Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

208 reviews

lumew2's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted tense medium-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

4.0

idk how i started liking the characters by the end but i did. good god. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Toxic friendship, Blood, Infidelity, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Self harm

Moderate: Vomit, Alcohol, and Cursing

Minor: Addiction, Lesbophobia, and Classism

theliteraryteapot's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I have absolutely zero tolerance when it comes to adultery so obviously this was not a book for me. Yes, I understand the characters are meant to be very flawed and all that stuff, okay and then what? What do we do with this and them? Because it certainly didn't feel like any of them grew out of this, they seem stuck and there's barely a sign for a future character development. They all need therapy.
Add to that, as someone who grew up in the countryside, coming from a half-romani family, not rich, not bourgeois, with poor access to culture and literature, reading this book about privileged white rich and bourgeois (plus shitty and not genuine) people felt weird and useless. Their supposed political ideas felt so very performative.

On the endometriosis aspect, as I have the disease, I can't judge much because it can manifest in many different ways from one person to another. The only thing (maybe I'm nitpicking here), is that no you don't necessarily need a surgery to confirm a diagnosis, an mri scan is enough. And no, endometriosis is not just painful periods and infertility, it's so much more, so many other symptoms and different types of pain (outside periods and ovulations).

Also, I've seen people debating on Rooney's writing style and I don't get why? There's nothing to say to it, it's easy to read and very accessible.

It's funny because on paper Frances could have been my representation I guess: bi, endometriosis, poetess, studying literature, financially struggling (except for the fact her uncle owns her apartment), and yet... Nothing worked for me. It's just not for me.

I'm glad it got me out of a reading slump and I'm glad to see endometriosis more in fiction. That's it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Self harm, Alcoholism, Blood, Mental illness, and Vomit

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy

jillaay_h's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Vomit, Blood, and Medical content

xosevenusagbadan's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-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

4.0

I was nervous to read Sally Rooney after reading and loving Normal People, but I think somehow I needed to read this books in the stage of life that im in right now. you have no time to think, this books just dives you into Frances’ life. I was completely sucked in even though on the surface I should not have been. I should have been confused and maybe even a but disturbed. It almost reminded me of The Stranger. I think if youre a woman in her 20s that loves to think and contemplate and desire, this book is for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, and Classism

Minor: Cursing, Sexism, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, and Miscarriage

readingonthehorizon's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

Conversations with Friends was a challenge for me to read. I took a 2 week break from reading it around halfway through and even then, I had to put the book down at the end of each chapter.

I'm not sure what about it made me do this. The language itself is not challenging but it's possibly the themes. I felt so far detached from the characters but at the same time related in a way I never have before. It made me feel such odd emotions that I know I'll never be able to identify.

But I would like to say that I loved how Sally Rooney didn't use quotation marks.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual content

saradtotheb's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Self harm, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Blood and Vomit

djenkin96's review

challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I think it was just a story of repeated behaviours from all the main characters. There were sections of self development or self awareness with the intent to improve, but did any character actually develop ? In the end I didn’t even end up liking Bobbi or Frances or even Melissa. I’m not even sure I liked nick. A lot of loose ends at the end ? It’s  Like the author got bored, undid all the self-awareness and ended the book ? 

I did like the relevant topics And The nod to endometriosis.However I Feel the author  glazed over a large amount of obvious body image issues and an eating disorder ?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Infertility, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Eating disorder, Medical content, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content

kashrae99's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcoholism, Medical content, Blood, Chronic illness, and Classism

Minor: Infertility and Vomit

rosapalskov's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-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

4.25

I loved her way of writing, and how mundane the story was. The characters are so relatable and real, and the author trusts the reader to understand what is happening between the lines, instead of making things too obvious. I loved how you didn’t always quite know what was being said and what was just a thought, and the miscommunication between the characters was not frustrating, but realistic, and showed each characters insecurities. Every relationship dynamic was really interesting, which I rarely find in other books. The story made reflect on friendships and human behaviour, and had an impact on me in general, i will probably think about it for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, and Self harm

aliceroddy_'s review

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would - I was interested in the characters and I found it very easy to read. That being said, I didn't feel compelled to pick it up or continue reading it and I think that's because there were quite a few plot points that I thought were unnecessary and the book was about 125 pages too long. All in all, this book was interesting; enjoyable; well-written and I would recommend (still not going to read Normal People though.)

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Chronic illness, Blood, and Medical content