Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

23 reviews

seventhswan's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• 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

3.75

Hot take, definitely never posted by anyone before: Sally Rooney is an excellent writer. Her observational and descriptive skills are really like no-one else, and Conversations with Friends was no exception - I didn't want to put this book down, and got the same sense of being acutely seen that I always do from her writing. 

That said, this was definitely my least-favourite book of Rooney's three currently-published novels. In Normal People and Beautiful World, I liked or at least sympathised with the main characters; here I spent most of the book actively hating them, and Frances' voice grated on me throughout. This still represents considerable skill in writing, and I'm not averse to an unlikeable narrator in the slightest, but it did weaken my emotional investment in most of the story.

Or so I thought, until I got to the final chapter, and promptly threw the book at the wall, which is not something I believed people actually did until now. Have I been Frances? Absolutely! Did that make me want to give her head a wobble any less? Absolutely not!

Overall, then, I wouldn't say I enjoyed CwF in the same way that I got genuine delight from parts of Normal People and Beautiful World, but I'm glad I read it, even if a lot of what I liked about it was the smug self-satisfaction that I'm Not Frances Any More.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Chronic illness, Self harm, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual violence, and Vomit

c_ourte's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

Painfully relatable. I appreciated the characters (mostly Nick) a lot more the second time reading it. Sally Rooney’s writing scratched my brain in exactly the right spot. #freepalestine

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Self harm, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual violence

thetearex's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Self harm

ale15sousa's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective relaxing tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Infidelity, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Blood, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Alcohol, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, Infertility, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Police brutality, War, Child death, and Colonisation

st3llaryan06's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexual assault, Classism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Infertility, and Infidelity

lb781's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective slow-paced

• 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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity

Moderate: Miscarriage, Blood, Infertility, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Alcoholism

aitngg's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

I am 20 and feeling lost, and this book just felt like a small peak into my life, like, literally, a conversation I would have with your friends. I love how Sally Rooney exposes complicated feelings and emotions that feel so mixed and real. Racial and socio-economical issues are also present in a way that does not feel like they are being forced into the plot, but they are part of the characters, and affect them. 

I have absolutely devoured it. Emotionally, not that many books make me feel that many things.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Infidelity

Moderate: Alcoholism and Addiction

keelyb's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

risten's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual violence, Drug use, Blood, Chronic illness, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

jana16's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Blood, and Infidelity

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Sexual violence

Minor: Biphobia, Miscarriage, Medical content, War, and Alcohol