Scan barcode
sydneythekydneybean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
People hate uncomfortability. I'll admit that I hate it. I turn my back on anything I know will make me overly sad, but I also recognize that that mindset will only keep me stagnant. Connell is uncomfortable at the idea of other people knowing about him and Marianne. Marianne is uncomfortable about Connell seeing all the bad parts she's hiding from him. But because of this, they make no progress. They stay stagnant in their uncomfortable relationship and only when they begin to leave their comfort zones do they truly grow. Honestly, the ending of Normal People is the most beautiful part of the whole book, if only for the fact that it is dripping in hope.
(before we finish up, may i present a mini rant. although i loved this book, i cannot, in good faith, give it five-stars solely based on how the dialogue is written. nothing feels more pretentious then writing dialogue in any way that's not with traditional quotation marks. you're not making it artsy, you're making it harder for me to read and decipher what is speech and what is action. anyway, i just needed to get that off my chest.)
Normal People crawled into my skin and made a home there, and I do not believe it will be leaving any time soon. I feel like there are any number of reasons I could have hated this book, but I didn’t. I actually kinda loved it. It's weird, it's awkward, it's depressing, but you might find yourself in the pages of that book and it might have you look back on every decision you've ever made for the sake of being comfortable.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Racism
bookishbrenbren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I don't think I've read such a captivating book in a long while. I was completely immersed in the inner workings of this tiny little polarized world. It was engrossing, I couldn't put it down and when I did, I kept thinking about it. I feel invested in these characters and I think the author did an incredible job of bringing them to life and capturing what life is like when you're a teen/new adult. Especially the internal life we live inside our own heads.
on the other hand I fully agree with almost all criticisms of it that I've read 😂 the book is pretentious bordering on delivering a campy teenage movie (he's 17, a soccer star but he's top of his class but he's incredibly shy but he also recommends The Communist Manifesto to peers) and the not-like-other-girls girl even gets a makeover but not before she's read Swann's Way by herself at lunch. 👀 ok. Then also the treatment of disordered eating, classism, abuse and masochism and some light racism-makes-the-bad-guy-bad could also have been better handled. and honestly like on a very literal level, I feel silly caring who Connell Waldron asks to high school prom. But isn't it a sign of a strong writer that she can make me care about something like that? Ugh idk I am so torn. The characters are slightly cliche but nobody can write internal thought like this. I just don't know, send help 🏳️ I can't deny the pull that this book had on me and the fact that it made me feel things. I am a Marianne loyalist and I feel like I genuinely know her. She came to life for me.
But idk I guess I also expected something more serious (but less self-serious?) than this 🫣 for all the hype and marketing it got
Graphic: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Racism, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
harper11's review against another edition
- 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
1.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Bullying, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Child abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Racism
withlivjones's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, Alcohol, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism
a_rash_read's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Alcohol, Grief, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Racism, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
libbylou1201's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Racism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts
tilly_jaques's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Suicide, Pregnancy, Racism, and Classism
Minor: Death, Alcohol, and Death of parent
packedjam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Sexual violence, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Eating disorder
Minor: Mass/school shootings, Suicide, Fatphobia, Vomit, Classism, Abortion, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Drug use, Blood, and Racism
maozeydong's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Bullying, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Racism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Classism, and Sexism
coolaboutit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Blood and Eating disorder
Minor: Racism