Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

1117 reviews

keiiiiiiii's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Sally Rooney had this way of writing intimate moments and realization in a matter-of-fact, that I surprisingly enjoy. Not a lot of writers can achieve that. I personally think its a form of internalization of how having someone effortlessly saying they love you and appreciate shouldn't feel so exclusive or something you have to grind for, and if you're a decent person then yeah, you should have at least one person who cares for you, simply because they care for you, not because you are sone characters in novel/film/TV. I think this kinda correlates with how connel doesn't feel that he deserved good things and marianne feeling that connel doesn't love her after all the years they spent together. 

The writing just can be inconsistent tho. Sometimes you're in the middle of something mundane then suddenly Rooney is ranting about some random politic shit that I don't care and I can't think how it reflects to the characters or the themes of the novel. And sometimes I just can't stand how the dialogue feels like the fantasy of white college-educated elites who scream on class or revolution without an ounce of self awareness, which makes sense considering Rooney was in a debate club and she studied in the irish ivy league's eviqualent. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Sexual harassment

eilisrowan's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence, Sexual violence, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Eating disorder, and Panic attacks/disorders

pau0704'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Really liked this book. It's very easy to read and very easy to follow the story. Characters are complex and really well developed. I really don't have much to say about this book except that I liked it a lot and the ending was not what I was expecting so I really liked that, always love when a book surprises me in a good way. 
Loved the writing style of the author. Now I get why this book is this famous. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Mental illness, Bullying, and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail

valeriedittrich's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-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

4.5

i still haven’t emotionally recovered from reading this it’s been like two years

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual assault

bookishbrenbren's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• 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

This review is going to sound silly but here goes

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 

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Content Warnings

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

One star because the only thing that pushed me through the trenches of this book was Rooney’s writing style. This book was completely and absolutely not for me, which is a shame considering the hype. 

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Content Warnings

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

emilycrowleyyy's review

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Mental illness

Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Death

Minor: Body shaming, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

andysanzz_'s review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

shopgirlmdw's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad

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

5.0

Heartbreaking and pensive

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

kkrebo's review against another edition

challenging 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

1.75

I can’t get over Sally Rooney’s writing style when it comes to dialogue and also just how unloveable she makes her characters. I feel like this book lowkey glorifies anorexia and glamorizes depression (but i could completely have a wrong take). 
Just wasn’t for me!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Death, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Grief, and Mental illness