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saskiahill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abortion, Death of parent, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, and Infidelity
paulaks's review against another edition
- 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
This book is A LOT while being quite uneventful. Being character driven, it follows 2 characters over 4 years. Documenting my life for that long would be the most boring piece of literature but Connell and Marianne are SO complicated and traumatized. That has to be my first warning: The amount of triggers that are passively talked about is worrying. Please check those before reading (I tried to list some). Overall the reading experience was quite intense. Since there are no quotation marks, the thoughts, storytelling and conversations blend in together which can be confusing but makes for a really intriguing experience. The writing style was 10/10 so no need to continue on that.
Honestly, you can categorize the people that read this novel by their rating into two groups: The group that didn´t build a connection, were annoyed or angry or aren´t empathetic (= ratings lower than 2.5). And the ones who identified themselves with character traits or are just really empathetic (= rating 2.5+). Just a little thesis of mine, don´t take it to seriously. But what you should take serious is the fact that if you can´t build any connection with one of the MCs by the 50% mark, there is little to no point in reading this. I was quite invested so here´s my experience: Their decision-making had me on my toes, even tho the way they continued making wrong choices was exhausting. But it´s definitely interesting how trauma can shape a human being. This aspect shocked me a few times and made me question my own behaviour.
Lastly, the title choice is well done. Who is normal? Are we normal people? Do we want to be normal people? At least I was trying to answer that question.
My rating right now would be a 4 star. The potential was there and maybe I´m the problem but sometimes there were illogical moments and situations that made me uncomfortable (most of the time with Marianne). As you can guess by my long review, this is a great book for a group discussion but be aware that this would reveal a lot of personal stuff since Normal people is an intimate story.
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Classism, Drug use, Abortion, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Blood, Eating disorder, and Gaslighting
dfram's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this book in 24 hours, I was absolutely incapable of putting it down. I loved every single element on it. Relatable characters with immesurable personal growth; and yet, the essence of their personalities remained intact. Mental health discussions (with responsible details + relevant and important information for YA). The accuracy of the description of feelings of inadequacy among same-aged peers. The truth about young love, and how inevitable heart break is. The social criticism and the discussion about class and wealth (and how it impacts our relationships). How life changing it is to find someone who not only understands and accepts you for who you are, but loves you because of it and not in spite of what makes you you.
What I love about this book so much is that Marianna and Connell are normal people. They're as real as the next person is. I felt myself identified with the plot to their story. The truth is, nearly everyone I know has experienced what it's like to struggle between letting go and holding on tighter. The gist of the story is best summarized via the following popular saying: "if you love somebody, let them go. For if they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were".
My only complaint? The lack of quotations to identify the dialogue took me an embarrassingly long amount of chapters to adapt to.
I wish there was more to this story.
10/10 would recommend.
April 2024
I agree with my past self! I felt able to fully immerse myself in the story and that is a feeling I seek when reading other books. I felt the characters were super relatable, and those that I didn’t love I could understand except Marianne’s fam, fuck them I loved that Marianne and Connell were flawed and awkward.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Alcohol, Blood, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Bullying
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Racism
Minor: Abortion
janaptrsn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Bullying
Moderate: Death of parent, Classism, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Body shaming, and Suicide
Minor: Abortion and Infidelity
seventy7's review
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Mental illness, Death, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Vomit, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Abortion and Alcohol
Can be really frustratingtaysbooktalk's review
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Suicide, Vomit, Abortion, Death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
lisazd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Minor: Abortion
bookishlittleme's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have heard a lot of comments about Sally Rooney's writing being hard to read because she does not use quotations to help the reader recognize dialogue. Personally, I fell in love with her writing style as soon as I picked up the book. As for the dialogue it's definitely more feeling than reading a quotation mark that lets you know when someone is speaking. This is a very sad book but I think if you're drawn to it you should read it. Check the content warnings though!
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Misogyny
Minor: Abortion
nirvannamae's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use, Suicide, and Abortion
bridietmc24's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Rape, and Alcoholism
Minor: Eating disorder and Abortion