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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
So dull, unlikable characters, don’t care about their problematic lives
I loved this book. Sally Rooney is a great writer. Her books are full of words that make you think deeply. The wordplay on the book is amazing.
emotional
tense
fast-paced
I admit it, I wanted to read Normal People by Sally because it was manbooker-listed. I didn’t have it but had another of her works Conversations with Friends at hand – so I opted for that instead. And boy did I hate the first half of it. I didn’t get into it at all, it was just blah blah blah to me. I didn’t much care for the character and wasn’t interested in nothing. There was no fucking conversation between me and the book, and we sure as hell weren’t friends either.
But then I don’t know what happened but this hideous thing started turning on me, snuggling up to me, talking to me, involving me, befriending me. And at the end, I cared for all the character, loved some of them, was stupidly happy with the ending. The radiating yellow of the cover finally arrived in my mind. And that’s it. The feeling I got was great, I was so so glad that either the book or I turned around on it- or myself. The writing was normal, nothing out of the ordinary. So the plot and the feeling is all you get from it really. I mean, this would be perfectly enough… if only it wasn’t so tedious to arrive at the last half (or rather last quarter). Is it really worthwhile? I don’t know…and that is not enough.
But then I don’t know what happened but this hideous thing started turning on me, snuggling up to me, talking to me, involving me, befriending me. And at the end, I cared for all the character, loved some of them, was stupidly happy with the ending. The radiating yellow of the cover finally arrived in my mind. And that’s it. The feeling I got was great, I was so so glad that either the book or I turned around on it- or myself. The writing was normal, nothing out of the ordinary. So the plot and the feeling is all you get from it really. I mean, this would be perfectly enough… if only it wasn’t so tedious to arrive at the last half (or rather last quarter). Is it really worthwhile? I don’t know…and that is not enough.
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-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
Searing emotional portrait. Veers into a kind of romantic fantasy that strains belief at times, but the writing is sharp & funny, and the voice is utterly unique.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a lover of normal people and Sally Rooney i thought it was only right for me to finally read this. For the first 9 or so chapters i was not loving it and despite relating to Frances, struggled to like any of the characters and felt there was a lack of passion or even connection between Frances and Nick. After they broke up, things changed for me and i started to feel a deep connection between the characters and even between myself and the characters. I loved the chapters in France - Chapter 14 was probably a highlight. The banter between Nick and Frances was amazing, and led to me thoroughly loving Frances as a character. The darker themes of depression, self harm and SPOILER endometriosis gave further depth to a what some may call an over used subject of an illicit affair. Overall i loved it and would highly recommend, especially to anyone who enjoyed Normal People. I struggled between 4 or 5 stars. Even despite my loving Normal People more, felt it would be wrong of me to give it any less than 5 stars.
dark
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes