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happy_ness_honey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
2.75
God, Europeans think they're so insightful. A post-modern nightmare.
lilyabryant's review against another edition
4.0
I recently finished Normal People by Rooney and Exciting Times by Dolan, so my primary disappointment for Conversations with Friends is how similar it is to the other two books. However, I did enjoy the book itself and definitely more than Normal People.
I found this main character to be a more interesting type of complicated. She possesses a quality that makes her so easy to hate while also making her relatable. She frequently views herself as the victim, the hero, the moral compass—all while misusing everyone around her.
I see in the main character a person trying to rebel against unjust systems but really just retaliating with more abuse and unfairness, not making the world a better place, but trying to harm those she views to benefit from the system—all while ignoring her own privilege.
The main character is someone you will love and hate and the relationships in this book are complicated and intense. I really enjoyed this read and finished it quickly.
I found this main character to be a more interesting type of complicated. She possesses a quality that makes her so easy to hate while also making her relatable. She frequently views herself as the victim, the hero, the moral compass—all while misusing everyone around her.
I see in the main character a person trying to rebel against unjust systems but really just retaliating with more abuse and unfairness, not making the world a better place, but trying to harm those she views to benefit from the system—all while ignoring her own privilege.
The main character is someone you will love and hate and the relationships in this book are complicated and intense. I really enjoyed this read and finished it quickly.
illustratorsoph's review against another edition
5.0
Read this book in a day, couldn't get enough. Brilliant read!
isa_araujo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Possible spoilers ahead.
I GET IT, Sally Rooney, your contemporary intentions of portraying characters that won't always make the best choices or react in the civil, ethic manners we expect them to. Two stars for that, since we really did grow tired of heroic moralist characters. Plus another star and a half for the beautiful and sincere writing, and Frances' introspection and monologues were genuinely interesting. At times.
That being said, when you write a story from the pov of a selfish, spoiled, egotistical character with zero emotional intelligence, the entire narrative falls a bit flat and unsavory, at least for me. I could understand the point the author was trying to chase at the end, when other characters started to notice the same flaws we perceived from Frances, to show the narrative is like this because, from her pov, she was not deserving of love and affection and represses all of her emotions, which ended up damaging any form of communication with her friends and family. This reality check actually made me start to enjoy the story better. But it feels bad to read these twisted and petty impressions of Frances towards many different segments of her life, and her hateful reactions to anything that she feels like a personal attack to her and not like a sincere attempt at communicating from people around her. I often felt frustrated with her childish emotional reactions to people telling her to get over herself.
I think I will always find Rooney's books a bit overestimated, although she has beautiful writing and storytelling skills that connects really well with people in their 20s-30s.
I GET IT, Sally Rooney, your contemporary intentions of portraying characters that won't always make the best choices or react in the civil, ethic manners we expect them to. Two stars for that, since we really did grow tired of heroic moralist characters. Plus another star and a half for the beautiful and sincere writing, and Frances' introspection and monologues were genuinely interesting. At times.
That being said, when you write a story from the pov of a selfish, spoiled, egotistical character with zero emotional intelligence, the entire narrative falls a bit flat and unsavory, at least for me. I could understand the point the author was trying to chase at the end, when other characters started to notice the same flaws we perceived from Frances, to show the narrative is like this because, from her pov, she was not deserving of love and affection and represses all of her emotions, which ended up damaging any form of communication with her friends and family. This reality check actually made me start to enjoy the story better. But it feels bad to read these twisted and petty impressions of Frances towards many different segments of her life, and her hateful reactions to anything that she feels like a personal attack to her and not like a sincere attempt at communicating from people around her. I often felt frustrated with her childish emotional reactions to people telling her to get over herself.
I think I will always find Rooney's books a bit overestimated, although she has beautiful writing and storytelling skills that connects really well with people in their 20s-30s.
smolena's review against another edition
1.0
I hated this, it was super boring, flat and bland, dialogue is criminal, the characters are not only insufferable (especially the main girl and guy) but get no development and no resolution. I also hate miscommunication trope and that's the entire plot of this book since both of the main characters (who are grown ass adults with degrees lol) have the communication skills of two average bananas.
It thinks it's much deeper than it is which makes the overall tone annoying as well.
It thinks it's much deeper than it is which makes the overall tone annoying as well.
janainthebooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
5.0
no one writes believable and realistic dialogue, miscommunication and misunderstandings between multidimensional characters like Sally Rooney! This a full-on "no plot just vibes" - story and the vibes are gripping, unsettling, emotionally charged and at times darkly funny. A great mirror for any young person, especially young women, with a blind eye for red flags and no regard for their own mental stability. It's so relatable and reflective, fascinating and frustrating, timeless and tangy. A contemporary classic and must-read!
nojamms's review against another edition
I don't want to rate Rooney's books. I read Normal People a few days ago and it was alright. I even felt i REALLY liked it a while after I finished it. I even almost started the show (too soft for me in comparison to the book(I just watched ep 1 I'm sorry)).
But I don't know now? I might've liked this one better? Even though this book is about the 21 year old and her perspective and her being a child- it felt more grown up than Marianne and Connell, was it? I don't know. This one felt more fleshed out, maybe because it was just one person's perspective. Also I'd consider Frances to be fairly unreliable too. She has that element of being a 21 year old that wants their life to be in their control so badly and fucking up like a child now and then. Maybe that's where I could feel her? I really couldn't believe for a while we're the same age, but her decisions and impulsiveness in making assumptions out of the situations by misunderstandings and trying to seem so grown up solidified it.
I know this is like a fuck all review but I needed to jot down all this somewhere. I don't know whether I liked it or not. I really respect Sally Rooney for this amazing prose style where you simply can't stop reading. I mean how??? There's a very slim way in which a story like this could be made tolerable, and i think Rooney did that. Even made me enjoy, heck, even like it. So there it is. Not what I expected but I won't regret spending my time on it.
But I don't know now? I might've liked this one better? Even though this book is about the 21 year old and her perspective and her being a child- it felt more grown up than Marianne and Connell, was it? I don't know. This one felt more fleshed out, maybe because it was just one person's perspective. Also I'd consider Frances to be fairly unreliable too. She has that element of being a 21 year old that wants their life to be in their control so badly and fucking up like a child now and then. Maybe that's where I could feel her? I really couldn't believe for a while we're the same age, but her decisions and impulsiveness in making assumptions out of the situations by misunderstandings and trying to seem so grown up solidified it.
I know this is like a fuck all review but I needed to jot down all this somewhere. I don't know whether I liked it or not. I really respect Sally Rooney for this amazing prose style where you simply can't stop reading. I mean how??? There's a very slim way in which a story like this could be made tolerable, and i think Rooney did that. Even made me enjoy, heck, even like it. So there it is. Not what I expected but I won't regret spending my time on it.