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they_planet'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? Yes
3.0
I hated every character except Lorraine, and every situation they got into felt worse for them, and for me as a reader.
I will never touch this book again, but I don't really regret reading it, if only to feel better about my own life.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Mental illness
Moderate: Domestic abuse
iamaprettyflower'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? Yes
3.75
Also, Sally Rooney not using speech marks was an artistic choice that took a while to get used to?
Overall, I really wanted this book to be amazing as I've heard so many good things, but it just didn't hit the spot. I wanted to see the characters emotional intelligence grow, but it never happened.
Minor: Gaslighting, Vomit, Alcohol, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Blood, Death, Bullying, Classism, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Violence
abidoodle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Honestly I took it in more as a social commentary on those things than as the story itself, and I found those inner-dialogues and how we got to see them interact with each other in ways that characters didn’t really fascinating. As a work of literature that is moving and deep and thoughtful, it’s wonderful. I personally didn’t really get into the story itself much, and found it difficult to get through at times, if I wasn’t reading a lot at a time. Also I personally just really struggle with the no-quotations style, although that is just a personal preference. Overall it’s an impactful read and I would recommend.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Suicide
readay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
sat0rii's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Bullying, Cursing, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Minor: Pregnancy
emilyvictoria_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Blood
katelyn_stark's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Classism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Toxic friendship, Bullying, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, Infidelity, and Death of parent
melinette7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
kelseynj'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? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
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