Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

236 reviews

sestout's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Alcohol, and Sexual assault

Minor: Classism

annchmn's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I found Marianne’s family situation so unresolved and like a plot device. I really disliked Marianne’s character resolution, as well as her depiction as a frail and beautiful person descending into darkness … I found it especially jarring every time the author flat out wrote a description of what she was wearing and how she looked (especially how she just had to mention how much thinner and thinner Marianne was becoming) instead of being more subtle.

It was an interesting look l the way Marianne and Connell both navigated school coming from different backgrounds, but the rest irked me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Violence, Bullying, Classism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexual assault and Vomit

naoml's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

I don't think I started to get it until pg 132 and I don't think I really got it until I read 175-190. I really wanted to love this, people say it's so good, and it has incredible moments. I personally didn't like the way dialogue was written, I found it hard to keep straight. Unsure how I feel about the ending, but would say it's worth a read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Eating disorder

vanesst's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Death of parent

jameserinoreads's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.75

Sometimes painfully relatable. As the author is Irish, so are her values and global political views, prepare to be triggered if you don't believe in human rights and socio-economic equality. I all seriousness, lovely read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Classism, Abandonment, Misogyny, Drug use, Sexual assault, Grief, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Blood, Suicide, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts

aleilvandrea's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Blood, Classism, Grief, Sexism, Violence, Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Rape, Gaslighting, and Death of parent

Minor: War

sailorpisces's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Bullying, Classism, Alcohol, and Self harm

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse

jordan_noel's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I didn’t necessarily love this book. I didn’t really love the characters, and I don’t know if I really expected anything to happen. But I don’t think the book is trying to say there’s destiny. In fact, I think it’s the opposite. Sometimes people end up together and help each other and try to be loved by each other. They aren’t going to be perfect. And they aren’t necessarily meant to be. Sometimes it can work out for a bit and sometimes it doesn’t, but hopefully life helps you have a person to stick with anyway.

I don’t think Connell and Marianne are good people and they’re not always good friends. Luckily, they still care about each other and help each other right before saving might not be possible anymore. Maybe we can’t ask for more than that in normal people. That’s just who we are, and that’s the best we’re going to get.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Classism, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Pregnancy, Blood, Abandonment, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

geesmu's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, and Classism

lilias's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

In the beginning I kept thinking: When Harry Met Sally but make it shoe-gazing. Overall, I found this book to be both captivating and frustrating. I really loved certain aspects of Sally Rooney’s writing. Her moments that were here and now regarding Connell and Marianne were fantastic, and I reread some passages in awe of how well she showed the subtleties of human interaction. But I never really knew how we got here and there, especially when it came to Marianne. 

We mainly see things from Connell’s point of view. His mom, Lorraine, is a wonderful person and raised him on her own. He has a passion for reading, literature, especially. He is a poor kid who is constantly surrounded by rich kids, and the reminder of his background never goes away. It’s exasperated by Marianne, through no fault of her own, because she’s a girl who comes from an exceptionally rich family. His conventional views keep him from allowing Marianne to live at her full potential around him. He won’t reveal certain weaknesses around her, making their relationship full of potential but always unbalanced. Marianne feels that potential but blames herself for them never reaching it. Her leap to self-blame is probably familiar to a lot of women readers, and it’s furthered by her family, which is abusive. 

For some reason, Marianne, as a character, is not as fully formed as Connell. At times, it was as though Marianne was losing both as a character within the story and a character on the page. Towards the end of the book, I started to dread reading more. I usually read dark books, but the constant cruelty Marianne kept having to endure just wore me out. I wish Rooney had left it out because distracted from the central character studies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Grief, and Domestic abuse

In the beginning I kept thinking: When Harry Met Sally but make it shoe-gazing. Overall, I found this book to be both captivating and frustrating. I really loved certain aspects of Sally Rooney’s writing. Her moments that were here and now regarding Connell and Marianne were fantastic, and I reread some passages in awe of how well she showed the subtleties of human interaction. But I never really knew how we got here and there, especially when it came to Marianne. We mainly see things from Connell’s point of view. His mom, Lorraine, is a wonderful person and raised him on her own. He has a passion for reading, literature, especially. He is a poor kid who is constantly surrounded by rich kids, and the reminder of his background never goes away. It’s exasperated by Marianne, through no fault of her own, because she’s a girl who comes from an exceptionally rich family. His conventional views keep him from allowing Marianne to live at her full potential around him. He won’t reveal certain weaknesses around her, making their relationship full of potential but always unbalanced. Marianne feels that potential but blames herself for them never reaching it. Her leap to self-blame is probably familiar to a lot of women readers, and it’s furthered by her family, which is abusive. For some reason, Marianne, as a character, is not as fully formed as Connell. At times, it was as though Marianne was losing both as a character within the story and a character on the page. Towards the end of the book, I started to dread reading more. I usually read dark books, but the constant cruelty Marianne kept having to endure just wore me out. I wish Rooney had left it out because distracted from the central character studies.