'Olimpo delle giovani scrittrici promettenti.
Parliamo di un romanzo intenso, scritto da una voce fresca e molto lucida, piuttosto rappresentativa della sua generazione.
Non c'è molto che io possa dire su questo romanzo che non sia già stato detto in mille modi.
Mi limiterò a notare che la scrittura della Rooney mi piace, ma che questo romanzo non mi ha fatto impazzire, per un motivo ben preciso: io ho iniziato a conoscerla con Persone Normali, che mi è piaciuto molto di più. E il punto è che Parlarne, letto a posteriori, mi è sembrato praticamente una bozza del suo secondo romanzo, diciamo un prototipo. I personaggi sono simili, nei due romanzi ritroviamo molti trope che si somigliano (il college, gli studi umanistici, i personaggi scrittori, la villa in Francia) e tematiche ripetute, come la questione di classe, l'incominucabilità, i rapporti complessi, accenni al femminismo, lo snobismo di alcuni dei personaggi.
Il punto è che in Persone Normali è tutto confezionato meglio, di conseguenza questo primo romanzo mi ha colpito un po' di meno.