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stupidforcupid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Grief, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Eating disorder and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Fatphobia, Abortion, and Pregnancy
leoniefnk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Vomit, and Gaslighting
fantabuleuxse'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
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, and Panic attacks/disorders
decie'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
2.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, Suicide, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent
chaoticweevil's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Racism, and War
james1star's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
After enjoying Rooney’s previous work ‘Conversations With Friends’, my friend said I might not like Normal People as most people apparently don’t like them both and I am so thankful for this revelation. Because I LOVED IT. My expectations were blown away. This book is just so well written with the two main characters - albeit flawed - being very likeable and you do really want what’s best for them… hint it’s for them to be together. The writing style is amazing, vivid depictions of believable situations and so relatable. As a 22 year old, I can totally see the same themes in everyday life and particularly taking the point that we really shouldn’t care/worry about what other people think of us - especially in school - because it means we don’t do what we really wanted to, we miss out, it affects our lives in possibly profound ways.
The book draws on many topics like classism, (toxic) relationships, mental health, sex, and more. I specifically liked how Rooney takes a refreshing approach by swapping the usual experiences for the male and female characters. Connell is shown to deal with mental health, his emotions and feelings are thoroughly explored, he is shown to care deeply about what people are thinking about him, his class and upbringing is discussed, struggles with toxic masculinity and male suicide, adult-minor relationships and sexual assault on men, and yes this is handled extremely well. Additionally, the sex elements are predominantly from Marianne’s point of view as such. I mean that her pleasure and desires are the main reason for the sex acts between them with little discussion on his enjoyment/needs. There are nuances and most of the topics are related to both (and peripheral) characters, so yes, a very refreshing and different take on these topics.
Normal People is such an amazing read, I really really enjoyed it so I wholeheartedly recommend it. It’s an easy read and very accessible to many people. I’d especially recommend it to those around Connell and Marianne’s age (early 20s) as it can seem very relatable but also those younger and I tell you now: take the opportunities that come your way, don’t let them go out of fear of embarrassment or what people think, it’s your life not theirs and go live it x
PS: Connell is so so cute!! Like oh my god I loved him so much, obviously he had flaws (who doesn’t??) but he was just such a lovely character. Put my faith back in straight men to be honest that they can be decent human beings. So well written I could literally write on and on about this book.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Alcohol
emilyreads_books'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
2.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
scandinavian_queen'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
2.0
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, and Abandonment
jen1804'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
Satisfactory ending? Not really.
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content
ienbdri'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
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail