Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

78 reviews

quinna_corinne's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

5.0

Great writing, offered insights into relationships that really resonated with me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, and Sexism

Minor: Suicide

kaireading's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

Such a lovely and thought-provoking book. Rooney’s writing style is beautiful: clear, bold and just shocking at times (as if, no one ever says that because it sounds so weird but the book somehow makes it sound quite mundane) but at the same time nonchalant. It flows so beautifully and it’s easy and satisfying to read. The characters in the book are very realistic and relatable, they are not idolized in any way, they just… exist. Sally describes them in a neutral way so that she encourages the readers to develop their own opinions. The book touches on many real-life topics and is overall a very pleasant and comforting read, because the heavier topics are presented in an easily digestible  way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexism, Suicide, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Bullying, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Cursing, and Body shaming

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Panic attacks/disorders

darbo'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 What a book.

When I first started reading this on my own, back at the beginning of January 2022, I felt so strongly about it that I was physically unable to continue it. Some scenes and passages got me so aggravated, frustrated and excited that it was a genuine sensory overload for me; and I can't say whether that's positive or negative. I ended up asking my girlfriend to buddy-read this with me, which we did; and my lord, I don't even know where to begin.
No spoilers, but Lukas is a fucking d*ck - least likeable character, honestly - and so is Jamie and Marianne's brother, Alan; just not as much as Lukas, in my opinion.
The story itself is vividly painted and truly beautiful; such an expressionistic novel that's super relatable and real and just makes me respect Sally Rooney as an author. I do have to say that I did not, as some people did, I imagine, mind the ending. I thought it was very well done and fit the overall story, theme, situation and their relationship.
I will definitely be picking up Conversations with Friends, as that's being made into a show currently, as well, and Beautiful World, Where are You. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Mental illness, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Misogyny, Bullying, Sexism, and Alcohol

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

2.25

ugghhh. i went into this really wanting to like it, but it was just not for me. that's partly my fault. i had decided to take a hiatus from reading The Song of Achilles because i knew it had a tragic ending and i'm not in the best mental state rn and wanted something uplifting, when i discovered both the ebook and audiobook of Normal People immediately available to borrow on Libby. don't know what i was thinking to not check the moods and content warnings if i wanted something lighthearted—that's literally what storygraph is for, totally on me.
in a word, this book was upsetting. i've heard someone (specifically, booktuber emmie) describe reading The Goldfinch (haven't read it myself) as having a kind of second-hand depression effect, and i understand it now because Normal People had this very effect of me. three particularly disturbing scenes come to mind:

Connell's former economics teacher attempting to sexually assault him, Marianne's entire relationship with Lukas, and the otherwise-nondescript scene ~88% through when Connell and Marianne have sex for the first time since their first year in college

. this latter scene was the worst of the bunch for me because they both felt so hollow—not in their characterization, Sally Rooney could never, but in their mental states. it's like they're both desperately grasping at something to give them a sense of fulfillment, but their desperation is so painfully undisguised that i found it genuinely depressing. from the very beginning there's a vague sense that the two will end up together in the end, so for it to amount to (at the time) this bleak scene makes their love seem more like inevitability, futility, rather than destiny. the ending doesn't do much to dispel this pervasive hopelessness. of course, this isn't an inherent downfall of the book, Sally Rooney is allowed to write a modern tragedy, it just very much wasn't for me, unfortunately.
with that main point out of the way, it was objectively well-written with lovely prose. i really liked its pacing, jumping forward in time but catching readers up with flashbacks. its general concept reminded me of The Namesake, following a character or characters across years of their life and focusing mainly on romantic relationships, and i prefer Normal People's execution over The Namesake's. 2⅜ stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Violence, Alcohol, Infidelity, Abortion, Body shaming, Death, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Vomit, Self harm, Addiction, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, War, Drug use, Racism, and Toxic friendship

thevieira's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Suicide, Body shaming, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Grief, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Rape

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Death of parent

francess_m's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual content

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Mental illness

ramreadsagain's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.5

It’s taken me a while to decide the rating and even to decide how much I enjoyed it. But I think I really liked this! 

I enjoyed the writing style (with the dialogue written in a similar way to Sarah Hall), the dialogue takes a bit of getting used to but I quickly found that it flows with the narration really well. 

This is a dark and emotional book, equal parts relatable, frustrating and horrifying. It’s my first Rooney read and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more... after a few months recovery!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Sexual content

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, and Physical abuse

Minor: Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

hannahelizza556's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

4.0

This book was fantastic, it was modern, highlighted everyday sexism in the modern world that many women face and abuse in the family home. It discusses mental illness in young adults being deeply affected by what they have done in the past and how it could shape their future. The writing in Normal People is tender and emotional while also being a romance novel. 

This book is stylistically uncomplicated to read, hence my reading time of 4 days to complete this book. One feature I would note is that speech marks aren't used at all in dialogue. Paragraphs would begin with dialogue, with a third person narration and Rooney would inject a line of free indirect discourse. 

Overall this is a lovely book with a somewhat innocence to it in that first loves are explored, first time experiences and the uncomplicated way in which the book is written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

wrensandroses's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Suicide

chloj_'s review against another edition

emotional 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

Honestly, it started off pretty slow. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it at the start, however the more I read, the more captivating it was. It gives a true depiction into coming of age, without any romanticisation of it, while showing the class divide in a modern way. I found myself relating so much to Marianne’s character, to a point where I had to look at myself in a different way. A heavy read for sure, but also one that (in my opinion), is a must. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Abortion, Body shaming, Death, and Death of parent