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cepbreed'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
“Marianne answers the door when Connell rings the bell.”
I read this entire book while my chest was constricted. Each line makes me feel like I can’t breathe, like there’s concrete blocking my throat. Oh god this is so tragic. Each misunderstanding makes me want to throw myself into a wall. I had this conversation with my roommate about why Sally Rooney doesn’t use quotations before I began reading. She told me it’s because it makes the book much more intimate, the characters are more lifelike when they aren’t confined to the grammatical conventions of a novel. She’s so right. I didn’t realize I had a little implicit bias when reading, when I see a quotation mark it sends off something in my brain. Without it my brain must take that extra step to realize something is a quote. I have to think first for once, how insane. I still don’t like how it looks but thank you for this Sally Rooney.
Once again I turned to my roommate and had a conversation after I finished and she asked me what I thought about Connell and Marianne, well that's the basics of her question anyways. I answered honestly and told her I prefer Connell. Something about him is just so much more compelling to me. Sure I like Marianne, I sympathize with her, but I feel more pity for her while I relate more to Connell. We talked to through and I came to a conclusion that I guess says more about me than about the characters. Marianne is a character who is full of anxieties, insecurities and vulnerability. As a woman these are all things I hate about myself. Because Connell is a man I don't see his faults in the same light I see her's in. With Marianne a lot of my issue with her comes from the response I would have about myself if it were me in her shoes. Damn.
Songs:
- Casual - Chappell Roan
- Good Sex - Susannah Joffe
- Sidelines - Phoebe Bridgers
- About You - the 1975
- the 1 - Taylor Swift
- Perfect Storm - Inhaler
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Blood
Minor: Death
ileesha'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
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Child abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
kaneebli'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
3.5
Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Racism, Suicide, Blood, and Adult/minor relationship
clarabean's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Bullying, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Racism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
ryanbada'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
3.25
Graphic: Sexual content and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Classism, Sexual assault, Body shaming, and Death
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, and Blood
jasminealizae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Classism, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Violence, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship
mintymintyminty'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
1.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: War and Racism
jja_b's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Don’t get me wrong. I did enjoy the book at times. I found Connell quite a compelling character and I think the book can be described as a page-turner, but most of the characters were unlikeable and the miscommunication between Connell and Marianne just became too frustrating.
The ending infuriated me. I get the point, but it was still infuriating.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Sexual assault, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Classism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Racism, Blood, and Bullying
gailsage_thomps'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
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, Infidelity, Racism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Islamophobia and Pregnancy
maarigirl'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? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Minor: Racism